lion2.pngHere’s my first ThThTh list of March. In like a lion, as they say. Or in with a list of lions, which they don’t really say. But I’ll say it. Or I just did. Here are some lions for you.

  1. Leo. The astrological sign of the lion. Based on the constellation.
  2. The Cowardly Lion from L. F. Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. (Also in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.) A lion who wants to get courage.
  3. Aslan. The lion in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the other six books in the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
  4. The Lion King (1994) . An animated Disney movie, and a broadway play based on the same.
  5. The MGM Lion. This lion mascot (actually several different lions since 1924) appears roaring in the MGM logo as part of the (much parodied) opening sequence of Metro Goldwyn Mayer film productions.
  6. The Lion Sleeps Tonight“. A famous song with a more complicated history than I’d realized.. The original version “Mbube” was recorded in South Africa in 1939. Many versions, some also going by the name “Wimoweh,” have since been recorded around the world. Best known perhaps is the version by The Tokens. (Hear it on YouTube in a video with a singing hippo and dancing dog.)
  7. The lion’s share. An expression meaning “the biggest portion.”
  8. The Lion’s Share“. A song off 10,000 Maniacs’ album Blind Man’s Zoo.
  9. Fed to the lions or Thrown to the lions. Expressions meaning that a person has been placed in a metaphorical position of danger or a situation for which they are not well prepared. (Ancient Romans threw people to the lions as a spectator sport, and in a less figurative way.)
  10. The Slave and the Lion.” An Aesop’s fable about an escaped slave who removes a thorn from a lion’s paw, and thus gains the lion’s loyalty. And avoids getting eaten when he is thrown to the lions.
  11. “The Lady and the Lion.” A fairy tale told by the Brothers Grimm about a young woman who is held captive by a lion, who turns out to be a cursed prince. The story has much in common with versions of the “Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale. A retelling of the story is available as a picturebook.
  12. The Lion and the Unicorn. Symbols of the United Kingdom. The lion gets to wear the crown on the UK Royal Coat of Arms. There’s also the related nursery rhyme:

    The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown
    The lion beat the unicorn all around the town.
    Some gave them white bread, and some gave them brown;
    Some gave them plum cake and drummed them out of town.


11 thoughts on “roar

  1. There’s a book called Beast, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Donna Jo Napoli, where the “beast” is a lion. It’s one of my favorite retellings.

  2. Good timing…people have been warning me that baby #2 will be a Leo. Now I know why – dramatic, bossy, theatrical – but also sunny and bright. Killer.

  3. magpie-
    Lambs (or at least sheep) are a candidate for this month. But I haven’t decided.

    Mme. Meow-
    Oh, I’m being called out! It was 12:20 or so on Thursday night. Still Thursday in several U.S. time zones…

    Glad I could help.

    Wow, better than rats, even? That’s pretty cool.

    Glad you enjoyed it.

    I don’t know that one. I was really into reading fairy tale retellings for a few years. I still enjoy them. But don’t have enough time for pleasure reading. (Well, maybe if I didn’t spend so much time making lists…)

    city girl-
    Lions are impressive creatures. They deserve an imposing list.

    Oh, dear. A dramatic and bossy baby sounds like a challenge. Sunny and bright are good, though.

    Did you get to play the lion?

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