The Lion’s Whisker

The Lion’s Whisker (Ethiopia): Emphasizes the importance of patience and understanding.

Once upon a time, in a far-off land, there lived a young couple named Abebe and Abeba. They were deeply in love and had everything they could ever want, except for one thing – a child. They had been trying for years to conceive, but to no avail. One day, Abeba went to visit a wise woman in the village to seek her advice.
The wise woman listened to Abeba’s plight and gave her a special recipe to make a potion that would help her conceive. The recipe required a lion’s whisker, which could only be obtained by plucking it from a live lion. Abeba was hesitant to do this, but the wise woman assured her that it was necessary for the potion to work.
Abeba returned home and shared the recipe with her husband. Abebe was a brave man and decided to go to the jungle to get the lion’s whisker. As he approached the lion, he plucked a whisker from its mane. The lion roared in pain, and Abebe was terrified. He ran back to the wise woman’s house and told her what had happened.
The wise woman told Abebe that to get the potion to work, he must return to the lion and apologize for what he had done. She also advised him to bring a gift to the lion as a peace offering. Abebe was hesitant, but he knew that he had to do what was necessary to help his wife conceive.
He returned to the jungle with a gift of honey and approached the lion. He apologized for what he had done and offered the gift. The lion forgave him and gave him a second whisker as a token of their newfound friendship.
Abebe returned home and gave the two whiskers to his wife. She made the potion as instructed, and soon after, she became pregnant. They were overjoyed and grateful for the wise woman’s advice and the lion’s forgiveness.
The moral of the story is that patience and understanding are essential in life. Sometimes, we must go through difficult situations to achieve our goals, but it is important to remain calm, patient, and understanding. Additionally, forgiveness is a powerful tool that can help us overcome any obstacle.

Moral

The story of “The Lion’s Whisker” teaches several morals or lessons, including:
1. Patience is a virtue: The story shows that patience is a valuable trait that can help us achieve our goals. The wife in the story had to wait for a long time before the lion gave her the whisker, but her patience paid off in the end.
2. Understanding is key: The story also emphasizes the importance of understanding others. The wife had to understand the lion’s nature and learn to communicate with him in a way that he would respond to.
3. Persistence pays off: The wife’s persistence in trying to find a way to help her husband paid off in the end. She didn’t give up when the first few remedies didn’t work, but kept trying until she found the solution.
4. Communication is important: The story shows that effective communication is key to resolving conflicts and achieving our goals. The wife had to communicate with the lion in a way that he would understand and respond to, and this ultimately helped her achieve her goal.
5. Help can come from unexpected sources: The story also teaches that help can come from unexpected sources. The lion, who was initially seen as a threat, ultimately helped the couple by providing the remedy for the husband’s illness.

Origin of the Story: The Lion’s Whisker story originated from Ethiopia.