Bentari has a nickname for everyone and for many animal friends in the forest. “Scheherezade” is a name he employed twice. He used it for his mother, Mirawami, and for the lioness that saved his life—the same lioness he had taunted when he was a child—the same lioness that chased him to his dying father.
There is an excellent TV mini-series called “Arabian Nights”. [1] It is very true to the ancient stories about the heroine Scheherezade. She saved the lives of many women by her bravery and cunning. Scheherezade gave herself up. Into the breach she went, with only her belief and a plan. In Bentari’s eyes, her age-old name was a fitting tribute for two females who had made great impressions upon him by both teaching him and saving him.
Here is an exchange from the TV series, near the end, after Scheherezade has told her tales to the Sultan. Her stories accomplished two things—they taught him and they saved him.
Sultan: “What advice did the Holy Seer give Achmed when he handed him the magic cup.”
Scheherezade: “He said the world was an inferno full of darkness and evil, and there were only two ways of dealing with it. The first was easy and wrong: to accept it and become part of it. The second way was harder and right: you fight it and recognize those who aren’t evil and help them endure.”
Sultan: “You’ve taken the second way. You’ve helped me and saved me from the darkness. Why?”
Scheherezade: “I loved you.”
Sultan: “Is that the answer.”
Scheherezade: “It’ll have to do.”
Images: A strong lioness[2] and a strong woman[3]—like Mirawami
[1] See IMDB at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181199/ “Arabian Nights” was produced by Hallmark Entertainment and stars Mili Avital as Scheherezade and Dougray Scott as Amin
[2] Found online: http://www.felineworlds.com/lioness_walking_south_africa/ Used without permission for non-commercial educational purposes and with apologies to unknown author
[3] Image found online at: https://ourstorian.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/pan-african-womens-action-summit-pawas-2011/ Image used without permission and with apologies to the unknown author