I don’t know how it came about, but I first encountered this story of an Athenian slave’s kindness to a lion and how that lion later saved his life when I was about 10 years old. My guess is that it was either told to me in Sunday School, or was in a book I read to myself. In any event, it has lived in my heart all these years as a beautiful reminder of the nature of goodness and the bond between man and animal.
Needless to say, I am grateful toJakob Streit for retelling it and to Floris Books for making it available in English so that we can share it with today’s children.
Young slave Milon starts his journey at home in Athens. When he sets sail on a ship bound for Italy his adventures really begin. He narrowly escapes with his life in Pompei as the great volcano Vesuvius erupts and destroys the town; he experiences the colourful life of the metropolis of Alexandria in Egypt, and he faces a battle fo rlife and death in the Colosseum in Rome.
When he meets a small community of Christians in Rome, he finally gains his freedom and finds a purpose in life. At the center of the story is Milon’s relationship with a wounded lion who he bravely helps. Will the lion remember him and return the favor when Milon faces death at the hands of the mighty Roman emperor?
Because this story presents the world of the early Christians in an engaging way for children, it is ideal for use in Steiner-Waldorf Class 6 (ages 11-12).