Week 2 Story: The Heart of a Lion

     There once was a man and woman who were madly in love with each other. The couple was on the verge of marriage, but before that could happen the man had to attend to his duties as a guard of the village. The man's position was as a watcher. One day while watching, he spotted a pride of lions rushing towards the outpost at which he was stationed. Instead of alerting the men at the outpost of the incoming attack, he ran away. On his run away from the outpost, he hit his head and died, suffering the same fate as the rest of the men at outpost.

    The man was reborn as a lion the moment his spirit left his body. Since at this time lions and other animals could talk, they also aged much faster than lions we know today. The man-lion was walking through the jungle one day when he spotted a woman picking berries from a tree. This was the same woman the man-lion was in love with during his past life. The man-lion was enamored by the woman's beauty. He hid in a bush and watched the woman as she picked the berries. The woman noticed the man-lion in the bushes. 

    "My long lost love told me all about lions and their hunting techniques; when lions are on the prowl, they hunt in packs. Therefore I have no reason to fear you," said the woman. 

    "No, no, fair lady. You have no reason to fear me. Even if I was on the hunt I would spare you because of your great beauty," replied the man-lion.

    From there the two were nearly inseparable. The woman would leave her parents home to visit the man-lion in the same spot where they met every chance she got. There came a point when the two declared their love for each other and their desire to wed. The only thing standing in the way of their betrothal was the woman's parents. 

    The man-lion mustered courage and asked the woman to lead him to her home. The woman's parents were not very pleased with the man-lion's request but feared angering him due to his status as a lion. They told him they would agree to his marriage to their daughter if he declawed and defanged himself. They told him it was out of concern for their daughter, but it was really a trick.

    On his way to get declawed and defanged he noticed a pride of lions rushing towards the village where his love lived. He met their ambush before the village, and the pride stopped to hear what he had to say.

    "This village is mine and mine alone. I wish to eat its inhabitants by myself," the man-lion told the pride. 

    "We won't believe your lies. We know you are in love with a human woman in that village," the leader of the pride retorted.

    Seeing that forceful action would be the only way to stop them, the man-lion began attacking the pride. He killed many lions in the pride, but eventually he succumbed to his injuries and died. What was left of the pride retreated knowing they would not be able to pillage the village with such diminished numbers. That night out of the carcass of the man-lion crawled out the man who was once a lion. The man skinned the lion using its claws and wore his former skin as outerwear. Knowing that the lions would eventually return, he went to warn the outpost protecting the village where his love lived. They believed him, and with a war party of 100 men, the man that was once a lion marched off in the direction of the lion pride's retreat. There the man and the outpost guards slayed all the lions. This is why lions are associated with courage.

                                                        The Courage of a Lion (Source)

    The man returned with the war party to the village. He immediately went to the house of his love. With tears and confusion the woman cried in his arms.

    "My love, I was a coward and lost my life. I was reborn as the lion you fell in love with, but I did not remember my past life. On my way to get my claws and fangs removed I saw a pride of lions with a thirst for blood. I did what was courageous and stopped them to protect your life and the life of the villagers. In the process I lost my own life, but it seems the right thing does bring its own rewards," the man who was a lion explained. 

    The couple embraced and lived a happy life together. 

Author's Note: This story was inspired by "The Lion in Love." I felt bad about the lion being tricked even though I don't support bestiality. I always wondered why the woman would be okay with marrying a lion (maybe she wasn't). I turned a tale of deception into a tale of love and learning. 

Bibliography: "The Lion in Love" from Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs