"Putting your head in the lion's mouth" is a phrase that has attained an almost proverbial status. It arose because it was said this used to be done in circus acts. But did such a thing actually take place or was it just a legend?
Well, yes, it did take place and a very unwise procedure it was, too. We don't know just when it started, but we do have the name of an early practitioner. This was Isaac Van Amburgh (born 1808) who seemed to exert a power of control over lions, who, when he gave performances, were reduced to docility and placing his head in the lion's mouth was certainly featured in a number of his shows. His power over lions seemed to some almost mystical, though he was also accused of using brutality to tame his animals. Did any enterprising lion bite his head off? No, he died in his bed in 1865.
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