Aesop's Fables

by Gibbs, Laura, Aesop

  NOTE: This allusion to the red cardinal’s cap is typical of Odo’s medieval fables, which are clearly situated in Christian monastic culture. This same fable is also used by the great Islamic poet, Rumi (Mathnami 1.3013 ff.), minus the reference to the cardinal’s red cap.

  Fable 16 (Romulus 3.20 = Perry 514)

  The Monkey and the Lion’s Breath

  When the lion made himself king of the beasts, he wanted to be known for his fairness, so he gave up his old habits and contented himself with a limited diet just as the other animals did, committed to dispensing justice with complete honesty. As time went by, however, the lion’s resolution began to waver. Since he was not able to alter his natural inclinations, he began to take certain animals aside in private and ask them whether or not his breath smelled bad. It was a clever strategy: the animals who said that it smelled bad and the animals who said it did not were all killed just the same and the lion was thus able to satisfy his appetite. After he had slaughtered a number of the animals in this way, the lion turned to the monkey and asked how his breath smelled. The monkey exclaimed that the lion’s breath smelled of cinnamon, as if it were the very altar of the gods. The lion was ashamed to slaughter someone who said such nice things, so he changed his tactics and fooled the monkey with a newly devised stratagem. The lion pretended that he was sick. The doctors came right away, of course, and when they checked the lion’s veins and found that his pulse was normal, they ordered him to eat some food that would be light on his stomach, thus alleviating his nausea. ‘Kings may eat what they like,’ admitted the lion. ‘And I’ve never tried monkey meat … I would like to have a taste of that.’ No sooner said than done: the obsequious monkey was quickly killed so that the lion could eat him immediately.

  The penalty for speaking and for keeping silent is one and the same.

  NOTE: Cinnamon was an extremely valuable and exotic substance in the ancient Graeco-Roman world and in medieval Europe, travelling all the way from the ‘Spice Islands’ of Indonesia through Arabia to north Africa and ports on the Mediterranean.

  Fable 17 (Chambry 205 = Perry 258)

  The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ailing Lion

  The lion had grown old and sick and was lying in his cave. All the animals, except for the fox, had come to visit their king. The wolf seized this opportunity to denounce the fox in front of the lion, complaining that the fox showed no respect for the lion, who was the common master of them all. Indeed, the fox had not even come to pay the ailing lion a visit! The fox arrived just in time to hear the end of the wolf’s speech. The lion roared at the fox, but the fox asked for a chance to explain herself. ‘After all,’ said the fox, ‘which one of all the animals assembled here has helped you as I have, travelling all over the world in order to seek out and discover from the doctors a remedy for your illness?’ The lion ordered the fox to describe the remedy immediately, and the fox replied, ‘You must flay a living wolf and wrap yourself in his skin while it is still warm.’ When the wolf had been killed, the fox laughed and said, ‘It is better to put your master in a good mood, not a bad one.’

  The story shows that someone who plots against others falls into his own trap.

  NOTE: For a similar story about a goat and a donkey, see Fable 147.

  Fable 18 (Ademar 59 = Perry 142)

  The Fox, the Lion, and the Footprints

  A lion had grown old and weak. He pretended to be sick, which was just a ruse to make the other animals come and pay their respects so that he could eat them all up, one by one. The fox also came to see the lion, but she greeted him from outside the cave. The lion asked the fox why she didn’t come in. The fox replied, ‘Because I see the tracks of those going in, but none coming out.’

  Other people’s lives are lessons in how we can avoid danger: it is easy to enter the house of a powerful man, but once you are inside, it may already be too late to get out.

  NOTE: The tracks leading into the lion’s cave were a well-known cliché in the ancient world (e.g. Horace, Epistles 1.1.74–74: ‘The footsteps frighten me: they all face in towards you with none coming back out’).

  Fable 19 (Babrius 106 = Perry 337)

  The Lion, the Fox, and the Monkey Serving Dinner

  There was a lion who strove to emulate the best sort of life lived in human society. He made his home inside a spacious den and tried to show genuine kindness to all those whom he recognized as the elite beasts of the mountain. His den often hosted a large crowd of such animals, who gathered together in a company and treated one another with civility. The lion would befriend and entertain them according to the rules of hospitality, placing before each of his guests their favourite dish, made with ingredients that the lion knew would give them pleasure. There was a fox who lived with the lion as his friend and companion, and the two of them were very happy together. Meanwhile, an elderly monkey served as the carver at the feasts, distributing the portions of meat to the lion’s guests at dinner. Whenever there was a guest who was not one of the regular party, the monkey would set before him the same portion which he offered his master, namely, the quarry that the lion had seized in his latest hunting expedition. On these occasions, the fox received leftovers from the day before, and less than her usual portion. One day the lion happened to notice that the fox was pointedly refusing to speak and that she refrained from the meat served at dinner. The lion asked her what was the matter. ‘My wise fox,’ said the lion, ‘speak to me as you used to do! Cheer up and take part in the banquet, my dear.’ But the fox said, ‘O lion, best among all the species of beasts, I am sick at heart and deeply worried. It is not only the present situation that distresses me; I am also saddened by things which I see are yet to come. If some new guest arrives with every passing day, one after the other, this will become a matter of custom and soon I will not even have leftover meat for my dinner.’ The lion was amused and smiled a lion’s smile. ‘Blame the monkey for all that,’ he said. ‘It is his fault, not mine.’

  NOTE: For an even more elaborate account of the friendship between the lion king and his companion, the fox, see Fable 600.

  Fable 20 (Babrius 102 = Perry 334)

  The Hare and the Lion’s Justice

  There was once a lion king who did not have a bad temper. In fact, he never took any pleasure in acting violently but was instead mild and just, as if he were a human being. During this lion’s reign, so they say, all the wild animals assembled to present their petitions and receive verdicts in their disputes. Every animal was called to account: the wolf for what he had done to the lamb, the leopard for what she had done to the wild goat, the tiger for what he had done to the deer, and so on. In the end, all the animals were at peace with one another. The timid hare then proclaimed, ‘Now has come the day for which I have always prayed, when even the weak creatures are feared by the strong!’

  Fable 21 (Aristotle, Politics 1284a = Perry 450)

  The Lions and the Hares

  Only a ridiculous person would try to make laws to govern the [most superior members of a society. Indeed, those gods among men] would probably respond as did the lions in the story of Antisthenes when the hares harangued the assembly, holding that everyone was to be considered of equal worth.

  NOTE: The bon mot attributed here to Antisthenes was apparently so well known that Aristotle only needed to allude to the lions’ words, presumably something like: ‘You speak well, hares, but where are your teeth and claws?’ Antisthenes (d. 365 BCE) was a philosopher associated with the ‘Cynic’ school; see Fable 85 for a fable about Diogenes the Cynic philosopher.

  FABLES ABOUT CHOOSING A KING

  Fable 22 (Syntipas 53 = Perry 219)

  The Peacock Elected King of the Birds

  There were once some birds who gathered together for a group assembly and debated amongst themselves who was best suited to rule. The peacock said to the other birds, ‘The kingship suits me best, since I am remarkably beautiful and in the prime of life.’ While the rest of the birds were satisfied with the peacock, the raven
made his way into their midst and protested, ‘Tell me, if you become king, what is going to happen when the eagle attacks us: are you strong enough to rescue us from his assault?’

  The fable shows that the kingship is not suited for those who are resplendent with beauty, but rather for those who have physical prowess and other outstanding qualities.

  NOTE: In other versions of this fable (e.g. Chambry 334), it is a jackdaw, not a raven, who criticizes the peacock.

  Fable 23 (Chambry 145* = Perry 220)

  The Camel and the Elephant

  The dumb beasts wanted to elect a king from amongst their ranks. The camel and the elephant were the two leading candidates because of their size and their strength. The monkey, however, argued that they were both unqualified. ‘The camel cannot rule us because she doesn’t have the guts to fight against those who step out of line,’ said the monkey, ‘and there is also a potential danger if the elephant is king: how will he defend us from the little pigs?’

  The fable shows that great achievements are often blocked by some small thing which prevents their realization.

  NOTE: The monkey complains that the camel is literally lacking in ‘gall’ (for the camel’s lack of a gall bladder, see Aristotle, Parts of Animals 4.2). Elephants were proverbially afraid of pigs, as discussed in Aelian, Characteristics of Animals 1.38.

  Fable 24 (Chambry 38* = Perry 81)

  The Monkey Elected King of the Animals

  At an assembly of the dumb beasts, the monkey did a dance. The performance was a great success and the animals elected the monkey to be their king. But the fox was jealous of the monkey, so when she saw some meat lying in a trap, she led the monkey there and told him that she had found a treasure. The fox explained that she had not taken it for herself because of the king’s prerogative. Instead, she had guarded this royal prize just for him. She then told the monkey to go ahead and take it. The monkey recklessly put his hand in the trap and was caught. When he accused the fox of luring him into an ambush, the fox replied, ‘O you monkey! How can you rule over the dumb beasts when you yourself are such an idiot?’

  The story shows that the same is true for people who take up some business without thinking about it first: they meet with disaster and become laughing-stocks as well.

  NOTE: A story about the fox challenging the monkey was already attested in a fragment of the Greek poet Archilochus, c.650 BCE, which is perhaps a version of this same fable (frag. 185–7 West). For a different story about monkeys dancing, see Fable 352.

  Fable 25 (Phaedrus 1.31 = Perry 486)

  The Doves and the Kite

  The person who turns to a dishonest scoundrel for help in times of trouble will be ruined, not rescued.

  The doves kept having to run away from the kite, eluding death through the swiftness of their wings. The rapacious kite then decided to try some deceptive advice, fooling the defenceless flock by means of a trick. ‘Why do you prefer this anxious way of life,’ he asked, ‘when instead you could strike up an agreement with me and make me your king, so that I would keep you safe from all possible danger?’ The doves were persuaded by the kite’s advice and turned themselves over to his care. But as soon as he was made king, the kite began to feast on his subjects one by one, wielding supreme authority with the fierceness of his talons. Then one of the survivors said, ‘This is the punishment we deserve, since we put our lives in the hands of this thieving villain!’

  Fable 26 (Odo 1 = Perry 262)

  The Trees Elect a King

  The trees came together so that they could anoint a king to rule over them. ‘Please be our ruler,’ they said to the olive tree. The olive tree said in reply, ‘Why would I abandon the richness of my oil, which is valued by both gods and mortals, in order to become the leader of the trees?’ They came to the fig tree and said, ‘Agree to rule over us.’ The fig tree answered, ‘Why would I relinquish my sweetness and delightful fruit in order to become the leader of the trees;’ They came to the vine, hoping that the vine might rule over them, but the vine answered, ‘Why would I relinquish the wine which brings joy both to God and to mankind?’ And so the vine refused to be their leader. The trees then said to the thorn bush, ‘Rule over us.’ The thorn bush replied, ‘If indeed you have resolved to make me your king, come and rest under my shadow, and if you refuse, a fire will come forth from the thorn bush and devour the cedars of Lebanon!’

  NOTE: This fable comes from the Hebrew Bible, Judges 9: 8 and it became part of the Aesopic tradition only in the Middle Ages. The version cited here is the opening story in Odo’s thirteenth-century Latin collection of Aesopic fables; in the Greek tradition, the fable of the trees is found in a Byzantine collection which probably dates to the fifteenth century.

  Fable 27 (Ademar 21 = Perry 44)

  Jupiter and the Frogs

  While the frogs were hopping about in the freedom of their pond they began shouting to Jupiter that they wanted a king who could hold their dissolute habits in check. Jupiter laughed and bestowed on the frogs a small piece of wood which he dropped all of a sudden into their pond. As the wood splashed lightly into the water, it terrified the timid frogs. They plunged into the mud and hid there a long time until one frog happened to raise her head cautiously up out of the water. After studying the king, she summoned the other frogs. Putting aside their fear, the frogs all raced over and began jumping on the piece of wood, rudely making fun of it. When the frogs had showered their king with shame and scorn, they asked Jupiter to send them another one. Jupiter was angry that they had made fun of the king he had given them, so he sent them a water-snake, who killed the frogs one by one with her piercing sting. As the water-snake was happily eating her fill, the useless creatures ran away, speechless in their fright. They secretly sent a message to Jupiter through Mercury, begging him to put a stop to the slaughter, but Jupiter replied, ‘Since you rejected what was good in order to get something bad, you had better put up with it—or else something even worse might happen!’

  NOTE: Jupiter and Mercury are the Roman names for Zeus and Hermes, respectively (see Fable 10 and its note).

  Fable 28 (Odo 1e)

  The Monk and the Abbots

  This fable can be applied to bad rulers and worse successors.

  A certain abbot gave his monks three-course meals but the monks said, ‘This abbot gives us too little to eat. Let us pray to God that he will die soon.’ Whether for this reason or for some other reason, the abbot soon died. He was replaced by another abbot, and this new abbot gave them two-course meals. The monks were angry and upset, so they said, ‘Now we must pray even harder that God will deprive this man of his life, because he has deprived us of one of our courses.’ The abbot then died. He was replaced by a third abbot, who took away yet another course. The angry monks said, ‘This one is the worst of all: he is starving us to death! Let us pray to God that he will die soon.’ Then one of the monks said, ‘Meanwhile, I will pray to God that he give this abbot a long life and keep him safe on our behalf.’ The others were surprised and asked him why he said this. The monk explained, ‘I see that our first abbot was bad, the second one worse, and this third abbot is the worst of all. I am afraid that when this one dies, he will be replaced by one who is even worse, and then we really will die of starvation!’

  Hence the saying: Bad situations rarely get better.

  NOTE: Odo also quotes this proverb in English: ‘Seilde corned se betere.’

  Fable 29 (Aristotle, Rhetoric 2.20 = Perry 427)

  The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Ticks

  Aesop was defending a demagogue at Samos who was on trial for his life when he told this story: ‘A fox was crossing a river but she got swept by the current into a gully. A long time passed and she couldn’t get out. Meanwhile, there were ticks swarming all over the fox’s body, making her quite miserable. A hedgehog wandered by and happened to see the fox. He took pity on her and asked if he should remove the ticks, but the fox refused. The hedgehog asked the reason why, and the fox replied, “These tick
s have taken their fill of me and are barely sucking my blood at this point, but if you take these ticks away, others will come and those hungry new ticks will drink up all the blood I have left!” And the same is true for you, people of Samos: this man will do you no harm since he is already wealthy, but if you condemn him to death, others will come who do not have any money, and they will rob you blind!’

  NOTE: According to Herodotus (2.134), Aesop lived on the island of Samos, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, near the coast of modern Turkey.

  FABLES ABOUT THE FLOCK

  Fable 30 (Chambry 216* = Perry 342)

  The Wolves and the Dogs

  The wolves wanted to make friends with the dogs, so they said, ‘Since we have so much in common, why don’t you treat us as your brothers and friends? It is merely our attitude that divides us. We wolves all live a life of freedom, while you dogs are the slaves of people who make you wear collars around your necks and who beat you with sticks whenever it pleases them. And that is not your only hardship: you even have to guard their flocks and, what’s worse, when they are eating their dinner, they toss you nothing but the bones as your share. If you will agree to our bargain, you can turn everything over to us and we’ll eat our fill together.’ Right away the dogs agreed, so the wolves attacked the flock and killed the dogs, so that the flock could not call out for help against the wolves.