The carving that made that initial chisel mark into my obsession with Oxford gargoyles. The King of Men and the King of Beasts sharing a stone block for as long as it takes to wear down stone. I have to wonder what brought them together. My first thought was a toothache afflicting the lion that the king in passing took pity upon and perhaps sought to alleviate with extraction. I somehow imagined this was a story I read as a child as I have uncertain recollections surfacing, but I think I churned my version up with an Aesop tale mixing up king and shepherd with a bad tooth and sore paw. Maybe it was more sinister as in off with the lion head as a victory trophy post arena battle - the clutching of the mane seems indicative of this, but I still like to think it’s a tender moment and that comforting a pain in a fellow beast is the real story. The lion’s ear touching the king’s cheek makes me want this to be a friendship. Most likely, it is the story of Aslan the ruler of Narnia and King Peter the Magnificent. C.S. Lewis did live and die in Oxford. In 1916 he was awarded a scholarship at University College. After his death in 1963, he was put to rest in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Headington, Oxford. I think this makes the most sense, but it still looks like the lion has a toothache.

• Daniel was a prophet, he wouldn’t obey the king
  The king said to Daniel, “This is a naughty thing.”
  Put him in a lion’s den with lions down beneath /But Daniel was an artist so he drew the lions’ teeth - Darkie’s Sunday School (James Bryant)

• The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken - Job 4:10. King James Bible (Cambridge Edition)