For those who have never seen or don't remember the 1939 fantasy adventure, The Wizard of Oz, my post title is taken from a scene in the movie. Dorothy has joined forces with Tin Man and Scarecrow. When they enter a forest Dorothy is nervous and says she doesn't like it because it's dark and creepy. She asks the other two if they think they'll come across any wild animals. Tin Man tells her they might and Scarecrow wants to know if the animals will eat straw. Tin Man replies that some might but mostly they'll meet up with lions, tigers and bears. Dorothy cries, "Lions?", Scarecrow cries, "Tigers?" Tin Man nods. "And bears". To bolster their courage they make a chant of it and skip through the forest singing, "Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!" over and over. However, they only meet up with the fellow in this picture, the Cowardly Lion.
LIONS
In ancient Babylon, the processional road leading to the principal gate of the city was flanked by tall walls of intimidating guardian lions, mouths agape in warning roars. The road itself was called Aibur-shabu, 'the enemy shall never pass'. Archaeologists excavated these walls in the early 20th century. Reconstructed, they now reside in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany.
TIGERS
In ancient China the tiger was revered as the mightiest of the wild beasts. The tiger inspired Chinese folk tales in which the tiger kills evil men and protects good men. The 'tiger claw' amulet is said to ward off sudden fright and give the wearer the courage of the tiger.
BEARS
This guy may look cute now but he grows up to be this guy.
In the mid 1800's James C. Adams attempted to 'tame' a grizzly bear by repeatedly hitting it with a club. The bear was not amused and Adams suffered a fatal blow when the animal returned the favor. Grizzly bears are unpredictable and have a powerful bite, making them extremely dangerous. Early Native American Indians regarded grizzlies with awe and at times even as gods.
"If you go down to the woods today,
You're sure of a big surprise.."
It won't be a teddy bear's picnic but it might be lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!
Today's post is in response to the October Absolute Write Blog Chain prompt of the same name.
My fellow blog chain participants are:
orion_mk3 http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com
Ralph Pines http://ralfast.wordpress.com
skunkmelon http://www.jenniferponce.com/skunkblog
pyrosama http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com
julzperri http://www.fishandfrivolity.blogspt.com
dclary URL TBD
Angyl78 http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com
