NOTE: Compare the advice of Socrates (cited in Plutarch, Advice on Marriage 25) that all young men should look at themselves in mirrors: unattractive men should look at themselves in order to be prompted to practise virtue, while good-looking men should be reminded to avoid the disfigurement of vice.
Fable 496 (Chambry 296* = Perry 200)
The Thief and His Mother
A boy who was carrying his teacher’s writing tablet stole it and brought it triumphantly home to his mother who received the stolen goods with much delight. Next, the boy stole a piece of clothing, and by degrees he became a habitual criminal. As the boy grew older and became an adult, he stole items of greater and greater value. Time passed, and the man was finally caught in the act and taken off to court where he was condemned to death: woe betide the trade of the thief! His mother stood behind him, weeping as she shouted, ‘My son, what has become of you?’ He said to his mother, ‘Come closer, mother, and I will give you a final kiss.’ She went up to him, and all of a sudden he bit her nose, tugging at it with his teeth until he cut it clean off. Then he said to her, ‘Mother, if only you had beaten me at the very beginning when I brought you the writing tablet, then I would not have been condemned to death!’
This is what the story tells us: if you are wise, you will tear out vice by the roots, in other words, at the very beginning of sinfulness and other wickedness, so that the severing of the root will cause the branches to wither away.
NOTE: In other versions of this story (included in Chambry’s first edition of the Greek fables), the son bites off his mother’s ear, rather than her nose.
Fable 497 (Babrius 35 = Perry 218)
The Monkey and Her Two Children
The monkey gives birth to two babies, but after giving birth she does not mother them equally. She comforts one of them with cruel embraces, choking him with her unfortunate affection; meanwhile, she casts the other child away as superfluous and unimportant. This is the one who goes off into the wilds and is able to survive.
The same thing can be said about certain people: in such cases, it is better to be their enemy than their friend.
NOTE: For another fable about the monkey and her offspring, see Fable 253.
Fable 498 (Phaedrus 3.15 = Perry 506)
The Dog and the Lamb Among the Goats
A dog met a lamb who was bleating among the she-goats and said, ‘You fool, your mother is not here.’ As he spoke, the dog pointed to a separate flock of sheep grazing in the distance. ‘I do not want that mother!’ said the lamb. ‘She conceives when it is her pleasure, carries her unknown burden for a certain number of months, and in the end she simply lets go and plops her bundle on the ground. No, I am looking for the mother who offers me her udder and feeds me, and even cheats her own children of milk so that I will not go hungry.’ ‘Still, the one who gave birth to you is more important’, said the dog. ‘Not correct’, replied the lamb. ‘Was it some great favour that she brought me into the world when I might expect the arrival of the butcher at any moment? Could she even be certain whether I would be born black or white? And if perhaps she would have preferred a girl, what would she have thought of me, since I am a boy? Given that she took no decision in the matter of my conception, why should I now prefer that mother to the mother who took pity on me as I was lying there and who freely offers me her sweet affection?’
Parents are determined by love, not fate.
NOTE: There are an additional two lines sometimes printed with the poem which most editors reject as spurious. Those lines read: ‘With this poem the author wanted to show that people resist laws but are favourably inclined to acts of good will.’
II · AETIOLOGIES, PARADOXES, INSULTS, AND JOKES
AETIOLOGIES OF THE ANIMALS
Fable 499 (Aristophanes, Birds 471 ff. = Perry 447)
The Lark and Her Crest
Aesop says that the crested lark was the first bird to be created, even before Gaia, the Earth. As a result, when the lark’s father became sick and died, there was no earth to bury him in. On the fifth day that his body had been lying there, the frustrated lark, not knowing what else to do, buried her father in her own head.
NOTE: Aelian, Characteristics of Animals 16.5, links this story in Aristophanes to a similar story about the hoopoe which he claims to have found in the legends of ‘Indian Brahmins’. Both stories provide an aetiology for the bird’s crest of feathers, although the metamorphosis of the lark is only implied in the Greek version.
Fable 500 (Syntipas 36 = Perry 171)
The Bat, the Booby, and the Bramble Bush
The bat, the booby, and the bramble bush made a corporation and went into business together. The bat got some gold on credit, the booby some copper, and the bramble bush some clothing. They loaded the goods on a ship and immediately set sail. All of a sudden the sea began to surge and a squall blew up, churning the waters into an immense wave which broke the ship into pieces and sent everything on board down to the bottom of the sea. Ever since that time, the bat has flapped in headlong flight from her creditors, hiding herself away and venturing out only at night; the booby spends his time on the sea, looking for the copper; and the bramble bush grabs hold of every wayfarer’s cloak, hoping to find the missing clothes.
This fable shows that after some risky business has come to an end, everyone must stay attentive so that they don‘t fall into the same misfortune once again.
NOTE: The bird referred to here (Greek kepphos) was a type of seabird proverbial for stupidity, hence the English translation ‘booby’.
Fable 501 (Syntipas 32 = Perry 119)
The Vegetables and the Weeds
Somebody saw a gardener irrigating his vegetables and said to him, ‘How is it that wild plants, without having been planted and without having been cultivated, spring up each season, while the plants that you yourself plant in the garden frequently wither from lack of water?’ The gardener replied, ‘The wild plants are cared for by divine providence, which is sufficient in and of itself, while our own plants must depend for their care on human hands.’
This story shows that a mother’s nurturing is stronger than a stepmother’s attentions.
NOTE: In another version of this story (Life of Aesop 37), it is Aesop who explains to an ignorant gardener why it is that weeds grow so quickly.
Fable 502 (Babrius 74 = Perry 105)
The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog
A horse, an ox, and a dog were suffering from the cold and came to the house of a man. The man opened his door to the animals and led them inside. He warmed them by the hearth which was blazing with fire and placed before them whatever there was to eat. To the horse he gave barley, to the labouring ox he gave peas, while the dog took his place beside the man at the table as his dinner companion. In exchange for this hospitality, the animals surrendered to the man some of the years of life that had been allotted to them. The horse went first, which is why each of us is inclined to exult in our youth; the ox went next, which is why man toils away during his middle years, devoted to his work and accumulating wealth. It was the dog who bestowed on man his final years, at least according to the story. This is why, Branchus, everyone becomes cranky in his old age, only wagging his tail for the person who feeds him while barking incessantly and snarling at strangers.
NOTE: Here and in the prologue to his fables, Babrius addresses a young boy, ‘Branchus’, whom he calls the son of ‘King Alexander’, tentatively identified as King Alexander of Cilicia. If this is correct, Babrius would have lived in the second half of the first century CE.
Fable 503 (Dio Chrysostom, Orations 32 = Perry 448)
Orpheus and the Dogs
The animals were Orpheus’ companions, and while they enjoyed and admired his music, they never attempted to imitate it. But a few of the dogs, those shameless and meddlesome creatures, set out to make some music of their own. They straightaway went off by themselves to practise, changing themselves into human form as they continued their musical pursuits. Thi
s is where lyre players come from, and even today they cannot completely overcome their inborn nature. As a result, they preserve the teachings of Orpheus, but only to a small degree; for the most part it is the canine music that endures.
NOTE: Orpheus was the master musician of Greek mythology.
Fable 504 (Life of Aesop 126 = Perry 382)
The Delphians and Their Ancestors
The people of Delphi said to Aesop, ‘Who were our ancestors?’ Aesop replied, ‘They were slaves. And if you are ignorant of this story, it is about time you learned it! Long ago it was the custom that whenever the Greeks captured a city, they would send one-tenth of the spoils to Apollo. So they would send ten oxen out of every hundred, the same with goats, and the same with other things: money, women, men. Since you are the descendants of those men and women, you are deprived of your freedom, like slaves in bondage. That is your origin, and thus you have become the slaves of all the Greeks.’
NOTE: It was this kind of talk that provoked the Delphians to arrange for Aesop’s execution (as detailed in the Life of Aesop).
Fable 505 (Chambry 9* = Perry 277)
The Swallow and the Nightingale
A swallow once asked a nightingale why she didn’t want to come and take up residence with her. The nightingale wept and cried, ‘No, it is impossible for me to do that. It brings to mind the grief suffered by my ancestors, which is why I dwell in the wilderness.’
The fable shows that when people feel grief for their misfortunes, they avoid the place where that grief overtook them.
NOTE: This fable is based on the well-known story of Procne and Philomela (see Fable 213 and the note to that fable). For an explanation of why the swallow decided to dwell in people’s houses, see Fable 487.
Fable 506 (Aphthonius 3 = Perry 396)
The Kites and the Swans
A story about kites and swans, exhorting us not to imitate things that are inappropriate to us.
Nature originally supplied the kites with a voice equal to that of the swans. But when the kites heard the sound of horses neighing, they were enchanted and tried to imitate it. In the course of their studies, the kites lost what voice they had: they did not learn how to neigh, and they forgot how to sing.
By imitating something inappropriate, you can lose what you had to begin with.
Fable 507 (Phaedrus 3.18 = Perry 509)
Juno and the Peacock
The peacock came to see Juno, because he could not accept with equanimity the fact that the goddess had not given him the song of the nightingale. The peacock complained that the nightingale’s song was wondrously beautiful to every ear, while he was laughed at by everyone as soon as he made the slightest sound. Juno then consoled the peacock and said, ‘You are superior in beauty and superior in size; there is an emerald splendour that shines about your neck, and your tail is a fan filled with jewels and painted feathers.’ The peacock protested, ‘What is the point of this silent beauty, if I am defeated by the sound of my own voice?’ ‘Your lot in life has been assigned by the decision of the Fates,’ said Juno. ‘You have been allotted beauty; the eagle, strength; the nightingale, harmony; the raven has been assigned prophetic signs, while unfavourable omens are assigned to the crow; and so each is content with his own particular gift.’
Do not strive for something that was not given to you, lest your disappointed expectations become mired in discontent.
NOTE: Juno (Greek Hera) was the consort of Jupiter and queen of the gods. Just as the eagle was Jupiter’s special bird, the peacock was dear to Juno.
Fable 508 (Chambry 125* = Perry 106)
Zeus and the Tortoise
Zeus invited all the animals to his wedding. The tortoise alone was absent, and Zeus did not know why, so he asked the tortoise her reason for not having come to the feast. The tortoise said, ‘Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.’ Zeus got angry at the tortoise and ordered her to carry her house with her wherever she went.
The fable shows that people often prefer to live simply at home than to live lavishly at someone else’s house.
NOTE: The Greek maxim pronounced by the tortoise can be translated literally as ‘home is dear, home is best’, oikos philos, oikos aristos.
Fable 509 (Chambry 234* = Perry 163)
Zeus and the Bee
The bee, who is the mother of the honeycombs, went up to the gods, bearing honeycombs and honey. Delighted by the bee’s offering, Zeus ordered that she be given whatever she asked for. The bee said, ‘Bestow upon your servant a sting so that I can defend the fruits of my labour and protect myself.’ Zeus was at a loss when faced with his request, since he felt affection for the human race. He therefore told the bee, ‘I cannot do exactly that: but if some man does come to take your honey and you want to get rid of him, here is your sting! Yet you must keep in mind that if you strike a man, you will die at the moment your sting has gone in.’
The fable shows that in our prayers and requests we should never ask for evil to befall our enemies.
Fable 510 (Syntipas 59 = Perry 117)
Zeus and the Camel
When the camel saw another animal’s horns, she begged Zeus to give her horns too. Zeus was angry at the camel’s greediness, so he cropped her ears instead.
This fable shows that people who grasp for more than they need are deprived of what they have.
Fable 511 (Romulus Ang. 19 = Perry 658)
Jupiter and the Hare
A certain hare happened to see a stag adorned with great branching horns. The hare complained to Jupiter that the hares were weak, defective creatures who were not feared by any of the other animals. Therefore, he wanted Jupiter to give him horns like those of the stag both for his own protection and to enhance his appearance. Jupiter told the hare that he would not be able to carry the heavy weight of the horns, but the hare replied that he was prepared to carry such horns with pride. Jupiter therefore commanded that the hare’s head should be crowned with a pair of big, branching horns, but the hare was so weighed down by his burden that he wasn’t able to run. As a result, the shepherds captured and killed him.
If is often the case that people are greedy for things which they think will bring them honour, but which only result in their death and destruction.
NOTE: For another fable about the hares who want to be feared by other animals, see Fable 248.
Fable 512 (Phaedrus 4.17 = Perry 516)
Jupiter and the Goats
When the she-goats had persuaded Jupiter to give them beards, the male goats were extremely upset and began to complain that the women now had the same degree of dignity that they did. ‘Come now,’ said Jupiter, ‘let the women enjoy this vain source of pride and stake their claim to the badges of your office so long as they cannot rival you in strength!’
Let this be a sign that you should put up with people who wear the same uniform as you do, even if they are not your equals in valour.
Fable 513 (Chambry 240* = Perry 166)
Zeus and the Ant
Long ago, the creature who is today an ant used to be a man who was always busy farming. Still, he was not satisfied with the results of his own labour, so he would steal from his neighbours’ crops. Zeus became angry at his greedy behaviour and turned him into the animal that now has the name of ‘ant’. Yet although the man changed his shape, he did not change his habits, and even now he goes around the fields gathering the fruits of other people’s labour, storing them up for himself.
The fable shows that when someone with a wicked nature changes his appearance, his behaviour remains the same.
HUMAN AETIOLOGIES
Fable 514 (Chambry 57 = Perry 311)
Zeus and Man
They say that in the beginning, when the animals were being formed, they received their endowments from Zeus. To some he gave strength, and to some speed, and to others wings. Man, however, was still naked so he said to Zeus, ‘I am the only one that you have left without a gift.’ Zeus replied, ‘You are unaware of the gift you h
ave obtained, but it is the greatest gift of all: you have received the gift of speech and the ability to reason, which has power both among the gods and among mortals; it is stronger than the strong and swifter than the swift.’ Man then recognized the gift he had been given and bowed down before Zeus, offering him thanks.
The fable shows that while we have all been honoured by God with the gift of speech and reason, there are some who are unaware of this great honour and are instead jealous of the animals even though the animals lack both speech and sense.
NOTE: The gift given to mankind is called logos in Greek, which refers both to speech and to rational thought. The Greeks regularly referred to animals as aloga, or lacking in logos. This Greek phrase thus has a double meaning much like the English expression ‘dumb animals’, which is used to indicate animals who are both speechless and (supposedly) stupid. For a different account of the creation, see Plato, Protagoras 320 ff., where the defenceless human race is armed by Prometheus with fire.
Fable 515 (Chambry 322 = Perry 240)
Zeus and Prometheus
Following Zeus’ orders, Prometheus fashioned humans and animals. When Zeus saw that the animals far outnumbered the humans, he ordered Prometheus to reduce the number of the animals by turning them into people. Prometheus did as he was told, and as a result those people who were originally animals have a human body but the soul of an animal.
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