Ein bärtiges Märchen

Once upon a time, there was a woman and her husband who were unable to have children. One day, while walking along the road, they found a young orphan boy who had no home. The woman, filled with compassion, decided to take the little boy with her and care for him with all the motherly love she had. She desperately wanted the boy to love her too, but the child was still grieving the loss of his birth mother and father, who had both passed away.

A Desperate Search for Love

Desperate for the boy’s love, the woman sought advice from the local healer. The healer told her that she needed a special potion, but it had to contain many ingredients—the most difficult of which was a lion’s whisker. Determined to gain the boy’s love, the woman decided to find a way to get a lion’s whisker.

Earning the Trust of a Lion

She bought meat and went to the waterhole where a lone male lion had been seen. She placed the meat down and hid behind some bushes until the big male lion came to eat. She did this night after night, each time placing the meat a little closer to where she was hiding.

Over time, the lion became familiar with the woman’s scent and presence. He grew accustomed to seeing her sitting behind the bushes each night and was no longer bothered by her. As weeks passed, the woman gained the courage to sit closer and closer to the lion.

A Lesson in Patience

One night, exhausted from her efforts and feeling despondent, the woman sat on the ground with the piece of meat in her lap. The big lion approached, unsure of what to do, and kept his distance. The woman began to cry, her tears flowing as she spoke to the lion, “If I could just get one whisker from you, my boy would finally find peace and love me too.”

The lion, moved by her words, responded, “I would have given you a whisker long ago if you had asked me. But you don’t need my whisker—you just need to have patience, as you have had with me while waiting to gain my trust.”

A Love Earned Through Patience

From that day onward, the woman began to think of the boy as she had thought of the lion. She approached him with the same patience and respect, waiting for him to open his heart. Eventually, the boy grew to love her as much as he had loved his birth mother.