Androcles

According to legend, Androcles was a Roman slave living in Africa during the first century A.D. After escaping his cruel master, he took refuge in a cave. While there, a lion entered with a thorn stuck in its paw. The lion showed its injured paw to Androcles, who carefully removed the thorn, and in return, the lion formed a bond with him.

Years later, Androcles was captured and thrown into an arena to face death at the hands of lions. One of the lions, however, was the very same one Androcles had helped in the cave. The lion recognized him and refused to harm him. It even protected Androcles from the other wild beasts. Witnessing this, the spectators in the arena demanded his release.

The story of Androcles first appeared in Noctes Atticae (Attic Nights), written by the Roman author Aulus Gellius around A.D. 150. Centuries later, the legend inspired George Bernard Shaw’s 1912 play Androcles and the Lion.