Alessandro, «re-Leone» : la morfologia ferina del sovrano-guerriero nella leggenda medievale di Alessandro Magno

Within the medieval versions of his legend, Alexander the Great is often physically described with feral elements and, as both a defender and extender of borders, constantly associated with lions, seen as protective and aggressive animals at the same time. Also Bucephalus frequently appears to be described as a “lion-horse”, so that the episode of his domestication allows us to compare Alexander to Ivan, the ‘Knight of the Lion’, who maintains a similar symbiotic relationship with his animal. As I will try to demonstrate, the association of the Macedonian king with lions might be due not only to his assimilation to Apollo, but also to his ambiguous nature. In fact, in the medieval tradition, Alexander is indeed a generous and just king, full of mercy and courage, but, at the same time, he happens to show ferocious features that contribute to make of him a demonic figure.