The Book of Beasts - Chapter 2
Medieval fables by Ramon Llull, translated and adapted from the Catalan
[For the start of the tales see Part 1]
Choosing the Royal Council
When the Lion was first chosen as King, he made a fine speech to the assembled animals:
Fellow beasts, it’s by your own express wish that I, Lion, be crowned your King. As you know, a monarch has a highly important and very demanding task. It’s risky, because the sins of the monarch will be visited with great vengeance upon the people in the form of famine and pandemic and wars and mass death. So I ask you now to suggest counsellors to help me in my great and dangerous work. Nominate only those who are wise and loyal, those who would be worthy to be in the company of a King.
Immediately the following animals were proposed and accepted to the Royal Council: the Bear, the Leopard, the Ocelot, the Serpent and the Wolf. But just as they were being sworn in, Reynard the wily Fox spoke up in disagreement:
As I was reading in the Bible just the other day, Jesus Christ liked to have around Him humble people of low station, and He chose disciples from the ranks of humble men. In the same way, it seems to me, the Lion King should have in his council more humble animals, who are not all puffed-up with high birth or power, and who don’t aspire to royal rank themselves. And so I say to you, my fellow beasts, that our counsellors should be chosen from among the lowly beasts of the field, plant-eaters all, who are to us fine examples of humility and hope.
This speech was well received. The Urifant1, the Boar, the Ram and all the plant-eating animals liked very much what Reynard the Fox had said. They suggested that the Fox should be placed on the royal council for his great wisdom and eloquence. In return , the Fox immediately proposed the Urifant, the Boar, the Ram and the Mountain Goat for the council too.
Now the Bear, the Leopard and the Ocelot were greatly alarmed at the prospect of the Fox being on the council. They remembered he’d played the major role in getting the Lion elected, and was bound to be in great favor.
So the Leopard went to speak to the Lion King privately:
Sire, in your court there’s also the Rooster, who is handsome and wise, and more importantly he already knows how to rule over a whole henhouse full of chickens. In general I think he’d make a better counsellor than the Fox.
The Urifant, who’d overheard all this with his big ears, agreed that the Rooster should be chosen so that he could give the Lion King some good advice on how to rule over Queen Lioness and the other females. But the ambivalent Urifant advised that the Fox should also be counsellor, as he was clearly a very wise and book-learned individual who knew a lot of stuff.
But there were only so many seats on the council, said the Lion King. There was no room for both of them, and he couldn’t just change that. So in the end the Rooster was in, and the Fox didn’t make the cut.
The Fox was royally pissed. He vowed to himself that he’d get payback no matter what.
NEXT TIME: Reynard the Wily Fox seeks payback
NOTE
“L’orifany” in the original text is usually understood as “l’elefant” or elephant. But I prefer to think of the “orifany” as a creature out of a medieval bestiary like a Heffalump or Babar.
So I’m going with Urifant, not a recognized creature but close to one.
Really enjoying this. More, please. 🦋
These are so cool.