Enchanting Cats

They say it’s not fair I should have the lion’s share, but I certainly never agreed to share anything.

The “lion’s share” is an idiom originating from an old fable. There are different versions, but the gist of it is that the lion goes hunting with some other animals. At the end of the day the lion splits up the the spoils. He decides he is deserving of pretty much everything and leaves little or nothing to the others, and since he is terrifying, none of the other animals try to claim a fair share. The lesson is that the powerful will naturally award themselves the “lion’s share” and screw everyone else over.

Lions have a rich history of symbolism since ancient times and across many cultures. People associate lions with bravery, strength, and royalty. Though the lion’s symbolic traits are mostly positive, I’ve always thought that the benevolent dictator image is appropriately undermined by the social behavior of real lions. A dominant male lion rules by violence, fighting off competitors and murdering their children, so that he can spend his days mating with all the pride’s lionesses and lazing around since the lionesses also do all the hunting for him. Most big cats operate pretty independently from one another, but not the king of the jungle! Like so many human kings, he is happy to rule through fear and make everyone else do most of his work for him. This is the majesty of nature!