SWAZI KING AND THE DRUGGED LION

I wrote last week Thursday (29 May 2008) that Swaziland’s King Mswati III was variously known as M3, HMK and ‘dot, dot, dot’.

I am since reliably informed that he has many ‘official’ names as well – among them ‘Sire of the Herd’, ‘The Sun,’ ‘The Milky Way’ and ‘The Lion’.

The name, The Lion, implies bravery and, according to a newspaper from the UK, at his coronation Mswati was required to show his bravery, by actually fighting a lion.

According to the Daily Mail (2 June 2005)

‘Before his coronation, in 1986, he was required to undergo a series of initiation rites, including slaughtering a lion armed only with a spear and shield. Since no lions lived in Swaziland, however, the hapless beast was flown in from a South African game reserve.

‘Another snag was that the boyking had never learned to hunt.

‘The imported beast was thus tranquilised for the conquering king’s safety.

‘The stooges who surround him, laughing at his jokes and condoning his excesses, have been shielding him from the real world ever since.’

I don’t know if this story is true – I wasn’t at the coronation. And since the Mail is known for not always telling the absolute truth, I’ll leave it to you to decide whether it’s the kind of trick the king’s advisors would play.

See also
THE WRITING ON THE SWAZI WALL

First published 6 June 2008.