The King of Beasts and the Queen of Brains: A Swahili Folktale

The King of Beasts and the Queen of Brains: A Swahili Folktale

From Lions and Legends by Rebecca Sheir and Eric Shimelonis

September 1, 2026 · 21 min

About this episode

In this episode, a cunning hare devises a clever plan to escape a hungry lion in a Swahili folktale.

In this Swahili folktale from East Africa, a cunning hare cooks up a sweet plan to escape the clutches of a haughty, hungry lion. When the vengeful feline visits Hare’s house, ready to pounce, she has to think on her (very quick) feet! 🦁Time for you to ROAR! At the top of today’s episode you met members of our League of Lions: our pride of values and virtues that make the world a better place, including Courage, Curiosity, Generosity, Gratitude, Integrity, Kindness, Patience, Persistence, and Wisdom. **Which Lion did YOU bring to life this week?**  Whether you practiced Persistence by not giving up, used Kindness with a friendly word, or showed Generosity by sharing, we want to feature YOU on Lions and Legends! Grown-ups: record a 30-second voice memo of your child talking about their virtue and story, then email the audio to [email protected].  🦁Thanks for being part of the Lions and Legends pride! We invite you to: Join our mailing list ⁠here⁠! Find our live events here! Nab your Lions and Legends merch here! Sign up for our League of Lions membership club here! Join our communities on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠! Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube channel⁠! Credits…

People in this episode

Hosts: Rebecca Sheir, Eric Shimelonis

Topics covered

  • Swahili folktale
  • courage
  • kindness
  • generosity
  • values
  • education
  • family

Keywords

  • Swahili folktale
  • lion
  • hare
  • values
  • virtues
  • education
  • family stories

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The King of Beasts and the Queen of Brains

Places: East Africa

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