The fable shows that people often grasp for more than they need and thus lose the little they have.
NOTE: In other versions of this fable (e.g. Avianus 33), the bird is a goose. In the Buddhist Suvannahamsa-jataka, a bird with golden feathers is plucked bare by its owner.
Fable 435 (Odo 21 = Perry 594)
The Man and the Cat
Against bishops who rely heavily on their subordinates.
There was a certain man who had some cheese in his pantry. Then a mouse came and began to gnaw at the cheese. The man did not know what to do. Finally he put a cat in the pantry but the cat ate both the mouse and the cheese.
NOTE: For a similar situation involving a weasel, see Fable 378.
Fable 436 (Phaedrus 1.6 = Perry 314)
The Frogs and the Sun
When Aesop saw crowds of people thronging to the wedding party of his neighbour, a thief, he immediately told them the following story: ‘Once upon a time, the Sun wanted to get married but the frogs raised a cry of protest up to the heavens. Jupiter, disturbed by their shouting, asked the reason for their complaint, and one of the swamp’s inhabitants explained, “Already one Sun is enough to burn up all the ponds, condemning us to a miserable death in our parched abode. What is going to happen to us when he will have sons of his own?”’
NOTE: In this case, English offers a fortuitous pun—sun/son—that is not possible in Latin or Greek.
Fable 437 (Aphthonius 38 = Perry 283)
The Farmer and the Fox
A wicked farmer envied his neighbour’s abundant crops. In order to destroy the fruits of that man’s labour, he caught a fox, attached a blazing firebrand to her tail, and then let the fox loose in his neighbour’s crops. The fox, however, did not go where she was sent. Instead, as fate decreed, she set fire to the crops of the man who had let her loose.
Bad neighbours are the first to suffer from the harm they would do to others.
Fable 438 (Chambry 197 = Perry 144)
The Lion and the Farmer
A lion entered a farmer’s yard and the farmer, wanting to capture the lion, shut the outer gate. The lion, unable to get out, first devoured all the sheep and then turned his attention to the cattle. The farmer became afraid for his own safety so he opened the door. After the lion had gone away, the farmer’s wife saw the farmer groaning and said to him, ‘It serves you right! Why did you want to shut yourself up with the sort of creature you should run away from even at a distance?’
In the same way people who provoke those stronger than themselves must naturally suffer the consequences of their mistake.
Fable 439 (Babrius 45 = Perry 6)
The Goatherd and the Wild Goats
Snow was falling from the sky. Seeking shelter from the storm, a goatherd drove his goats, all covered with white from the thickly falling snow, into a cave. He had thought the cave was empty, but he soon discovered that there were some wild horned goats who had already taken shelter there. The wild goats were far more numerous than his own goats and they were also bigger and stronger. The goatherd therefore tossed the fodder he had brought from the woods to the wild goats, while he let his own goats go hungry. When the weather cleared, he found that his own goats had died, while the wild goats had already gone away and were tramping their way through the untrodden thickets upon the mountains where animals had not yet grazed. The ridiculous goatherd went back home without any goats at all: hoping for a larger flock he did not even profit from the goats that were his to begin with.
Fable 440 (Babrius 143 = Perry 176)
The Farmer and the Frozen Viper
A farmer picked up a viper that was half-dead from the cold. When the farmer had warmed the viper, the viper uncoiled and grabbed hold of the man’s hand and, with a fatal bite, he killed the man who had wanted to save him. As he was dying, the man spoke some words that are well worth remembering: ‘Well, I got what I deserve for having shown kindness to a scoundrel!’
NOTE: The farmer’s self-rebuke is typical of the Aesopic fable tradition: the point of the story is not the viper’s wicked decision to bite the man, but the man’s own foolish decision to have picked up the viper in the first place. Compare the Roman proverb, ‘you’re nurturing a snake in your bosom’ (Petronius, Satyricon 77).
FABLES ABOUT FOOLISH ANIMALS AND GOOD ADVICE
Fable 441 (Syntipas 57 = Perry 192)
The Hen and the Eggs
A hen came across the eggs of a snake and devoted herself to them, settling atop the eggs and brooding on them. A swallow saw what the hen was doing and said, ‘O you stupid, senseless creature! They will destroy you first of all and then destroy everyone around you!’
The fable shows that we should never put our trust in a wicked man, even if he seems to be completely innocuous.
NOTE: L’Estrange has a vivid epimythium: ‘’Tis the hard Fortune of many a Good Natur’d Man to breed up a Bird to Pick out his own Eyes, in despite of all Cautions to the contrary.’
Fable 442 (Syntipas 61 = Perry 135)
The Wolves and the Hides
Some wolves saw some cowhides in the river. They wanted to take the hides, but the depth of the river in flood prevented them from doing so. The wolves therefore decided to drink up all the water so that they could then reach the hides. A man said to the wolves, ‘If you try to drink up all that water, you will immediately burst into pieces and die on the spot!’
The fable indicts people who recklessly embark on some senseless project.
NOTE: In other versions of this story (Phaedrus 1.20 and Plutarch, Common Conceptions Against the Stoics 19), the protagonists are foolish dogs, not wolves, who do in fact drink from the river until they burst.
Fable 443 (Horace, Epistles 1.7.29 ff. = Perry 24)
The Fox and the Weasel
It happened that a slender fox had made her way through a narrow crack into a coffer of grain. After eating her fill, she wanted to get back out again but her swollen body prevented her from doing so. At a safe distance the weasel said to her, ‘If you want to get out of there, you’d better be as thin when you go back through that narrow crack as you were when you went in!’
Fable 444 (Syntipas 10 = Perry 408)
The Fox and the Hare in the Well
A thirsty hare had gone down into a well to drink the water. He took a good long drink, and when he wanted to get back out again, he found himself trapped with no means of escape. It was a very discouraging situation. A fox then arrived on the scene, and when she found the hare she said to him, ‘You have made a very serious mistake indeed: you should have first decided on a way to get out and only then gone down into the well!’
This fable indicts people who act impulsively, without thinking things through.
NOTE: For a story in which the fox gets herself trapped in a well, see Fable 113.
Fable 445 (Chambry 68* = Perry 43)
The Two Frogs at the Well
There were two frogs whose pond had dried up, so they went looking for a new place to live. When they came to a well, one of them thought that they should jump in immediately, but the other one said, ‘Wait: what if the water were to dry up here too; how would we be able to get back out again?’
The story teaches us not to approach a situation without thinking about it carefully first.
NOTE: L’Estrange applies a well-known English proverb in his epimythium: ‘’Tis good Advice to look before we leap.’
Fable 446 (Babrius 21 = Perry 290)
The Oxen and the Butcher
There were once some oxen who had decided to destroy all the butchers, since their very profession was hostile to oxen. They banded together and sharpened their horns in preparation for the coming battle. Among them was a very elderly ox who had ploughed a great deal of earth in his day. This ox said to the others, ‘The butchers slaughter us with experienced hands and they kill us without unnecessary torment, but if we fall into the hands of men who lack this skill, then we will die twice over—and there will always be someone to
slaughter us, even if we get rid of the butchers!’
NOTE: An epimythium probably added by a later editor reads: ‘Someone who is eager to flee a present danger should take care or else he will find himself in even worse straits.’
Fable 447 (Hermogencs, Progymnasmata 1 = Perry 464)
The Monkeys and the City
The monkeys came together in an assembly to decide whether or not to found a city. When the monkeys concluded that it would be a good thing to do, they were about to begin the work. At that point an old monkey restrained them, saying that they would be captured more easily by enclosing themselves inside a city’s walls.
Fable 448 (Odo 47)
The Monkey and the Nut
A fable for people who are unwilling to suffer adversity.
The monkey gladly eats nuts because the nutmeats are tasty, but when she tastes the bitterness of the shell she throws the nut away and loses the nutmeat inside.
FABLES ABOUT ANIMAL WISDOM
Fable 449 (Chambry 327* = Perry 224)
The Fox, the Boar, and His Tusks
The wild boar was standing beside a tree, sharpening his tusks. The fox asked him why he was sharpening his tusks now, when there was no immediate need for him to do so. The wild boar replied, ‘I have my reasons! This way, when danger threatens, I won’t have to take time to whet my tusks but will instead have them ready for use.’
The fable shows that we need to prepare ourselves before danger strikes.
Fable 450 (Phaedrus App. 22 = Perry 550)
The Bear and the Crabs
Whenever the bear cannot find food in the woods, he runs down to the rocky shore and, grabbing hold of a rock, he gradually lowers his hairy legs into the water. As soon as some crabs have caught hold of his fur, he leaps up onto dry land and shakes off these spoils from the sea. The bear then feasts on the food he has cleverly collected all over his legs.
This shows how hunger can sharpen even the most dull-witted creatures.
Fable 451 (Phaedrus App. 30 = Perry 118)
The Beaver and His Testicles
There is an animal whose name in English is ‘beaver’ (although those garrulous Greeks—so proud of their endless supply of words!—call him castor, which is also the name of a god). It is said that when the beaver is being chased by dogs and realizes that he cannot outrun them, he bites off his testicles, since he knows that this is what he is hunted for. I suppose there is some kind of superhuman understanding that prompts the beaver to act this way, for as soon as the hunter lays his hands on that magical medicine, he abandons the chase and calls off his dogs.
If only people would take the same approach and agree to be deprived of their possessions in order to live lives free from danger; no one, after all, would set a trap for someone already stripped to the skin.
NOTE: This strange legend of the beaver’s self-castration is attested in the Greek and Roman natural-history writers (e.g. Aelian, Characteristics of Animals 6.34 and Pliny, Natural History 8.109). For a fable about the god Castor referred to here, see Fable 166.
Fable 452 (Phaedrus App. 25 = Perry 552)
The Lizard and the Snake
A lizard happened to be looking the other way when a snake grabbed her from behind. The snake then opened his gaping maw to swallow the lizard, but the lizard grabbed a little twig that was lying nearby and blocked the snake’s greedy mouth with this clever obstacle, holding the twig turned firmly sideways between her teeth. The snake thus failed to capture his quarry and the lizard got away.
NOTE: There is a promythium appended to the fable in Perotti’s Appendix: ‘Where the skin of the lion doesn’t fit, one must wear the fox’s habit; in other words, where force is not enough, cleverness must be used instead.’ This saying was proverbial in Greek (e.g. Plutarch, Life of Lysander 7).
Fable 453 (Avianus 27 = Perry 390)
The Crow and the Water Jar
A thirsty crow noticed a huge jar and saw that at the very bottom there was a little bit of water. For a long time the crow tried to spill the water out so that it would run over the ground and allow her to satisfy her tremendous thirst. After exerting herself for some time in vain, the crow grew frustrated and applied all her cunning with unexpected ingenuity: as she tossed little stones into the jar, the water rose of its own accord until she was able to take a drink.
This fable shows us that thoughtfulness is superior to brute strength, since this is the way that the crow was able to carry her task to its conclusion.
NOTE: This story is found in several compendia of ancient natural history writers (e.g. Aelian, Characteristics of Animals 2.48).
FABLES ABOUT UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES
Fable 454 (Syntipas 7 = Perry 281)
The Two Roosters and the Eagle
Two roosters were fighting with one another. The loser hid himself away in a corner, while the rooster who had won the battle flew up on top of the house and flapped his wings, crowing about his victory. An eagle then swooped down and carried the rooster away.
This fable shows that you should not boast foolishly or become conceited if you happen to enjoy a moment of success.
Fable 455 (Syntipas 51 = Perry 165)
The Mice and the Weasels
War had broken out between the mice and the weasels. The mice were inferior in strength, and when they realized that their utter weakness and cowardice put them at a disadvantage, they elected satraps and generals who could be their leaders in war. The satraps wanted to be more remarkable and conspicuous than the other mice, so they put horns on the tops of their heads. Then the weasels attacked the mice once again and routed them completely. The other mice were able to scamper quickly and easily into the mouse holes which had been prepared for their concealment. The commanders, however, despite being the first to reach the holes in the retreat, were unable to get inside because of the horns on their heads. The weasels were thus able to seize the mouse generals and consign them to death.
This fable shows that generals who offer encouragement to their soldiers without seeking divine assistance for the coming battle can provoke a disaster.
NOTE: This must have been a popular fable, as the version in Phaedrus 4.6 remarks that the story was often ‘painted in pubs’. For a similar story about the hare who wanted stag’s horns, see Fable 511.
Fable 456 (Chambry 28 = Perry 25)
The Halcyon and the Sea
The halcyon is a bird who is fond of deserted places and who always lives on the sea. They say that she makes her nest on the rocky cliffs of the coast in order to protect herself from human hunters. So when a certain halcyon was about to lay her eggs, she went to a promontory and found a rock jutting out towards the sea and decided to make her nest there. But when she went to look for food, it happened that the sea swelled under the blustering wind and reached as high as the halcyon’s home and flooded the nest, killing her chicks. When the halcyon returned and saw what had happened, she said, ‘What a fool I was to have protected myself against a plot hatched on the land by taking refuge here on the sea, when it is the sea that has utterly betrayed me!’
There are people who do the same thing: while defending themselves against their enemies, they unwittingly fall prey to friends who turn out to be for more dangerous.
Fable 457 (Chambry 105* = Perry 75)
The Hunters and the Deer With One Eye
There was a deer who had lost an eye, so she lived on the shore, keeping her good eye towards the land, looking for hunters. Meanwhile, she turned her blind eye towards the sea, since she did not expect any danger from that direction. Then some men came sailing by, took aim, and shot the deer. The deer bewailed her fate, since she had been afraid of something that didn’t affect her at all, while she was undone by something she didn’t even think was dangerous.
The fable shows that the things we think are harmful turn out to be helpful, and the things we think are helpful turn out harmful.
Fable 458 (Plutarch, Advice on Marriage 41.144a = Perry 440)
; The Runaway Slave in the Mill
A man finally caught sight of his runaway slave and started chasing him. The slave ran straight into the mill and his master said, ‘Where better could I have hoped to have found you!’
NOTE: Slaves were regularly punished by being sent to turn the millstones together with the draught animals (compare Plautus, Persa 22, when one of the slaves is boasting about his punishment: ‘I’ve moved up the chain, so to speak, of command: they’ve made me chief whipping-boy at the mill!’).
Fable 459 (Chambry 104* = Perry 76)
The Deer and the Lion
A deer was running away from some hunters and found herself at a cave which was the home of a lion. The deer went inside, thinking that she could hide there, but the lion attacked her. As she was being mauled to death by the lion, the deer said to herself, ‘What a fool I was! By running away from the men, I handed my self over to this wild beast!’
Aesop's Fables Page 27
