Cat/Thor and Monkey/Bheema - Light lifting is heavy

The first story is from Norse mythology. In it, the Norse god of thunder, Thor, ends up in the palace of Utgard-Loki, the King of the Frost Giants. Utgard-Loki gives Thor three challenges. The first challenge was to drain a drinking horn in three sips. Thor attempted to drink it, but each time he was only able to drain at most an inch. The second challenge was to lift Utgard-Loki's cat. Thor, considered the mightiest and strongest of all the gods, lifted with all his might, but he could only get one paw off of the ground. The third challenge was to wrestle an old woman. Again, Thor was considered the mightiest and strongest of all the gods. However, he was still only able to bring the woman to one knee. Thor had been given three seemingly easy challenges, especially for a god such as him. However, he had failed each and every one of the challenges, leaving him ashamed. However, later, it is revealed to Thor that the drinking horn was no ordinary drinking horn, the cat was no ordinary cat, and the woman was no ordinary woman. The drinking horn, via the power of magic, contained the ocean. According to Norse mythology, the amount Thor drank was enough to cause the ocean tides. The cat was actually the sea serpent Jormungandr, the snake that circled Midgard. In lifting one of the cat's feet, Thor had loosened the earth, allowing it to shake at times, causing earthquakes, according to Norse mythology. The old woman was a representation of old age, which no man can beat, not even Thor.

The second story is from Hindu mythology. In it, Bheema is asked by his wife, Draupati, to fetch some extremely fragrant lotus flowers for her. Bheema is one of 5 Pandhavas brothers, who in Hindu mythology each represent some characteristic. Bheema is the brother who is representative of strength. As he goes to fetch the lotus flowers for Draupati, he finds his way blocked by an old and frail monkey. He asks the monkey to move his tail, so that he can pass, but the monkey replies that he is too old and weak to move it himself, asking Bheema to move it for him. Bheema sets upon his task, confident that as the strongest Pandhavas brother he could accomplish it with ease. However, he finds that he cannot. He tries harder, pushing and pulling and lifting with all his strength, and in the end he has not moved the tail even an inch. It is at this point that the monkey reveals himself to be Hanuman, the Monkey god. Bheema had stood no chance of lifting Hanuman's tail.

Both of these stories have a similar story and moral. In both stories, a super strong man of might attempts to accomplish a seemingly simple task, but fail hard, due to hidden trickery and magic. The moral of the story is that things are not always what they seem, and you should be wary going into any situation.