For example, there are lions on the coat of arms of Britain or Norway, but there are no lions there.
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You got some answers, just want to add that in some cases the coat of arms are “singing” (the proper term is “canting”, in English, but it still means “to sing”. Other languages use “talking” instead).
This means that they have no meaning but to represent with images the surname of the bearer or the name of a place: bow and lions for Elizabeth of England (born Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon), a pomegrenate for Granada (in Spain), tower and lion for Castile and Leon, a bull for my city, Turin (toro means “bull”) and so on.
Also, “lion” was used as a synonym for “brave” or “valiant” even in medieval times, just think of Richard I (nicknamed “the lionheart”)
Another point: many noble families are only a few centuries old, and by then Europeans had knowledge of many things that were not found in Europe.
The remains of lions were found under Trafalgar Square. “Building work on the south side of the square in the late 1950s revealed deposits from the last interglacial period. Among the findings were the remains of cave lions, elephants and hippopotamuses”. From wiki.
Fun fact: In Finland it was originally translated to ’Jalopeura’ / ‘Noble Deer’, as the people at the time had no idea what a lion looked like. They thought its like a deer but better.
Are unicorns any more common? Yet unicorns pop up in coats of arms, too.
Why are all the antiquities from the African continent spread throughout Europe?
the old king of the animal was the Bear (he was called king of the forest) but because it was popular as a symbol with the pagans of north Europe it became a negative symbol after Christianity came (this why in a lot of middle age legends about a saints kill or taming a bear) the new animal that because the symbol for kingship and got was a lions
also we know that lions were already known as you you can hear a but them n Greek legends (like Hercules )
Because dogs aren’t quite tough/cool enough for a ruler’s iconography, but cats are too lovable and they would have broken the medieval internet.
>…if they don’t live in Europe?
Kind of answered your own question.
It’s an exotic animal that the average European of the time didn’t have much of a clue about.
Weird tangent, but it’s the same reason plenty of Japanese fiction uses Christian imagery, and why Samurai and Shinobi (Ninjas) are popular in the West.
Different = cool/trendy
I know, right? Everyone knows lions live in the jungle, the mighty jungle.
The same reason westerners like katanas even though katanas aren’t native to Europe; people like the exoticness, and the cachet or mystique which is built around them. A sword is cool, but the ancient weapon of the Samurai is cooler.
So having a local bobcat on your coat of arms is cool, but having the mythical Lion from far away lands, revered for its strength, virility, speed, cunning and deadliness is cooler.
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