Originally representing Anne Boleyn, and Katherine of Aragon before her, the Seymour Panther was given to Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife, by the king from the royal treasury of beasts. Although the stone beast is depicted as a ferocious animal, with flames coming from its mouth and ears, the Seymour Panther symbolised a peaceful and loving union between the king and consort who bore him the male heir he so desperately yearned for.