CIMRM 776 - Lion-headed god. Merida, Spain.

Statue of a lion-headed god. From the Merida Mithraeum.

CIMRM entry

776. Marble statue (H. 0.87), found in 1902. Mus. Merida, Inv. No. 87. Gomez Moreno-Pijoan, Materiales, Pl. XXXI, fig. 36; Leite de Vasconcellos, Religoes, III, fig. 150; Melida in BAH 1914, 446f No. 3 and Pl. V; Cat. Badajoz, No. 1084; Paris in RA 1914, 6 No. 6 and fig. 4; Legge in Proc. Soc. Bibl. Arch. XXXVII, 1915, Pl. XIX, 4; Lianez, Mer., 178f No. 87; Pidal, Hist. Esp., II, 441, fig. 251; Garcia y Bellido, Culto, fig. 7; see fig. 210. Aion with lion's head. To the upper part of his naked body, a pair of wings is attached. Around him a serpent is winding its way up, resting its head on the god's after the last coil round his neck. A part of the head and parts of the arms and legs have got lost.

Bibliography

• Alice M. Canto, "Frugifer Augustae Emeritae: algunas novedades sobre el epígrafe del procurador imperial Saturninus y el gran mitreo de Mérida", at Academia.edu here, see especially pages 324-332 and figures 6-8.
• A. Blomart, “Frugifer: une divinité mithriaque léontocéphale décrite par Arnobe”, Revue d’Histoire des Religions 210-211 (1993), p. 5-25.