. Kings are the most powerful people or rulers of a land. Perhaps this is why the lion is considered king, because it is control of the land it lives on and all the other animals that live on it.
Hyenas, however, are not really controlled by or fear the lions, but are a common enemy. It is sometimes said that if it wasn't for the ugly looks and walk of the hyena, they would be considered the kings of the jungle. On the other hand, the beauty and grace of a lion makes it the perfect king.
Lions also rest about 20 hours a day. In a sense, they have the life of kings. They eat, drink and sleep and do away with pests. Lions are regarded as the kings of the jungle for this reason. I once saw a documentary on lions. At the end of the documentary, a pack of hyenas was attacking a pride of lions. The hyenas were attacking the cubs; the lionesses were doing their best to keep the hyenas away, but the hyenas kept coming back. Sadly, for the first time in weeks, there were no male lions to be seen. In the last slip of the documentary, there is a lioness chasing a hyena but can't catch up, when from out of nowhere there appears a huge male lion, it's muscles bulging with strength from anger. With each step it gracefully charges past the lioness and with one strike to the right hind leg of the hyena, the hyena crashes to the ground tumbling and rolling from the sudden loss of footing. This is the act of a king, a king that was crossed the wrong way--a creature in command.