Jad-bal-ja, the Golden Lion is a fictional lion

Lion

The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

 character in Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...

's Tarzan

Tarzan

Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...

novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics.

Character

Jad-bal-ja serves as a companion to Tarzan, to whom he is attached as a dog is to its master, sometimes hunting for him and at other times fighting by his side, rescuing him from peril, or protecting his friends or allies from danger. He is portrayed as especially close to Nkima

Nkima

Nkima is a fictional monkey character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly comics.-Character:...

, the monkey who served as Tarzan's other primary animal companion.

In the Tarzan novels

Jad-bal-ja first appeared in the ninth Tarzan novel, Tarzan and the Golden Lion

Tarzan and the Golden Lion

Tarzan and the Golden Lion is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the ninth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a seven part serial in Argosy All-Story Weekly beginning in December 1922; and then as a complete novel by A.C. McClurg & Co...

(1922 serial, 1923 novel), in which the ape man discovered him as an orphaned cub and raised and trained him. He was named for the color of his coat, Jad-bal-ja meaning "the golden lion" in the language of Pal-ul-don, a prehistoric lost land Tarzan had visited in the previous novel, Tarzan the Terrible

Tarzan the Terrible

Tarzan the Terrible is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the eighth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published as a serial in the pulp magazine Argosy All-Story Weekly in the issues for February 12, 19, and 26 and March 5, 12, 19, and 26, 1921; the first...

(1921). He went on to play a prominent part in the novel in which he was introduced, reappearing in the tenth Tarzan novel, Tarzan and the Ant Men

Tarzan and the Ant Men

Tarzan and the Ant Men is the tenth book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' series of novels about the jungle hero Tarzan. It was first published as a seven-part serial in the magazine Argosy All-Story Weekly for February 2, 9, 16, and 23 and March 1, 8, and 15, 1924. It was first published in book form in...

, the eleventh, Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (novel)

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, generally considered the eleventh in his series of books about the title character Tarzan...

(1927), the fourteenth, Tarzan the Invincible

Tarzan the Invincible

Tarzan the Invincible is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. The novel was originally serialized in the magazine Blue Book from October, 1930 through April, 1931 as "Tarzan, Guard of the Jungle."-Plot summary:Tarzan, his...

(1930), the sixteenth, Tarzan and the City of Gold

Tarzan and the City of Gold

Tarzan and the City of Gold is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the sixteenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan...

(1932), in which he saves Tarzan from certain death at the jaws of another lion, the seventeenth, Tarzan and the Lion Man

Tarzan and the Lion Man

Tarzan and the Lion Man is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventeenth in his series of books about the title character Tarzan...

(1933), in which he finds a mate, and the twenty-sixth, Tarzan: the Lost Adventure

Tarzan: the Lost Adventure

Tarzan: the Lost Adventure is a novel written by Joe R. Lansdale based on an incomplete fragment of a Tarzan novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs but left unfinished at his death...

(1995). Jad-bal-ja was also featured in the children's story, "Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins, with Jad-bal-ja, the Golden Lion

Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins

Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins is a collection of two Tarzan novellas written by Edgar Rice Burroughs for younger readers. It was originally published as two children's books, The Tarzan Twins by Voland in October 1927, and Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins, with Jad-bal-ja, the Golden Lion, by Whitman in...

" (1936).

In other media

The character of Jad-bal-ja also appeared in the Tarzan comic strip and comic books, both in adaptations of the original novels and in stories newly written for the medium. He had one film appearance, in the 1927 silent movie Tarzan and the Golden Lion

Tarzan and the Golden Lion (film)

Tarzan and the Golden Lion is a Tarzan film based on the 1923 novel of the same title written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of the Tarzan character. The film starred James Pierce as Tarzan, Frederick Peters as Esteban Miranda, Dorothy Dunbar as Jane, and Edna Murphy as Betty Greystoke. The film...

, an adaptation of the novel. He was also a recurring character in Filmation

Filmation

Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...

's animated series Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle is an animated series created by the Filmation studio for CBS. There are a total of 36 episodes produced over the first four seasons....

(1976–1981).