Week 2 Story: Lion Tales

 

Lion in Love

The Lion's Share

3 years ago in the wilds of Rwanda, I finally went on my first hunting trip with a few friends of mine. My buddies the fox, the jackal, and of course the big bad wolf (he is actually a good guy now). After many years of casually passing each other in the woods and joking around with each other here and there, we had the idea of hunting together. The trip together was both long but fun. In the evening, we finally found a stag and worked as a team to take it down. My buddies were so thrilled that they hunted with a lion, and I decided to let them have all the spoils. My reward was an adventure with my friends. 

Androcles and the Lion

It was a bright sunny day in the woods. Beauty was everywhere, and there was even an escaped slave running through the woods. He stumbled upon a wounded lion who greatly startled him, but he noticed the lion showed no aggression. The kind man, Androcles, healed the lion out of grace. The lion, Soru, was not sure what to do with the man. Soru was quite hungry, but this man had just saved his life. While Soru was thinking about what to do, they were ambushed by guards from a nearby kingdom. The guards tossed them into a full arena where the emperor and his court stood watching. "Let the games begin!" the emperor belted. Androcles was hesitant, he chose not to pick up any weapon, as he knew he could not beat the now healed Soru. Soru also showed hesitation. In a split second, Soru leaped on the man and the crowd cheered their hearts out. But wait, Soru was not harming the man, he was licking him! After the match, the emperor came down to Androcles and Soru, and heard the story of their short previous encounter. In shock, the emperor freed them from their bondage, and the two built a hut together near the woods where they first met. 

The Lion and the Statue

I was walking home from work Tuesday evening. It was a rough day at work, so I decided to walk through Trafalgar Square to cheer myself up. While I was walking through, I noticed a man talking to one of the lion statues. "Now that doesn't make any sense. A man would never lose to a lion we're too intelligent" says the man. "Don't you see my power? Intelligence cannot save a man from the strength of a lion" says the statue. "I beg to differ, I have seen a statue of Hercules destroying a lion" says the man. "Ah yes, but have you considered that is what man wants you to believe?" says the statue as it solidifies back to its fixed state. After I got home I convinced myself it was a stress hallucination. 

The Lion in Love

A beautiful young maiden was picking flowers in the garden. She had just returned from a successful expeditionary voyage. She was so tired that her armor was still equipped, yet she wanted to relax with her flowers. Unknowing to her, a lion had tracked her from the voyage, and pounced into her garden. She drew her sword in defense, but the lion was stunned. He had never seen such a beautiful warrior before. Time passed, and surprising to literally everyone, they were in love. It was unexplainable, as a love like theirs had never been documented before. Yet, their love shined like the sun shining off her armor. The lion finally decided to seek approval from her parents. However, it did not go as he wished. Her parents demanded his claws be trimmed as short as possible, and his teeth be removed. His love was so great for her, he gave in to their demands. After it was finished, the lion went to update the parents, and they laughed in his face. He would not receive approval from them, and shame fell upon him for his life had changed that day. 

Author's Note

For each mini-story, I took different approaches and changed different things. For The Lion's Share, I decided to keep all the same characters, yet I changed the plot and the scenery. I further defined the location, and I flipped the plot. The original plot had the lion taking the stag for himself and the other animals leaving. The original also did not add much character to the other animals so I added some context to their role as friends. For Androcles and the Lion, I kept much of the plot the same. I added a few details regarding the scenery and shortened some of the interactions between Androcles and Soru. Soru, does not have a name in the original so I named him Soru. I slightly altered the arena scene. In the original, there were days that they were locked away without food. During the fight, the original detailed no weapons for Androcles, and the lion "bounding and roaring" at him instead of Soru leaping on Androcles as I say. Lastly, the original ended with the two being freed, but I added them building a hut and living together. For The Lion and the Statue, I changed much of this short story. The original began with a man and a lion arguing who is stronger, and then they go over to some gardens to view a statue of Hercules defeating a lion. I end it in a similar fashion, the original ends it with the lion speaking about the statue 'That is all very well, but proves nothing. for it was a man who made the statue.' For The Lion in Love, the maiden did not have much of a role other than being the interest of the lion, so I expanded her character. I added more depth to their relationship, as well as adding the thoughts of the community as being surprised but could see their love. The end is similar in which both stories have the parents laughing at the lion. 

Bibliography

"The Lions Share", "Androcles and the Lion", "The Lion and the Statue", and "The Lion in Love". Each found in "The Fables of Aesop" by Joseph Jacobs (1894). Fables