GM. This is a sword lion. In the Anping district of Tainan, which is the oldest city in Taiwan, the custom of placing a sword lion at the entrance to their homes began around 300 years ago.
Apparently, soldiers used to hang their shields that had lions painted on them on their door as a warning to thieves not to mess with them. They also hung their swords there so from a distance it looked like the lions had swords in their mouth.
People started carving their own sword lions and placing them at the entrance of their homes as a way to ward away evil spirits.
One sword facing one direction symbolizes protection from evil. Facing the other direction was supposed to bring good fortune. Two swords means exterminate the devil. In Taiwan lions are usually drawn with the word 王 (king) on the forehead.
In the Bible, Jesus is called the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is also the King of Kings. In Revelation he is described as having flaming eyes and a sword in his mouth.
I designed this sword lion as a way to Christianize the concept. I don’t think amulets or trinkets are a real way to ward off evil, obviously, but this sword lion represents Jesus to me. Jesus is the only way to ward off evil and he is the vanquisher of the devil.
