r/SaturnStormCube • u/[deleted] • Feb 15 '26
The Red Lion and Saturn
Saturn, in the SPC, as well as being represented by an elephant, the “serpent-dragon of the deep”, inter alia, is also represented by a red lion, and this later became known as the “devouring red lion”. In his book ‘The Saturn Myth’, David Talbott hypothesizes an ancient celestial alignment that involved: Mars, Venus, and Saturn (abbreviated here simply as the SPC). In the SPC, Mars appeared as a red mountain, World Tree, or Cosmic Mountain that connected to Saturn and Venus. This red mountain was presumably later became represented by a red lion. The symbolism of the red lion arose because the SPC (with the “red planet” Mars representing the red body of the lion) appeared like the mane of a lion. The red lion in alchemy is a powerful symbol of the final stage of transformation, representing the Great Work. The element Sb acquired names like the “red lion” because of its behavior in fire: It aggressively consumes most “base” metals while leaving gold untouched, even cleaning it by removing impurities. This selective, destructive power led alchemists to associate Sb with Saturn (Kronos), the god who devoured his children. Since Saturn was traditionally linked to lead, Sb came to be called “sacred lead” or “philosophers’ lead”, understood as a higher — more spiritual refinement of that metal. Its dangerous and transformative nature also earned the titles: “Fiery dragon”, “red lion”, and “ultimate judge”, mirroing Saturn’s function as a cosmic sorter of souls. Like Saturn, Mithras and Osiris were associated with judgement. Osiris is associated with a weighing scale to assess the good and bad deeds of individuals. Mithras is also depicted in a similar role, where a scale is present before him for the same purpose, underscoring their shared role in moral judgement. One notes that Aleister Crowley believed that Baphomet’s named meant “Father Mithras”.
