Section 3
The Lion and the Mouse explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Lion asleep in his lair was waked up by a Mouse running over his face. Losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about to kill it. The Mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare its life. "Please let me go," it cried, "and one day I will repay you for your kindness." The...
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Public-domain original
A Lion asleep in his lair was waked up by a Mouse running over his
face. Losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about to
kill it. The Mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare its
life. "Please let me go," it cried, "and one day I will repay you for
your kindness." The idea of so insignificant a creature ever being
able to do anything for him amused the Lion so much that he laughed
aloud, and good-humouredly let it go. But the Mouse's chance came,
after all. One day the Lion got entangled in a net which had been
spread for game by some hunters, and the Mouse heard and recognised
his roars of anger and ran to the spot. Without more ado it set to
work to gnaw the ropes with its teeth, and succeeded before long in
setting the Lion free. "There!" said the Mouse, "you laughed at me
when I promised I would repay you: but now you see, even a Mouse can
help a Lion."
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A lion spares a tiny mouse, and the mouse later saves the lion from a net.
Why this scene matters
This fable matters because it shows that kindness to the weak can return in unexpected ways.
Characters in this scene
- The Lion: The powerful animal who spares the mouse.
- The Mouse: The small animal who later repays the lion’s mercy.
Simple story version
A lion lets a mouse go instead of killing it. Later the mouse chews through a net and saves the lion.