According to the 7th-century bishop and theologian Isaac the Syrian, a person who is genuinely humble gives off a certain scent that other people will sense and that even animals will pick up, so that wild animals, including snakes, will fall under its spell and never harm him or her.
A humble person, he believes, has recovered the smell of paradise. In the presence of such a person one does not feel judged and has nothing to fear, and this holds true even for animals. They feel safe around a humble person and are drawn to him or her. No wonder people like Francis of Assisi could talk to birds and befriend wolves.
