The diabolical beast

Facing the praying saints, the fantastic animal is here a manifestation of hell: it is the “Beast of the Apocalypse” of Biblical description. Its hybridity (leopard's body, bear's paws and lion's mouth) is thus conceived as a sign of monstrosity, and heavy with symbolism: seven heads for seven deadly sins, ten antlers loaded with a crown for the victory of evil over the Ten Commandments.
Today, this image is no longer a source of fear: the hybrid animal in fantasy is often positive, an ally to the hero. The deer with its resplendent antlers closely evokes the great spirit of the forest in Hayao Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke (2000), the embodiment of the immortal forces of nature.