Reading Notes, Part B

Pygmalion is a familiar story to me, but the Kline translation brings more passion and zest to the story than the rendition I remember from Miriam Cox's The Magic and the Sword. I've always wondered whether his 'better than thou' mentality towards Propoetus' daughters was due to their behavior, or if his eccentricities could be linked to some type of Howard Hughes syndrome; achieving total mastery of his craft is no small feat, and the reclusive, particular, perfectionist behavior of a man who builds his own woman could be easily retold in a modern setting.

The Lion in Love  was heartbreaking. The willing sacrifice of all that made him Lion for the girl he loved... only to be denied. That's a morose parallel with some relationships. It also reminds me of Ekalvya's calm offer of his thumb to Drona in the Ramayana; that's a level of absolute dedication in both cases.

The aftermath of this story could prove fun to explore. What does a toothless, clawless Lion do with his life? Could he find a feline prosthetic specialist, and become the Lion with teeth and claws of ivory or steel? Does he remain attached to the girl whose family is responsible for his lack of sharp, pointy, lion bits? Or could go on to guest star in the Lion and the Lamb biblical iconography, founding his own spiritual center for inner peace and attracting other animals unable or unwilling to shed the blood of others?

Lion and the lamb, Jon McNaughton

A vegan lion. Now there's an idea.

Bibliography
Kline, Tony. Ovid's Metamorphoses. Pygmalion.
Jacobs, Joseph. The Fables of Aesop. The Lion in Love