- “The Great Kings of the Past look down on us from those stars.”
- ―Mufasa
The Great Lions of the Past (also known as the Great Kings of the Past) are deceased members of the Pride Lands monarchy in The Lion King franchise.
Background[]
The Great Lions of the Past mostly consist of lions who are affiliated with the Pride Lands monarchy. When a member of either monarchy dies, their physical form manifests as a spirit to watch over their descendant's physical form such as the case of Mufasa who was killed in a wildebeest stampede, resulting in Mufasa in reuniting with the Great Lions of the Past. While they are said to reside amongst the stars, the Great Lions can be visible appearing through clouds, albeit asking their descendants for advice or guidance. Because of this ability for the Great Lions, their living descendants receive teachings about them at some point in their life.
Members[]
Appearances[]
The Lion King[]
After escaping from the Elephant Graveyard during an ambush set out by Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed, Mufasa teaches Simba about the Great Kings of the Past, who will guide him, in subtle preparation for his eventual death and physical separation from his son. Eventually, Mufasa died in a wildebeest stampede when Scar threw him into the gorge and then becomes trampled by the wildebeests; later, Mufasa became a Great King of the Past.
Several years later, Mufasa appears as a ghost. Rafiki, having discovered Simba's survival, finds Simba in an attempt to convince the now-adult lion to return to the Pride Lands. Rafiki takes Simba to a small, magical pool that brings Mufasa's ghost, up in the sky. Mufasa tells Simba that as his son and rightful heir, Simba must remember who he is and return to the Pride Lands to take his place in the Circle of Life. This encourages Simba to return to his homeland, where he discovers the truth about his father's death, defeats Scar (who later became an Evil Lion of the Past during the events of The Lion Guard), and takes his place as the rightful king, thus avenging Mufasa.
With Scar defeated for good and his tyranny put to an end, Mufasa, who is with the Great Kings of the Past, says, "Remember..." to Simba as he stands triumphantly on Pride Rock to claim the throne, looking up at an opening in the storm clouds revealing the stars before signifying the beginning of his reign with a powerful roar.
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride[]
Mufasa in his ghost form overlooks the presentation ceremony of his granddaughter Kiara with a mixture of affection and pride. Soon as Kiara aged, her father Simba taught her about the Great Kings of the Past.
Following Nuka's death, Zira asks Scar to watch over him, much to Zira planning to take revenge against Simba and the other residents of the Pride Lands, as the Outsiders decide to take revenge against Simba.
After Kiara and Kovu are wedded when the Pridelanders and Outsiders reunited with each other, Mufasa congratulates Simba for his reuniting both lion prides together as he, Nala, Kovu, and Kiara stand on Pride Rock ("Well done, my son. We are one!").
The Lion King 1½[]
In the 2004 direct-to-video interquel The Lion King 1½, almost every reference to the Great Kings of the Past is entirely omitted, as the film focuses on Timon and Pumbaa the most. During the part where Timon and Pumbaa arrive at the scene where Simba is asking Mufasa for guidance, Mufasa (who became a Great King of the Past) began to form in the clouds, which Timon and Pumbaa mistake him for a storm cloud.
The Lion Guard[]
In the Disney Jr. animated series, the Great Lions of the Past are the ones who control Kion's Roar of the Elders where the Great Kings correspond to the Roar he uses. In addition to Mufasa returning, other named Great Lions that appear in the series include Askari, Janna, Sãhasí, and Ãnanda. The concept to the Great Lions of the Past not only applies to their living descendants in the Pride Lands, but also to those in the Tree of Life such as the case of Janna dying of old age. Additionally in the series, the Great Lions of the Past not only consist of male lions but also lionesses as well.
In addition to containing these members, the series also introduces a new concept when an evil member of the monarchy dies and their physical form manifests into spirit form, known as the Evil Lions of the Past. Unlike the Great Lions affiliated with the power of heroism, an Evil Lion can be summoned with the Roar of the Elders as well as a Bakora staff which makes them appear in the form of fire, such as Scar. Whenever an Evil Lion of the Past vanishes after appearing the exact spot where they are present, they leave a distinguishing mark behind at the exact spot where they were at which is known as the "Mark of Evil".
The Lion King (2019)[]
After Mufasa escorts Simba and Nala from a hostile hyena clan in the Elephant Graveyard, Mufasa teaches his son Simba about the kings of the past, who will guide him in the years to come, hoping to prepare Simba for his eventual death when the time comes. Eventually, Mufasa died in a wildebeest stampede when Scar slapped him into the gorge and then becomes trampled by the wildebeests; later, Mufasa became a Great King of the Past.
Several years later, Mufasa reappears as a spirit when Simba is guided by Rafiki to a pool of water after the latter discovers Simba's survival. Telling him that Mufasa lives on in Simba's heart, Mufasa is summoned up in the sky before Simba. Mufasa, taking the form of a powerful storm, informs Simba that as his son and rightful heir, Simba must remember who he is and return to the Pride Lands, further stating that though he is gone, he'll never leave Simba again and that as king, he was most proud of one thing: having Simba as his son, a fact that would last forever. Encouraged, Simba returns to the Pride Lands with Nala as well as Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu by his side, where he discovers the truth about how Scar murdered Mufasa.
Eventually after Scar's death, Mufasa then tells Simba to take his rightful place as king of Pride Rock, avenging his father's place as king once and for all, restoring peace to the Pride Lands once more.
Trivia[]
- There is an early iteration of the Great Kings of the Past in an early version of the original The Lion King film known as the "Great Spirit", a lion deity worshipped by lions living in the Pride Lands.
External links[]
