The Lion, Jupiter, and The Elephant
A Lion complains to Jupiter about being afraid of a rooster, and learns from an Elephant that even the mightiest creatures have their fears.
Once upon a time, the Lion complained to Jupiter, the god of all gods, that he should not have to live with the fear of a rooster. The Lion expressed his disappointment in being the king of the beasts and yet living in fear of a much smaller animal.
Jupiter replied to the Lion, "You have the heart of a lion, which makes you the bravest of all the animals. You should be grateful for the courage I have given you and not worry about a little bird."
Still, the Lion was not convinced and went off into the jungle, feeling despondent. As he was wandering, he came across an Elephant. The Lion struck up a conversation with the Elephant and noticed that he kept flapping his ears.
The Lion asked, "Why are you flapping your ears so much?"
The Elephant replied, "I am afraid of a tiny gnat getting inside my ears. If it gets in there, it could kill me, so I must keep flapping my ears to keep them away."
The Lion realized that even the largest and mightiest of creatures could be afraid of something much smaller and that his fear of a rooster was nothing to be ashamed of.
And so, the Lion went back to ruling over his kingdom, no longer feeling ashamed of his fear.
Audio available for B1 version
Once upon a time, the Lion complained to Jupiter, the king of the gods, that he should not have to be scared of a rooster.
The Lion felt disappointed that, even though he was the king of all animals, he was afraid of such a small creature.
Jupiter said to the Lion, "You are the bravest of all animals because of the courage I gave you.
You should be thankful for that and not worry about a little bird."
But the Lion still felt unsure and walked into the jungle, feeling sad.
While he was walking, he met an Elephant.
The Lion started talking to the Elephant and noticed the Elephant kept flapping his ears.
The Lion asked, "Why do you keep flapping your ears?"
The Elephant answered, "I’m afraid of a small gnat getting into my ears.
If it does, it could really hurt me, so I keep flapping my ears to keep them out."
The Lion then understood that even the biggest and strongest animals can be afraid of something small, and that his fear of the rooster was nothing to be embarrassed about.
After that, the Lion went back to being king, no longer ashamed of his fear.
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Reflection Questions
- Why was the Lion upset and what did he complain about to Jupiter?
- How did Jupiter respond to the Lion's concerns and what lesson was he trying to teach the Lion?
- When the Lion met the Elephant, what did he learn about the Elephant's fear?
- This story teaches us that everyone, no matter how big or powerful, can have fears. Can you think of a time when you were scared of something others might find small or insignificant?
- How can we apply the lesson from this story in our own lives to understand and accept our fears, and not to compare them with those of others?
Fable Quotes
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.
Sometimes, the size of our fear depends on the size of our thoughts.
Accepting our fears and weaknesses can help us grow stronger.
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