ANIKETOS: THE BOY WHO FACED A LION

Artwork and article by KRAZED, WILDLY KRAZY's CEO. Enjoy, Krazees!

For all of those orphans, children with cancer, and those children who are struggling with poverty, and-or bullies, keep your head held high, and be that person you want to be. Keep fighting, and never quit, because you are stronger than you think you are. Be that Spartan...be that lion...be that Krazee...never have fear—keep pushing—because nothing can stand in your way, and nothing can stop you.

June 28, 2018 [WILDLY KRAZY]—In the countryside of Sparta, said to be the land where the mightiest and fiercest warriors called home, lived a young boy by the name of Aniketos.

Aniketos was six years of age at the time, and was soon to enter the Agoge... The Agoge—the most grueling and hardest training any boy could ever face—taught obedience, endurance, strength, and above all, taught bravery and courage.

Every Spartan boy was required to undergo this harsh, but honorable training, because the Agoge was the training that turned boys into fearless Spartans.

Spartans considered themselves the same bloodline of the mighty Heracles himself—half-god and son of Zeus—Zeus being the God of all Gods—the ruler over the gods... Spartans took pride in this, and trained to be like Heracles—being strong, brave, and courageous—fearing nothing.

Aniketos, too, came from a long line of brave, Spartan blood… His father was Dienekes—the bravest of the three hundred Hippeis—who was part of an elite unit of personal body guards for Sparta's kings.

Aniketos' dad protected Leonidas himself, which was one of the bravest and fiercest kings the world has ever known. In fact, Leonidas and Aniketos' dad stood against an army of Persians, facing slavery and death, when every other kingdom knelt before the mighty Persian army. Spartans had zero fear, because Spartans trained to conqueror all fear, as it was, to them, a glorious honor to fight and die for Sparta and its people…to fight and die for freedom.

Aniketos, however, had fear in his heart—fearing that he could never be the great-fearless warrior his dad was. Aniketos feared war and death, and he was not physically strong like the rest of the Spartan children his age…so he thought...

Deep down, Aniketos knew he could not undergo the Agoge, and become a brave Spartan like his father... Not wanting to dishonor his father's reputation, or name, he set out to run away from home...

Late one night, under the shadows of darkness, while his widow mother slept, he took his father's shield, helmet, and spear, sneaking out of the house, to set out on his unknown adventure, trying to find a new home—a "home for cowards," as Aniketos called it.

Aniketos stealthily made his way to the fishing docks, sneaking past Spartan guards, where he took sail in an old fishing boat... Braving his fear of the water's depths, he sailed and drifted in the mighty and fierce seas, as thirty-foot waves pounded his boat like a hammer hitting a stick.

Lightning streaked across the sky, as Zeus waged a battle against the sea. Thunder pierced the sky like war drums, as the seas and heavens clashed together like Titans, trying to sink Aniketos and his tiny, wooden boat... The wind blew and blew, as mighty-whirled winds pushed against the seas, creating walls of waves—bigger than any Greek walls...

For several weeks, he sailed at sea, eating the small rations he took from his home, until he came ashore to a sandy beach...

Aniketos, unaware to where he was, walked further inland, looking for inhabitants, trying to find a place where he could fit in, and call home... As he walked further, he noticed that this land was not the type of land a coward could live in… The land was bone-dry—full of sand and devoid of water—and the heat felt as if Helios—the sun god—unleashed his fiery wrath upon the surface of the land, burning and scorching all life from the parched land.

As he pushed further, the sun boiled away all sweat from his body, draining every ounce of energy he had, pushing his body to the most extremes, while testing his strength.

The land was a dry desert, with little to no sight of water, or food. Even Mother Nature had trouble sustaining life in this barren-unforgiving land.

"The land was not for the weak..." Aniketos thought.

The sand pelted Aniketos' face as if thousands of bees stung him all at once, while the heat slowly cooked him, slowing his movements and thoughts.

Aniketos could not push on anymore—he ran out of water hours ago—while his mouth had turned bone-dry, as his lips cracked and bled. The sun and heat was like standing near a thousand fires, burning ferociously.

Sand storms raged through, blowing him side to side, making it almost impossible to walk and see. Aniketos' thoughts ran wild…

"What have I done?! I am in a strange, new land with zero food and water! This land is not for cowards, or the weak—I could never live here! How can someone so weak and cowardice, as myself, push on?!" Aniketos thought to himself.

Learning from what his father taught him, he found a small, dead tree to rest under, so he could avoid overheating. After a few minutes of rest, Aniketos scavenged through the dirt and dry grasslands for small bugs and lizards to eat, while drinking water and juices from plants and roots.

Remembering his father's training—what his father had taught him—Aniketos decided to rest during the heat of the day—conserving energy—while walking during the cool-dark nights.

Within a few hours, Nyx—the night goddess—reclaimed her throne from Helios, as darkness engulfed the lands.

Aniketos pressed on through the night, as terrifying noises pierced Aniketos' ears. Wild beasts prowled through the night, screaming, howling, and screeching as if Hades unleashed the Keres in search for Aniketos… Yellow, glowing eyes stalked Aniketos as he cautiously walked through the darkness, but even through his fear of the dark, and what lurked in it, he pressed on...

For several days, through fear, pain, tears, and sweat, Aniketos pressed on, until he came to a cluster of small trees among the tall savannah grass.

Something, however, alerted Aniketos' senses… Aniketos' neck and arm hairs stood-on-end. There was something odd about the environment. It was quiet…too quiet…

Where were the birds? Where were the animals? No birds…no chirping…no animals…no noises…just loud-silence...

Something was there—something was in the tall grass, stalking Aniketos...and he knew it...

Aniketos—fearing the danger that stalked him from within the tall grass—put on his father's helmet, raised the heavy-imposing bronze shield, while positioning and pointing the heavy-long spear towards the threat—ready to face the unknown danger coming after him—with perfect Spartan-form.

Out of the tall grass, leaped a large, fearsome-male lion, running full-force at Aniketos, with zero fear!

As the lion charged, Aniketos stood his ground, remembering what his father told him…

"Fear is the ultimate weapon against men, because once fear enters a man, he is already defeated."

Aniketos fiercely stood his ground, covering his small, skinny body behind the large-bronze shield, while steadying his mind and spear, ready to take on the much larger, and stronger, lion.

Defeat or not, Aniketos was not going to run, no matter how much fear ran through his body.

The lion charged until it came within ten-feet of Aniketos...stopping dead in its tracks. Seconds passed as Aniketos and the lion stared at each other in the eyes...daring one another to run. Aniketos shouted out to the lion, "why did you stop?! You are a lion! You are supposed to be brave and fearless!"

"Attack, lion! Attack!" Aniketos screamed at the lion.

The lion lets out a soft growl, turned around, and disappeared into the tall grass.

Suddenly, an old man, walking with the support of a walking stick, walked from the tall, savannah grass...

"It takes magnitudes of courage and bravery to face a hungry lion—king of the savannah… You see, lions expect their prey to run—he must have sensed fearlessness in you...for him to back down... Such courage comes from a small warrior—very impressive," said the old man.

"I am not brave—I am a coward," Aniketos shot back.

"Coward? Cowards do not face hungry lions, and live to call themselves cowards... Not many warriors would dare stand against Africa's top predator... It's hard to believe you to be a coward, my young warrior," said the old man.

"It's true... I ran from home because I fear things... I could never be as brave as my father!" Aniketos shouted.

"Did your father ever face a lion? What is it you fear, young warrior?" asked the old man.

"I am afraid of the Agoge…and I'm not as strong as the other children… I am a coward who has fear in his heart," said Aniketos.

"Fear…it's such a powerful word, and even weak at the same time... We all have fears, young warrior—but some of us ignore those fears and press on. That is what separates warriors from men," stated the old, African man, whose hair appeared pure-white.

Aniketos stood his ground, wearing his father's helmet, and carrying his father's shield and spear, while the old man circled the young boy, inspecting his posture and appearance.

"By the look of things, you are from Sparta... You are far from home, young Spartan—which required you to sail through the rough seas, and surviving Africa's deadly predators and climate," said the old, African.

"You see, young Spartan—you conquered all of your fears without knowing it. I have known many Spartans over the centuries—even guiding many—and I have not seen anyone who has done what you have done, at such a young age," continued the old, African.

"Fear comes in all shapes and sizes—it does not matter how big or how strong you are, or what fears you have… Courage is all that matters…the weapon against fear," continued the old, African.

"Dienekes was your father, and he himself had a fear... He feared that you would not see him as a great warrior—a father—the bravest father... Nevertheless, he pushed on, doing his best that he could do, never quitting, and never letting the fear conqueror him," said the old man.

"How do you know all of this?" asked Aniketos, shocked and surprised by the old man's revelations and knowledge about his father.

"I'm older than dirt, my young warrior—I've seen a lot... Remember—we all face different challenges and hardships in life, and we all have our fears, but if you keep fighting, pushing on, never quitting, never losing hope, then we can defeat anything life has to throw at us... Go on, young Spartan—make your father proud," said the old man, smiling.

As Aniketos bent down to pick up his father's helmet from the ground, Aniketos looked up to find the old man had disappeared.

"Old man, where did you go?!" Aniketos shouted, and asked.

Never to find or see the old man again, Aniketos returned to Sparta, finishing the Agoge with high praise and honor from Spartan generals. Later, Aniketos was handed command of his own Spartans...

From there forward, Aniketos lead dozens of Spartans into battle, as he handed down the knowledge he had learnt, from the tested adventure he underwent—telling his story of his face-off with a hungry lion.

Aniketos' Spartans took such pride that they all painted lion heads on their Spartan shields, reminding them of the courage of such a small boy, while remembering what an old man had told their commander:

"Never give up, never lose hope—be brave and courageous—even if that comes with a little fear."