Reflecting on the books of wonders and ancient zoological texts reveals that the ancients have considered the Motif of lion from two perspectives: zoological and cultural. In the former viewpoint, lion is depicted as a unique and powerful animal and in the latter, a myriad of rituals, beliefs, customs and traditions have formed around the concept of lion. However, the border of these viewpoints is not always clear and their boundaries are often opaque. The main issue of this research, which was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method, is the critique and analysis of the subject of lion in the books of wonders and ancient zoological texts. Lion is a physically strong animal with special skin, bones, eyes, claws, and idiosyncratic reproduction trait. Lions suffer from specific diseases and hunt specific animals. From the perspective of popular beliefs and traditions, lions are afraid of roosters, peacocks, mice, fire, and the sound of a metal wash-tub. It is a noble creature and does not attack women and children. Its meat, fat, brain, bile, teeth, hair, and claws are effective in treating diseases and repelling pests. they love music and song, to the extend that hunters use music to capture them. In astrology lion is the fifth sign of the zodiac. It symbolizes glory, bravery, and elevated places, and holds a special position in mythology and dream interpretation.
Key Terms: Lion Motif, Zoological Texts, Books of Wonders, Cultural and Ritual Perspective, Zoological Perspective.

Introduction
Due in part to its physical attributes such as strength, splendor, color, reproduction pattern, and its dominance over other animals, lion is an animal that has captured human attention and secured a distinguished position within popular cultures. There are myriads of materials produced about lion in wonder books (Ajayeb-nameh) and ancient zoological texts which merit examine and analysis to help inhance the insight into the ancient’s view of lion and its place in the Iranian culture and civilization as well as the Persian literature. This descriptive-analytical study aims to survey the status of the animal in wonder books and ancient zoological texts and its subsequent reflection in the Persian literary texts.

Materials & Methods
The main foundational sources of this research are categorized in three classes: The first category includes the wonder books (Ajayeb-namehs) including Ajayeb-al-Makhloughat wa Ghayeb al-Mojoudat by Zakarya Qazvini, Ajayeb-al-Makhloughat wa Ghayeb al-Mojoudat by Mohammad ibn Mohhamad Tousi, Ajayeb-al-Donya by Ibn Mohadeth Tabrizi, Ajayeb wa Gharayeb (Gharayib al-Dunya wa Gharayib al-Ala) written by Azari Isfaraini. The second category comprises books of knowledge and encyclopedias such as Nozhat-nameh-ye Alai written by Shahmardan ibn Abi al-Khair Razi, Nawader al-Tabador le Tohfat al-Bahador by Shams al-Din Mohammad al-Deniseri, Farrukh-nameh by Abu Bakr Mutahhar Jamali Yazdi, and Nafais al-Fonun fi ‘Arayes al-Ayun by Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Mahmoud Amoli, parts of which are dedicated to the knowledge of animals and insights into the customs, rituals, and beliefs related to them. The third group of works is zoological, including Manafeh al-Haywan by Abdul Hadi Maraghei, Kitab al-Haywan by Jahez, and Hayat al-Haywan al-Kubra by Kamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Musa al-Damiri. Notably a limited portion of the ancient’s customs and beliefs related to lion has been reflected in the Persian poetry.

Discussion & Results
The subject of lion has attracted two major perspectives in the wonder books (Ajayeb-nameh) and ancient zoological texts. The first regards the lion a powerful animal that possesses a distinct kind of skin, flesh, eye, hair and coloration. The other viewpoint is stemmed in the popular culture and is based on some specific beliefs about lions that has been evolved in the course of the time. The ancient people supposed that the magnificent lion that fights against the buffalos, ironically, is afraid of roosters, peacocks, ants and flies. They are fond of music, yet music is used to lure them into hunters’ traps. Its meat, skin, brain, hair and tallow are thought to have magical properties. The boundary between these two perspectives is not always crystal clear and sometimes they are so intermingled that cannot be easily distinguished and sorted apart. The most important themes of the subject lion include lion’s zoological properties, hunting and bait, its adversaries, diseases, magnificence and ethics, medicinal qualities, capturing methods, lion’s role in dreams and lion’s place in astronomy and astrological rituals in Iranian mythology.

Conclusion
The journey of the ancient people’s outlook to the theme of lion begins with sensory experiences and direct observations, transitions through some zoological features and enters into the realm of the culture, traditions and belief systems where the phenomenon of ‘lion’ is utilized to articulate diverse types of subjects, meanings and themes. wonder books and old zoological texts depict lion as an animal with a special skin, bone and color. The bones are so profoundly solid that striking them against each other is said to spark flames of fire. Its entire back bones are said to be unitarily attached while its hide is supple enough to aid the expert hunter in leaps and hunting. Its predatory hardware comprises of powerful jaw and teeth joined with specialized claws which remain sheathed during walking only to be unsheathed at the time of hunting. Its prey includes cattle, buffalo, zebras, swine, donkeys, leopards, and occasionally, humans, while creatures such as elephants, ants, and flies are regarded as its enemies.
The more important perspective is ritualistic and cultural that partially include beliefs regarding lion’s hunting method, longevity, peculiar birth giving, the half-dead newborn that gradually comes to life, persistent fever, its varied and distinctive prey and diet, not assaulting the weak, serving the farmers and preying on sailors. Also, some measures pertaining to warding off lion’s peril are worthy of mention. Some examples of those measures include lion’s fear of white rooster, peacock, mice and inflated waterskin. Furthermore, opinions regarding medicinal property of lions’ body parts and magical attributes of objects are also worthy of examine. This group encompasses, for instance, the use of lion’s meat, hide, tallow, brain, and hair in treating ailments such as paralysis, tremors, and boils. Finally, the lion's role in dream symbology and its presence in ancient astronomy are of notable significance.