The Most Popular Aesop’s Fables

For many of us, Aesop’s fables form an integral part of our lives as these short stories have shaped our minds since the very beginning. Childhood is a phase where everything has a lasting effect. The experiences we have then, have an impact on our way of thinking. And so do stories and poems! Fables are fictional stories usually containing a moral, giving animals and plants the ability to speak. Here’s a collection of the most popular Aesop’s Fables for you to delve once again into life’s simple lessons.

• One good turn deserves another.

An ant starts to drown in a stream while quenching her thirst. A dove sees this and helps the ant by plucking a leaf and dropping it into the stream. The ant climbs onto the leaf and floats safely. Shortly, a bird-catcher lays a trap for the birds. The dove gets caught into it and the hunter takes an aim to shoot it. Seeing this, the ant bites the hunter’s foot causing him to make noise. The dove then flies away to safety.

• We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction.
  

  Courtesy: mythfolklore.net

An eagle was flying high in the sky when suddenly an arrow passed it. Soon another arrow hurt the eagle and it fell to the ground wounded. Blood oozed out and caused the eagle great pain. When the eagle looked at the arrow, it immediately recognised that the feathers tied to it were of its own plumes. Thus, the eagle’s own feathers had assisted in hurting it.

• Greatness carries its own penalties.

A rose and an amaranth grew side by side in a grove. The amaranth said to the rose, “I envy your beauty! No wonder you are everyone’s favourite.” On hearing this, the rose said sadly, ” I bloom for just a little while, my flowers fade and my petals fall. Whereas your’s never fade even when cut, they are everlasting!”. Alas, the rose gets plucked because of its beauty.

• A liar is not believed, even when he speaks the truth.
  

  Credits: www.satyayoga.com

A shepherd boy, who tended his sheep near a forest, was getting rather lonely. For adding some excitement, he rushed to the village calling out,” Wolf, Wolf! “. The villagers showed concern and came out to help him only to see that it was just a prank. Soon a wolf actually came from the forest. The boy called out, “Wolf, Wolf! “, but this time the villagers did not bother helping him, wolf gobbled up his sheep.

Now for some age-old, tried and tested, ubiquitously used fables !

• Little by little does the trick.

A thirsty crow spots a pitcher and flies to it hoping to find water in it. However, the little amount of water is only at the bottom of the pitcher. The crow tries hard to reach it but in vain. It then starts to throw nearby stones into the pitcher, one by one and slowly the water level starts to rise. After rigorously adding many stones, the water rises high enough to quench the crow’s thirst.

• Slow but steady wins the race.

A tortoise claimed that it was faster than a hare and so the two decided to race. The tortoise was naturally slower but it didn’t pause or stop for a single moment. On the other hand, the hare was distracted and he lied down half-way, only to fall asleep. on waking up the hare started running faster than ever but the tortoise had already won the race with his steady pace.

There is so much that can be learnt by just observing nature and these fables truly are pleasant wisdom. Our busy lives may not allow us to sit and perceive animal behaviour, but thankfully, Aesop has already done that for us!

 

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