"The Lion and the Beetle"
A (NOT SO) MIGHTY KING
LAURA VAN STONE
The Beetle
The Beetle is the hero of this folk tale. In ancient Egypt, beetles represented the gods and eternal life. His self-confidence shows that even the small are important. Even though he is tiny with confidence, he is humble. In folk tales, beetles are a part of the cycle of life that leads to new beginnings. This is represented when the lion falls in the mucky water, and it gives him a taste of how he treats others, and this will lead to a new beginning. Beetles can also be associated with dirty things, and the lion falls in mud.
FOLK TALE GENRE
Conflict
The Lion sends out a message to all his subjects to invite them to the grounds. The beetle has to walk on the side of the road when going to see the king, so he is not stepped on. Once the animals are assembled, the lion struts in front of his subjects. The lion sees the beetle standing on the side of the road, and he orders the beetle to bow. The beetle assures the lion that he is bowing. As the lion peers over to see if the beetle is bowing, he tumbles into muddy water and becomes the laughing stock of his subjects.
Stereotypical Characters
The mighty, vain king lion is a stereotypical character. In folk tales, lions are usually very proud and bold. This lion is no exception, and he is very full of himself. He treats everyone as if they were lower than him, and he disrespects and disregards them all.
Moral
In "The Lion and the Beetle," the main moral is to always stay humble no matter the position in society. The lion does not treat the others animals well, and he gets what he deserves in the end. A similar moral from this story is "the vain and mighty have the longest distance to fall" or even a greedy man is never happy.