The fascinating story of the Lion of Gripsholm Castle takes us to Sweden. This lion with a deformed and unusually comical face is a prime example of bad taxidermy and an object of laughter
on the Internet.
This story begins at the dawn of the 18th century, when King Friedrich I of Sweden received a gift worthy of a monarch: a lion. The gift came from someone who, at the time, held the position of the figure of Algeria. This particular lion was one of the first members of its species to arrive in Scandinavia. For this reason, it became a landmark for the locals, who regularly came to the vicinity of Unibacken to see it.
In 1731, when the lion died, they decided to preserve it through taxidermy. However, there was a major obstacle for those involved in this process. The taxidermist had never before had the opportunity to see the lion in person.
The museum curators also had no idea what a stuffed lion should look like. This posed a problem because they did not have an accurate visual representation of the animal. To overcome this difficulty, the taxidermist was guided by images of lions present in historical works of art.
However, this was not enough to capture the essence of the fearsome jungle king. In the end, the taxidermist's work was far from the expected anatomical accuracy. Especially the muzzle of the stuffed lion, where the master's inaccuracies were most apparent.
This work has existed for several centuries without attracting attention or meaning to the Swedes. However, everything changed with the arrival of the 21st century.
Thanks to the Internet, the lion from Gripsholm Castle has become a widely ridiculed piece of taxidermy.
His cheerfully deformed face has made him an iconic meme icon.Despite his flaws, the Gripsholm Lion is a popular attraction at Gripsholm Castle, a major tourist destination in Sweden.