Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Why do lion statues have curly, perm-like manes?
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Why do lion statues have curly, perm-like manes?
The author is a professor of marketing and public relations at Sogang University.
When you pass statues of lions on the street, you may notice their manes spiral in perfect, almost permed curls. In many historical palaces and temples, the heads of lion sculptures often resemble a bowl of curly noodles. As a child, I thought lions looked like that - until I saw them on television or in a documentary and realized that their hairstyles didn't match reality.
The answer didn't come from my elementary school teachers, but from reading books later in life. In ancient China, whenever a new emperor ascended the throne, the court sent painters to Africa. Lions were seen as symbols of imperial dignity. As lions represented majesty, figures of them were placed throughout the palace. But Africa was far away and many painters died of disease on the way. Few actually reached the continent, and most relied on secondhand accounts to depict the animal. When they returned to the imperial court, the lions they painted sported curly, almost permed manes - an artistic interpretation meant to emphasize the mane's volume.
The Korean Peninsula, which was culturally influenced by China, adopted similar representations of lions - even though the real animals were rarely seen. That persisted until the modern era, when people began encountering actual lions and their golden flowing manes - think of Simba in "The Lion King" (1994).
By contrast, tigers never enjoyed the same status. According to zoologists, lions and tigers differ in important ways. Tigers dwell in dense, dark forests, making it hard to picture them lounging majestically in the open savanna. Unlike pride-forming lions, tigers are solitary. A well-fed lion may tolerate company, but a tiger will strike immediately if annoyed. Still, in Korea, tigers have been honored in folk art and mythology. In temples, you'll often see the mountain spirit riding on the back of a tiger. And minhwa (folk paintings) frequently depict them.
Abroad, tigers have long carried less esteem than lions. Recently, that's changing. A surge in popularity for tiger-themed goods - like the "Derpy" series - thanks to the success of a K-pop-inspired animation, "KPop Demon Hunters," has reshaped their image. K-culture is not only changing how the West sees Korean music, it's also helping recast symbols like the tiger.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff.
View all episodes
By Newsroom of the Korea JoongAng DailyThe author is a professor of marketing and public relations at Sogang University.
When you pass statues of lions on the street, you may notice their manes spiral in perfect, almost permed curls. In many historical palaces and temples, the heads of lion sculptures often resemble a bowl of curly noodles. As a child, I thought lions looked like that - until I saw them on television or in a documentary and realized that their hairstyles didn't match reality.
The answer didn't come from my elementary school teachers, but from reading books later in life. In ancient China, whenever a new emperor ascended the throne, the court sent painters to Africa. Lions were seen as symbols of imperial dignity. As lions represented majesty, figures of them were placed throughout the palace. But Africa was far away and many painters died of disease on the way. Few actually reached the continent, and most relied on secondhand accounts to depict the animal. When they returned to the imperial court, the lions they painted sported curly, almost permed manes - an artistic interpretation meant to emphasize the mane's volume.
The Korean Peninsula, which was culturally influenced by China, adopted similar representations of lions - even though the real animals were rarely seen. That persisted until the modern era, when people began encountering actual lions and their golden flowing manes - think of Simba in "The Lion King" (1994).
By contrast, tigers never enjoyed the same status. According to zoologists, lions and tigers differ in important ways. Tigers dwell in dense, dark forests, making it hard to picture them lounging majestically in the open savanna. Unlike pride-forming lions, tigers are solitary. A well-fed lion may tolerate company, but a tiger will strike immediately if annoyed. Still, in Korea, tigers have been honored in folk art and mythology. In temples, you'll often see the mountain spirit riding on the back of a tiger. And minhwa (folk paintings) frequently depict them.
Abroad, tigers have long carried less esteem than lions. Recently, that's changing. A surge in popularity for tiger-themed goods - like the "Derpy" series - thanks to the success of a K-pop-inspired animation, "KPop Demon Hunters," has reshaped their image. K-culture is not only changing how the West sees Korean music, it's also helping recast symbols like the tiger.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff.