The Wounded Lion facts for kids
The Wounded Lion is a Spanish fairy tale. It was collected by D. Francisco de S. Maspons y Labros in his book Cuentos Populars Catalans. Later, Andrew Lang included this story in his famous collection, The Pink Fairy Book.
The Story of the Wounded Lion
Once upon a time, a poor girl got a job looking after cows. One day, she heard a sad sound. She found a big lion with a sharp thorn stuck in its paw. The girl was brave and carefully pulled the thorn out. The lion was very thankful and licked her hand. But when she looked up, her cows were gone! Her master was angry and hit her. He then told her to look after donkeys instead.
A year later, the girl found the lion again. It was hurt once more. She helped it, just like before. But then, the donkeys disappeared! Her master hit her again. This time, he told her to herd pigs.
Another year passed. The lion appeared for a third time, wounded. The girl helped it again. And just like before, the pigs vanished! The girl decided to wait and see what would happen. She climbed a tall tree to watch.
As the sun set, she saw a man walking down a path. He vanished behind a big rock. The girl decided to stay in the tree until she saw him come out. At dawn, a lion came out from behind the rock.
The girl climbed down and went to the rock. She found a beautiful house hidden there! She tidied up the house and ate some food. Then, she went back to her tree. The man came back at the same time that evening. The next morning, the lion looked around before leaving.
The girl watched for three days. She couldn't figure out the secret. So, she went down and asked the man. He told her a giant had put a spell on him. He was a man by night and a lion by day. He was the same lion she had helped! The giant had stolen her cows, donkeys, and pigs to get revenge because she helped him.
The girl wanted to free the man from the spell. He told her the only way was to get a lock of hair from the king's daughter. She needed to make a special cloak from it for the giant.
The girl went to the palace and got a job as a scullion, which is like a kitchen helper. She always dressed very neatly. The princess heard about her and asked the girl to comb her hair. The girl kept asking the princess for a lock of her hair until the princess finally gave her one.
The girl wove a small coat from the hair. But it was too small! She went back to the princess. The princess gave her another lock of hair. But this time, the princess said the girl had to find her a prince to marry. The girl said she had already found him. She took the hair and made the coat bigger.
The giant was pleased with the coat. He asked the girl what reward she wanted. She told him she wanted to turn the lion back into a man. After some talking, the giant told her how to break the spell. He gave her a very difficult task to transform the lion back into a man.
The girl went away, feeling sad and worried. She was afraid the giant had lied and that she would hurt the prince. But the prince comforted her. He told her to do exactly as the giant said. She followed the instructions carefully. And it worked! The prince appeared as a man.
The prince told the girl he would marry her. But the girl remembered her promise to the princess. She had told the princess she found her a husband. So, they went back to the princess. The king and queen, who were the princess's parents, recognized the prince. He was their own son, who had been missing! So, the prince married the brave girl who had saved him.
Similar Stories
The idea of a lion with a thorn in its paw, who becomes friends with the person who helps it, is a classic story. It is very similar to the famous fable called The Lion and the Mouse.
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