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.
Paw Paw Creek Paw Paw Creek Paw Paw Creek is a tributary of the Monongahela River in West Virginia. The headwaters of the creek begin in Monongalia County, north of Fairview, and empty into the river in Rivesville, coursing through the Marion County towns of Fairview, Grays Flat, Grant Town, Baxter, and Rivesville. The stream has a number of tributaries ("runs" or "licks") that empty into the creek along its course, including the Bennefield Prong, Ann's Run, Robinson Run, Panther Lick, Tarney Run, Little Paw Paw, and Woods Run. The stream is named for the pawpaw tree "(Asimina triloba), a native fruit-bearing tree