This story of Androcles and the lion happened long ago and started with a slave named Androcles. This slave escaped from his master’s grasp and went into a forest, where he spent a considerable amount of time until he became exhausted.
While the servant was roaming around the forest, he came across a lion. The lion was groaning and he was roaring. Everyone was scared enough by this, and Androcles also felt the same fear. This was enough to scare anyone, including Androcles. He saw that the lion was approaching him and he stood still.
The lion didn’t seem to be advancing toward Androcles, surprising him with its lack of aggression. The lion was not planning to attack him, instead he kept moaning. Then the lion held his holding his right paw. The right paw, swollen and covered with blood, had been wounded.
When he looked closer, Androcles saw a thorn on the paw of the lion and this was why the lion was in great pain. The servant gathered all his courage and he approached the lion intending to help him. The servant grabbed the lion’s paw and he pulled out the thorn.
Androcles pulled the thorn out of the paw and the lion roared in pain as the servant did this. After a while, the lion felt relieved. The servant then rubbed the paw and helped the lion to ease the pain. The lion was very thankful and so he warmed up to Androcles.
The lion rubbed his paw on Androcles to show that he was very grateful. One faithful day, a group of soldiers went marching through the forest and they found the servant. The soldiers took the servant and they imprisoned him.
They brought him back to their town and they wanted to execute him because he had escaped from his master. The punishment for people was to throw them into the lion’s den. Now Androcle’s master throws him into the lion’s den for having escaped.
When the day came, Androcles was thrown to the lions. Everyone had gathered in the arena that day. The emperor of Rome signaled Androcles that he should be thrown into the den that day.
The lion, which Androcles had helped in the forest, didn’t attack when the servant called it out. Instead of the lion attacking Androcles, he warmed up to him and even stroked the boy with his paw.
Seeing this, the Emperor of Rome called the servant to explain what just happened. When he went to meet the emperor, the servant explained what happened in the forest. He told him how he had helped the lion in the forest and the lion was only being thankful to him.
The emperor was thankful for this and he then asked Androcles master to free him. The lion was freed and went back into the forest to live.
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