If a lion is the king of the jungle, then a stag is the guardian of the forest. Both creatures are stealthy and strong, with a gaze that demands respect. But, unlike the lion, the stag does not possess sharp claws or teeth to defend his territory, but a mighty crown of antlers.
Not surprisingly, the stag is proud of his crown. Because no matter where he roams, oohs and aahs follow him. Each morning, when he rises in search of breakfast, bunnies, birds, and other woodland critters greet their majesty of the forest. They praise the stag for his intimidating stature and protective spirit, but also his beauty.
The stag is ancient and wise, there’s no doubt about it, but can I tell you a secret? He’s also a bit vain. So after a lifetime of collecting compliments aimed at his crown, the stag forgot all the other qualities that made him special. All he saw were antlers.
With each visit to the watering hole, the stag’s obsession with his antlers became more obvious. Because while the king of the forest bent down to drink, he had the perfect vantage point to admire and critique his appearance in the water’s reflection.
On one such day, after applauding each point atop his mighty rack, the stag was bemoaning his thin legs and simple hooves. What a disgrace, he thought. How can a king that wears an impressive crown be forced to walk upon these feeble limbs? As the stag finished drinking, he decided that perhaps Mother Nature was not as smart as we thought…
The stag was still grumbling over his faulty feet when something rustled in the nearby bushes. Then, he smelled them – hunters.
In a flash, the animal took off running towards the treeline. He dodged wayward branches and hurdled over loose rocks, all the while praying that his feet would not fail him. Once the stag was back in the safety of the forest, he sighed in relief. The hunters were still on his tail, but the stag was clever – he decided to lead the men deep into the woods, where the brambles were so thick they would be forced to retreat or risk getting stuck.
As the stag trotted deeper into the trees, he thought about his thin legs and simple hooves. They were not much to look at, but miraculously, they were nimble enough to outrun a family of hounds.
As the thicket of blackberry vines and thistle loomed before the stag, the animal rubbed himself on each passing tree to encourage the hounds to follow. But as he brushed against a particularly gnarled trunk, the stag’s antlers caught in one of the prickly branches. The stag shook his head, attempting to free himself, but the branches squeezed his crown tighter and tighter each time he moved.
The stag heard the hounds in the distance and began to worry. He stamped his feet, the same feet he’d complained about earlier that, moments later, had carried him to safety. On the other hand, his beloved crown of antlers, the source of his pride and joy, now proved to be a disadvantage in this scenario.
In a last-ditch effort to free himself, the stag called on the bunnies, birds, and all the woodland creatures that looked up to the forest guardian. As they helped him untangle the thorns from his horns, they asked how he’d escaped the hunters the first time. They likely expected a story about how he’d battled hounds and hunters with nothing more than his courageous spirit and intimidating crown, but the stag refused to lie.
He told them that it was his feet that had saved the day. Although he had once believed he needed bigger legs and wider hooves to match his impressive rack, he now realized that it wasn’t important how things appeared to others but how we perceived them.
The animals freed the stag just minutes before the hunters arrived. From that day onward, the birds, bunnies, and all the other woodland creatures complimented the stag’s lean legs, nimble feet, and even his bushy tail. He appreciated their praise (because remember, the stag was a bit vain) but never again let it go to his head. He accepted that until he learned to appreciate usefulness over appearance, there would always be things he wished to change about himself.
Mother Nature is more intelligent than I’d ever imagined, thought the stag. She’s given me a beautiful body, and I have no plans of loathing any part of it, big or small.
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This retelling was inspired by and adapted from Aesop’s Fable, “The Stag at the Pool.”
Wild Magic: Wildwood Tarot Workbook
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Wild Magic invokes the power of the Wildwood—the Green Man and Green Woman, as well as all the living archetypes of the forest, such as Herne the Hunter and Robin-i-the-Hood. Journey across time to the pre-Celtic world where primal forces, in… read more
