The Lion-faced man riding a bear, carrying a viper, with a trumpeter accompanying him, is a complex magical image from the Qabalistic tradition. It is a theriomorphic (beast-form) composite figure, likely derived from the synthesis of astrological, alchemical, and demonological symbols. The name is purely descriptive; no single classical deity or spirit is universally accepted as its direct source, though it resonates with figures like the Chaldean 'Lion-man' (Urmahlullu) or the alchemical 'Green Lion' devouring the Sun, here given a violent, processional form.

Position on the Tree of Life

This image corresponds to the 22nd Path (Samekh) on the Qabalistic Tree of Life, which connects the spheres of Yesod (Foundation) and Hod (Splendor). This Path is associated with the zodiacal sign of Sagittarius, the Archer, and its nature is one of aspiration, tension, and the piercing of illusion. The image's violent, forward-moving character reflects the Path's function as a trial of the soul's integrity.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

While the Path is Sagittarian (ruled by Jupiter), the image itself is not a direct astrological glyph. Instead, it embodies the test of Sagittarius: the raw, untamed force of the centaur's lower half (the bear, the lion) must be directed by the higher will (the man's face, the viper as wisdom). The trumpeter signifies the proclamation of the soul's intent, a herald of the spiritual war that this Path represents.

Historical context

The image appears in the Liber 777 tables, compiled by Aleister Crowley, drawing on earlier Renaissance grimoires and the Qabalistic writings of Athanasius Kircher and Cornelius Agrippa. It is not a single, canonical figure from any one mythology, but a synthetic emblem. The 'Lion-faced man' echoes the 'Lion-Serpent' (Ouroboros) and the 'Man-Lion' of the Mithraic mysteries, while the bear and viper are chthonic beasts of the underworld. The trumpeter is a common motif in apocalyptic and processional art (e.g., the Four Horsemen, the Triumph of Death), signaling the inescapable nature of the Path's trial. The image is a violent, processional emblem of the soul's journey through the Abyss, where the lower nature (bear) is ridden by the higher will (lion-faced man), armed with the serpent of wisdom (viper), and announced by the herald of fate (trumpeter).

In the context of Liber 777, this image is the specific magical image for the 22nd Path in the column of 'Magical Images' (CLVII). It stands as a stark, uncompromising symbol of the Path's initiatory ordeal, distinct from the more straightforward archer of the zodiacal sign.