Lions

It is said among the Haradrim that the Dark Lord, at the dawn of time, chose the wolf as the mount for his goblin cavalry because the lion proved too proud to serve any god. The most magestic of hunting animals, the lion, in some form, once ruled the lands from Lindon across the vales of Anduin to the Easterling plains and the deserts of Harad. Man, the lion's eternal enemy, has driven him from most of his ancient hunting grounds. A few spotted lions still roam the remote wilds of Gondor and the hill country north and east of Mordor. The tawny lion of Near Harad is a slightly smaller beast; it roams the fringes of the desert all across Harad, eastward into the Suncrown and south to the Yellow Mountains. Most lions live in small prides of three to six adults; young males are driven from their prides to hunt alone. Lions need to hunt grazing animals to live. When drought burns away the sparse grass of the wadis south of the Harnen, lions follow the starving herds of antelope and sheep down nearly to the banks of the great river. The big cats risk urdwan arrows and sihadin horse-spears to take sheep, cattle, and sometimes unlucky peasants. Some lions become so adept at taking human prey that they terrorize entire provinces and become the stuff of legend. A few of these man-eaters are "Ferath" truely possessed by evil spirits, either devam or the ghosts of men. Only the bravest and most resourceful mortal hunters dare pursue them. If the Ferath slays such a hero, his appetite may be sated, and he disappears back into the desert.


 * Cliff Lions
 * Mountain lions
 * Snow lions
 * Spotted Lions
 * Tawny Lions
 * Tree-lions