The Lion and the Mouse
- ️Thu Aug 15 2024
"Lion and the mouse" is one of Aesop's Fables.
The lion once caught a mouse in his claws and planned to eat it, but the mouse begged to be spared, telling him it would repay him later and a simple mouse would not be good enough food for a lion. The lion laughed at the thought how a tiny creature would be helpful in any way. But he let go of the mouse regardless. The next day the lion was caught in trapnets set by humans and roared for help. The mouse heard him then came to his rescue and gnawed the ropes apart. The lion was freed and thanked the mouse.
Tropes:
- Because You Were Nice to Me: A lion gets trapped by hunters and a mouse frees him out of gratefulness for sparing it earlier.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: There is another version where the lion is a noble beast who finds many other animals who have been injured, enslaved, or captured by a cruel enemy; oxen used as pack-animals and beaten, an antelope caught in a hunting trap and bleeding to death, and another lion who lost its teeth after trusting the fiend; all identify this enemy as "man". The lion assumes "man" is one being, becomes angrier with each encounter, and makes it his duty to hunt the villain down and slay him; unfortunately, he nearly falls victim to man himself, only escaping because of the mouse.
- Minimalist Cast: The lion and mouse are the only characters in this tale.
- Nameless Narrative: No one is named in this tale.
- Nice Mice: The mouse comes to rescue the lion from the humans' nets, in return for the lion sparing the mouse earlier.
- The Noun and the Noun: It is called "lion and the mouse".
- Resourceful Rodent: When the lion is caught in a net trap, the mouse is able to free him by gnawing at the rope so the lion could escape.