In ancient art, confronted-animal motifs often involve the Master of Animals, a central human figure between two confronted animals, often grasping them, and are probably part of a unified socio-cultural motif. A related motif in ancient art is known as the Mistress of Animals.
Source: Confronted animals – Wikipedia
Tim B.
“Opposed animals are used in Insular art, the style of which is derived from a mixture of Celtic and northern European design traditions. Confronted animals, or animals intertwined in very intricate patterns, often depicted grabbing at each other to form the “gripping beast” pattern, are a main feature of some periods of Viking art. So intertwined are the animals, they are dissolved into pure ornament, and the individuals are barely discernable from each other. “