The Lion Who Lost His Roar
In the heart of the South African plains, where the tall grasses whispered secrets to the wind and the sun burned gold across the land, there lived a lion named Tau…
His mane was thick and shining, his claws sharp as stone, and his roar ah, his roar was said to echo from one end of the savannah to the other.
Every morning, Tau would climb the rocky hill above his den and roar to announce his greatness. The sound made the birds scatter and the smaller animals tremble.
"Who is the king of this land?" he would shout, and the echoes would answer, "Tau! Tau!"
Tau believed the world was perfect so long as everyone feared him. When he passed the gazelles, they bowed their heads and ran. When he met the hyenas, they flattened themselves to the ground.
One day, Tau crossed paths with a tiny hare named Lebo, who was busy gathering grass for his nest and did not notice Tau approaching. The lion growled, "Why do you not bow before your king?"
The hare looked up, trembling, but spoke out bravely: "Great Lion," he said, "a king who must remind others of his power may not be as mighty as he thinks."
Tau roared, this time with with laughter. "Silly little creature, your words are as small as your tail." Then, with a flick of his tail, he marched away, his pride swelling like a thundercloud.
But that night, something strange happened… when the moon rose and the stars began to dance, Tau tried to roar and nothing came out!
His throat was silent, as if the wind itself had stolen his voice.
He tried again, harder, but the sound that emerged was no more than a weak sigh. Panic filled him. What is a lion without his roar??
The next morning… birds sang, a gentle breeze rustled the grasses, but Tau’s hill stood empty. Hiding in his den, too ashamed to face the world, Tau thought no one would fear a silent lion!
Finally, driven by desperation, Tau went to see the wise tortoise, Kgabo, who lived near the riverbank. The tortoise listened patiently as the lion spoke in a raspy, low, broken voice:
"I have lost my roar, old one. Tell me how to find it again." Kgabo blinked slowly. "Perhaps the roar left you because it was tired of your pride." Tau frowned. "What does that mean?"
The tortoise smiled gently. "A voice of strength cannot live in a heart full of arrogance. You must learn what it means to be humble. Help others, not for glory, but because it is right."
Tau returned to the savannah in silence. He saw how the meerkats worked together to build their homes, how the elephants cared for their young, how even the smallest birds warned each other of danger.
One hot afternoon, Tau saw a zebra trapped in a thorn bush. Once he might have laughed and walked on, but something inside had changed. Carefully parting the thorns with his paws, he freed the zebra.
"Thank you, Tau," said the zebra, surprised. "I thought you only cared for yourself." Tau shook his head slowly. "I am learning that strength means nothing if it is not shared."
As the days passed, he helped more animals: the injured antelope, the lost cub, the thirsty tortoise. He found that each act of kindness filled him with a quiet warmth he had never known before.
One evening, after helping the hare Lebo find shelter from a storm, Tau lay beneath the stars and felt peace for the first time in his life.
The wind rustled through the tall grass, and for a moment, it sounded like a distant roar. He stood up, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth…
And a deep, powerful sound rolled out across the plain. The roar echoed with gratitude and understanding. The animals lifted their heads and listened. It was not the roar of fear, but of harmony.
From that night on, Tau no longer called himself king. Instead, he became the protector of the plains, using his strength to keep peace among the animals. The savannah flourished as never before!
Whenever the young animals asked how he regained his roar, Tau would smile and say, "A roar without kindness is only noise. But a roar born of humility can move the earth."
Today, when wind swept across the grasslands carrying echoes of his voice, the elders would tell their children, "Listen closely, that is the sound of the lion who learned to listen before he spoke."
(This Sotho folktale teaches that true strength is not in power or pride, but in kindness and humility. When we use our gifts to help others rather than dominate them, we discover our truest voice.)
(adapted from the original by Elizabeth Fabowale, via FolktalesAfrica.com)
(image via SciTechDaily)