The Lion in Love

A powerful lion fell deeply in love with a woodcutter's beautiful daughter and, despite the enormous difference between them, approached her father to formally ask for her hand in marriage, promising to treat her with nothing but gentleness and devotion.

The frightened woodcutter, unable to refuse a lion directly without risking his fury, thought quickly and proposed a condition: if the lion truly loved his daughter and wished to prove he meant her no harm, he should have his sharp teeth pulled and his claws removed, since a gentle husband, after all, would have no need for such dangerous weapons.

The lion, blinded by love and eager to prove his devotion, agreed without hesitation and had both removed. Once he returned, now completely harmless and defenseless, the woodcutter — no longer afraid at all — drove him away with a simple stick, refusing the marriage entirely. The lion, having given up the very strength that made him formidable in pursuit of a love that was never going to be granted anyway, learned too late that love should never demand you surrender everything that makes you who you are.