Tradition: Greek Mythology
Alternative Names: Ant-Lion, Myrmicioleon, Formicaleon, Formicaleun, Mirmicioleon
Category: Lion
The Myth
The Myrmecoleon, or Ant-Lion, is a fantastical creature combining the ant and the lion. Its name comes from the Greek words myrmex, meaning ant, and leon, meaning lion. The creature appears in ancient and medieval Christian bestiaries, where it became a strange symbol of the natural world’s contradictions. Its name may have originated from a translation error in the Greek version of the Book of Job, before the creature appeared in the Physiologus, an early Christian collection of stories about animals and their spiritual meanings.
The Myrmecoleon was preserved in medieval bestiaries, including the Hortus Sanitatis of 1491. Its identity as an ant-lion made it a curious creature of the bestiary tradition, linking the small ant with the mighty king of beasts. It was also known by several alternative names, including Formicaleon and Formicaleun.
A separate description in the Aberdeen Bestiary gives the name mermecoleon to a remarkable sea stone. Hollow and round, the stone is divided into two parts that can close together. It rests on the seabed and comes alive in the early morning, rising toward the surface and opening its mouth to collect heavenly dew. As sunlight shines upon it, the dew develops inside the stone into a precious, radiant pearl. In this account, the creature’s name is associated not with a hybrid animal, but with a wondrous marine object that produces a pearl through the meeting of heavenly moisture and sunlight.
Sources
“Myrmecoleon.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 21, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmecoleon