Roger II's  (Frederick II's) Tomb Right Side

"Since time immemorial the lion has been the emblem of the victory that is a ruler's due .  .  . the lions on the royal mantle  .  .  . have the same meaning  .  .  . are also shown with a victim."

Josef Deér,  The Dynastic Porphyry Tombs of the Norman Period in Sicily. Translated by G. A. Gillhoff (Dumbarton Oaks Studies, 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: 1959) 68