The Bear and the Gardener in this case keeping the flies off a friend, and the ultimate good of safeguarding his welfare. The story gained currency in England from the 18th century on through translations or imitations of La Fontaine. One of its earliest appearances was in Robert Dodsley's "Select fables of Esop and other fabulists" (1764), where it is given the title "The Hermit and the Bear" and a milder ending. In this version a hermit has done the bear a good turn; later still this was identified with taking a thorn from its paw, drawing on the story of Androcles and the Lion.
The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water Saw Himself in the Water" for Volume 5 Number 2, 2003 (ISSN 1521-0960) issue of the "Multicultural Perspectives". Babrakzai is Afghan who grew up hearing these stories notes that they "are vibrant, engaging, universal stories, not arid geography lessons ... ." She notes about the "Lion" that this tale "can teach children and adults valuable lessons about fear that unfold gradually, as one is ready for them." Babrakzai notes that "it would be a mistake to view these tales as merely 'primitive' substitutes for more 'sophisticated' forms of entertainment. There lasting appeal is due, I think, to the fact that