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[Alexandr Korol]

In Wikipedia, there is also an astronomical interpretation here, but these are just human suppositions about what the animals might correspond to, which cardinal direction or season. There is also a separate section in Wikipedia about the Tetramorph — the source of the images. “It is suggested that the roots of the Tetramorph and the choice of animals should be sought in Babylonian mythology, where they symbolized four male figures of four planetary gods:

• Bull — attribute of the supreme god Marduk (Jupiter)
• Lion — god of war Nergal (Mars)
• Eagle — god of the wind Ninurta (Saturn)
• Man — god of wisdom Nabu (Mercury)

The German researcher, Dr. Richard Henning, searches for a distant source of these emblems in the four zodiac signs, spaced ninety degrees apart. As for the lion and bull, there is no difficulty; the angel is identified with Aquarius, who has the form of a man, and John’s eagle — with Scorpio, but this is rejected because Scorpio is considered a harbinger of evil. Nicolas de Vore in his “Astrological Dictionary” also puts forward this hypothesis, noting that these four figures combine in the sphinx, which may have a human head, the body of a bull, the claws and tail of a lion, and the wings of an eagle”. Yes, there is the sphinx — that’s who the sphinx is.

“Analogues in Other Traditions
As noted by the Encyclopedia of Symbols: “Tetramorphs are mythological creatures (usually animals) embodying quaternary cosmic structures: cardinal directions, seasons, elements (sometimes this set is supplemented by other components). Originally in the mythological worldview, these creatures personify directions and are positioned at the four sides of the world tree; they are the masters and guardians of the ‘four cardinal points,’ symbols of divine protection and defense against chaos.” Various cultures have figures in their mythology similar to the biblical tetramorphs:
In ancient Chinese cosmology, similar functions were originally performed by the tetrad of sacred animals — dragon, phoenix, tiger, and turtle. Similar figures appear on the seals of Mohenjo-Daro.