A man came along through the woods, and we sprang out of the bushes. I roared loudly and bounded toward him. I meant to eat him but he and stooped and spread a cloth on the ground.

The cloth was woven by the little people, and it is revered by us all. My mate and I stopped and bowed our heads. We kissed the back of the man’s wrist and then we went our separate ways.

Our cub stayed behind. I watched from the bushes as he rolled himself up in the cloth. Then I turned away. Let him grow up with the man who holds the cloth. Let him guard the man, and steer him safely, because whoever he is, he is a king.

Lion Mother in The Story of Manus, Orange Fairy Book. Illustration by H.J. Ford.