Leoncini
Leoncini
Leoncini are the "Little Lions of Venice". They are magical beings that appear in the form of house cats with wings. They are usually familiars of members of the Pythian Academy.
Origins
Traditional wisdom say the cats appeared in the Veneto shortly after St. Mark's relics were taken to Venice suggesting an origin near Alexandria, perhaps from the Nile Delta.
Giustiniano Participazio, Doge from 825 until his death in 829, St. Mark's relics and mentioned the Leoncini