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We know Saber's real identity is Arthur Pendragon ("Chief-Dragon") and that
she is [linked to dragons](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon#Role) through
Merlin's sorcery:

> King Arthur was made into the incarnation of a dragon by Merlin by infusing
> her with the blood of a dragon, and one is shown in Realta Nua as a
> representation of her Magic Circuits and is visible standing near her Magic
> Core.

However, it seems that Saber is [linked more to lions than
dragons](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Saber_%28Fate/stay_night%29#Personality):

> Though she once felt more linked to dragons, she came to enjoy lions after
> taking care of a lion cub for a month at some point in her life. She claims
> that it is not that she "likes" them, but rather the happiness she
> experienced as he became attached to her brought forth a bond with them. He
> was very energetic, often biting or scratching, but she wished to be able to
> stay with him until the end. She has had feelings for them since then, and
> even remembers the fond memories while holding a stuffed lion. Shirou seeing
> the memory of her rubbing her cheek against the lion comments on it being a
> time where she looks like a girl her age.

If I do an image search on Sankaku Channel with the tags `saber lion`, I get
129 results, which is much higher than the 31 results that I get if I search
with the tags `saber dragon`. A glance through the images reveals that, in
addition to the stuffed lion in the original _Fate/stay night_ , there are
also [Saber Lion](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Saber_Lion), the Unit Lion
race car that appears in _Carnival Phantasm_ , and a grown lion often found to
also accompany Gilgamesh and Iskander.

It does not appear that Saber taking a liking to lions is central to the plot,
so why the stronger association of Saber with lions than good old dragons? Was
it ever revealed (e.g. in an interview) why Kinoko Nasu chose to portray Saber
more as a Lioness than a Dragon Lady?


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fate-stay-night
How did Saber become more linked to lions than dragons?


The Lion reference can be dated back to her childhood. it's not mentioned on
her page but [Sir Kay's section](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Sir_Kay#Kay).
Sir Kay is the son of Sir Ector who Merlin left Arturia in the care of, that
makes him Arturia's step brother though she had thought of him as her real
brother (despite knowing the truth).

> Once while attending to her while she was sick, she told him that she would
> like to have a dream of a lion running on a grass field. He fashioned a
> poorly carved wooden lion that looked like a combination between a dog and a
> cat, and left it by her bedside. When she thanked him and told him that she
> had a pleasant dream of a young lion, Kay was shocked as he intended to make
> a decrepit old lion that would have been unable to hurt a rat. He had been
> worried that the lion might pounce on her in her dreams.

so while she is linked to Dragons, Lions was apart of her upbringing as the
brother she loved carved her a lion when she was sick which most likely became
a very cherished possession of hers and it's probably a subconscious thing of
Arturia's extending from this. not entirely sure as to why she wanted to dream
about a lion in the first place

I'm not sure as to how much of an impact this trait of Arturia's is on the
story. [Saber Lion](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Saber_Lion) is a parody
much like how [Magical Amber](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Magical_Amber)
and other Magical Girls in the Nasuverse is a parody of Magical Girls. as far
as i know it's not stated if the _original_ Arthurian Legend depicts lions in
the context of a connection with Arthur (the Pendragon Coat of arms normally
depicts, as one would expect, dragons. According to
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attributed_arms#Arthurian_heraldry)
Sir Tristran's earliest attributed coat of arms had lions however Kay's Lion
would predate this) or if any derived works do or even which legend Kinoko
Nasu may have used as a basis for Arturia

If i was to fashion a guess it is probably to make a more unique Arthurian
Legend. [Mordred](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Mordred) is practically
Incest from the most bizarre method,
[Nero](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Playable_Saber_\(Fate/Extra\)),
[Frankenstien](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Frankenstein) and Great Holy
Grail War [Jack](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Assassin_of_Black) are all
women and most of the [Hassan-i-
Sabbah](http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Assassin) are described as not having
faces at all so quite possibly while they all have a base real life legend
Kinoko Nasu alters them slightly to have a bit for freedom in developing their
backgrounds and legends to suit his needs.


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