by Antonio Napoli

Once, a shepherd lost a lamb while grazing his flock. Unable to find peace, he entrusted the rest of the sheep to another and set out to search for the missing animal.
After wandering for a long time, forgetful of all other needs and worries, he finally found it: the lamb was clutched in the jaws of a great lion. It appeared neither alive nor dead, but suspended in a strange stupor. The lion, lying down, showed no intention of devouring its prey, nor of releasing it. Drool dripped slowly from the corners of its mouth, while its calm and unshakable eyes gazed at the shepherd without hostility.

Word of this strange encounter soon spread through the village. The tyrant who unjustly ruled those lands, insatiably curious, decided to visit the site accompanied by two guards and the shepherd.
“Approach the lion and ask him why he does not eat what he has captured,” the tyrant commanded the shepherd.
Terrified, the shepherd obeyed. No one dared to defy the tyrant.

“To a question, I will answer,” said the lion, opening his jaws. The lamb, as soon as it touched the ground, awakened as if from a deep sleep and ran off.
“For your people to believe your words, let the two guards approach,” the lion continued, “so they may hear what I have to say.”
Amused and skeptical, the tyrant agreed. The guards approached, but in an instant, they found themselves disarmed and pinned beneath the lion’s powerful paws. Terrified, they fled without looking back.

At that moment, the lion fixed his gaze on the tyrant and, with a deafening roar, leaped forward, striking him down.
Then he turned to the shepherd:
“Now that you are free to live, return to the village and deliver this message:
You hold us animals in such little regard,
and yet you hold one of your own kind in such high esteem,
that when a lion removes a hated tyrant,
your embarrassment over your cowardice fades, yet
you do not honor him with rightful praise;
instead, with ungrateful hearts, you scheme to kill or drive him away.
Fearful subjects are like the lamb in the lion’s mouth.”

From that day forward, the lion’s image was adopted as the symbol of the village, and its citizens never again allowed anyone to rule over them without their consent and full agreement.