Introduction
Did you ever know that lions could take on so many different
characters? Because they can! For this storybook, I have
decided to write about some of Aesop's
Fables that deal with the character of the lion. Many of Aesop's
great fables deal with the lion, so it was not hard for me to pin-point
this subject. In Aesop's Fables, the lion takes on so many
different roles. He can be tricky or manipulative, noble, stupid,
brave, and even down-right cruel--which many of the stories deal
with! Most of the other animals despise the lion in many of the
stories, but not all of them. I am going to try to pick out some
wonderful stories to retell that actually show a few different sides of
the lion... ranging from noble to cruel. This will actually allow
you, the reader, to see what I mean. I really love the way that
the lion is portrayed differently in different stories, which is what
drew me in to this topic. Pin-pointing the stories down to just
four that interested and intrigued me was pretty difficult!
So, you will NEVER guess where these stories are going to be told
from! A beauty parlor! This will almost give a juicy gossip
sort of
theme for the storybook, which I think is a really great and
unsuspected twist to the retelling of Aesop's treasures, as I could
call them. This gives the other animals a way to talk about the
lion behind his back, which they love to do!
Even though my stories from the beauty parlor are going to be a lot
more modernized than the original versions, we have to remember that
these stories are extremely old...
like BC kind of old! Aesop's Fables have always been an
interesting topic
to me, especially with my interest in Greek mythology. No one
even knows for sure if a man named "Aesop" even lived... ever!
The real legend about him is that he was actually a slave from Greece
who was born mute! Legend has it that he was supernaturally given
his speech, though. After many years as a slave, he
supposedly won his freedom, which in turn led him to write the
fables. But, we'll never know if this slave-turned-free man
ever even existed in the actual history of ancient Greece!
Personally, I
love to think that he actually existed! Maybe he even loved
beauty salons?! He was actually thought to be horrifically ugly,
so I'm sure he could have most definitely used a beauty salon!
Another fun
fact about the fables is that they haven't always been intended for
children or with the morals that most all of them have now. Some
of the fables were even considered as inappropriate or vulgar in the
times of Aesop!
The first story I chose to retell is the story of The Lion and the Mouse.
During this fable, the lion actually takes on a noble character trait,
learning a lesson and exuding nice behavior to someone who, even though
they were scared, showed him a great deal of kindness. Towards
the end of the
story, with my beauty parlor theme, it provides itself with an "Oh my
gosh, what will he do??" sort of scenario. The animals in the
beauty parlor will love this story because it lets them feel superior
to the lion: after all, he had to ask a tiny mouse for help!
The second story that I have decided to write about for this
storybook is The Lion, The Hare and
The Deer. In this story, we can see the lion conveying a
greedy and aggressive type of behavior, with a little bit of cruelty
mixed in. He learns that if he is greedy, he might lose what he
already could have had. It's a very unfortunate scenario for the
lion, but not for the animals chatting about it afterwards in the
beauty parlor!
The third story I have chosen is the story of The Lion, The Cow, The She-Goat and The
Sheep. I really wanted to incorporate this story into the
mix of my storybook because it once again shows a greedy side of the
lion, which is a big side of his personality. The sheep herself
tells the story at the beauty parlor, so we get to hear it from a
first-person point of view. The animals getting their nails done
and their fur trimmed will love this one!
The fourth and final story that I have chosen to include in my
storybook is the story of the The
Lion and The Farmer's Daughter. I chose to write this
story at the end because this story showcases the lion's character
trait that is most rare and unique. In this story, you will
actually see a more vulnerable side of the lion who will do just about
anything to be with the love of his life.
Image Information: Lion's Share. Bernard Salomon:
Aesop Cycle (1547). Weblink.
