Lion's Claw Marks at the Cathedral Door.

Are these claw marks on the Cathedral portal?

I'm having a quiet day today, after singing in the choir last night, and an afternoon at the Braunschweig Hobby and Education Exchange centre, a group similar to the U3A in Britain. I have joined another choir, and will sing with them next Friday. I also contacted some ladies who wish to speak English, together with taking walks (in English) in the lovely parks around the city. I arrived home last night at 21.40, and needed several cups of tea!

It is very hot, and last night there was, so I am told, a storm rattling around. I was so tired, I slept through the big bangs and lightning flashes. The road was still very wet this morning, so there must have been some heavy downpours.   It is 21c today and very clammy, but the weather report predicts only 12c tomorrow with sunshine and showers.  I hope it stays dry, I'm walking in the Harz with friends tomorrow.

The stone columns of the small Romanesque portal on the northern side of the Cathedral show what appear to be scratch marks. Legend says that, when Duke Henry the Lion participated in the crusades he brought a lion back with him from the Holy Land. The lion had an injured paw, Henry cared for him, and the lion became his friend and companion. When Henry died and was buried inside the Cathedral, the grief-stricken lion sat outside the church door and scratched it with his claws, in an attempt to reach his master's grave.

The truth is much less romantic of course. Faithful Christian warriors in the middle ages would scratch church walls with their swords to sanctify their arms. Superstition considered the stone dust to be a potent medicine against all kinds of illnesses.

Scratches on either side of the portal.  I like the decorative hinges on this door.