The Inhabitant Of Gripsholm Castle Is A Lion And A Meme (8 photos)
Taxidermy is not just making realistic stuffed animals by stuffing them with animal skins. A taxidermist needs a detailed knowledge of anatomy, otherwise the result can be extremely grotesque or funny. 
Like, for example, the lion in the Gripsholm Castle Museum in Sweden. 
Gripsholm Castle
In life, the lion of Gripsholm Castle must have been a source of local pride. Lions were exotic animals that were in great demand in the royal houses of Europe. Princes from African states often gave lions to European rulers as a sign of goodwill, to seal a treaty or forge new relationships. The lion with the predictable name Leo was one such gift. 
No one knows for sure, but it most likely came to Sweden in 1731 as a gift to King Frederick I from the Bey of Algiers. In 1729, the Swedish king signed a treaty with the Algerian ruler to protect Swedish merchant ships from sea pirates off the coast of Algeria. The lion was given in exchange for a tax that Sweden paid to prevent Barbary piracy in the Mediterranean. 
The lion was placed on the royal hunting grounds, where other lions had previously been kept. After the animal's death, its skin and bones were sent to a taxidermist to be stuffed. Unfortunately, the taxidermist had no idea what the animal had looked like in life. Lions are not native to Europe, and as noted, the only lions on the continent were those given to rulers (or captured), and they often lived in royal menageries. 
Despite his lack of knowledge, the taxidermist did the best he could. Some have suggested that the craftsman may have used heraldic images of lions as a reference, such as the carved lion at Gripsholm Castle. This would explain the curved tongue and the front paw stretched out in the air. 
From the side, the lion does indeed look quite ferocious. Perhaps the taxidermist simply paid too much attention to the side view when mounting the skin, or perhaps the lion was (somehow) never intended to be seen from more than one angle. 
Either way, the Gripsholm Lion has become the museum's most popular exhibit and a world-famous meme. The strange beast is far more interesting than if an unknown taxidermist had created an outstanding and extremely realistic masterpiece. 
