The Complete Fables Read online

  Similarly, by struggling with rivals stronger than ourselves whom we cannot possibly overtake, we expose ourselves to mockery.

  122

  Zeus and the Snake

  When Zeus got married, all the animals brought him presents, each according to his means. The snake crawled up to him, a rose in his mouth. Upon seeing him, Zeus said:

  ‘From all the others I accept these gifts, but from your mouth I absolutely refuse one.’

  This fable shows that you should fear the favours of the wicked.

  123

  Zeus and the Jar of Good Things

  Zeus shut up all good things in a huge wine jar [pithos], which he left in the hands of a man. This man was curious and wanted to know what was inside. So he prised open the lid and all the good things blew away, flying up to the gods.

  Thus, hope alone remains with men, and promises them the good things which have fled.

  124

  Zeus, Prometheus, Athena and Momos

  Zeus made a bull, Prometheus made a man and Athena made a house. They invited Momos to judge their handiwork. He was so jealous of it that he said that Zeus had made a mistake in not putting the bull’s eyes on his horns so that he could see where he was butting. Likewise, Prometheus should have attached man’s mind [phrēn] outside his body so that his wicked qualities were not hidden but could be there for all to see. As for Athena, he told her that she should put wheels on her house so that if an undesirable person moved in next door one could move away easily.

  Zeus was so enraged by Momos’s jealousy that he banished him from Olympus.

  This fable shows that nothing is too perfect for criticism.

  NOTE: By the time Babrius, in his 59, got around to rewriting this fable in the first century AD, he changed things so that Poseidon made the bull, Zeus made man, but Athena still made the house. Babrius also changed it to say that the bull should have had his horns placed beneath his eyes so that he could see better where he struck. S. A. Handford, in the earlier Penguin (155), said the bull should have its eyes in his horns rather than on his horns. But the Greek of the fable says epi tois kerasin, and epi with the dative unquestionably means ‘on’ or ‘upon’, so that I suspect that Handford’s version must have involved a misprint; he could not possibly really have intended ‘in’.

  Aristotle, in his zoological work The Parts of Animals (trans. A. L. Peck, 1961, Loeb Library Vol. 323 (3,2,663a)), refers to a variant of this fable which was well known in the fourth century BC, and he names Aesop as its author. However, in that earlier version, Momos ‘finds fault with the bull for having his horns on the head, which is the weakest part of all, instead of on the shoulders’. Aristotle then proceeds to criticize Momos’s suggestions. The later classical authors Lucian and Philostratus also allude to variants of this fable in which, again, two of the gods criticized by Momos were different. This minor god Momos, whose name is related to the word for ‘blame’ or ‘complaint’, was the god of satire, often represented in classical art as lifting a mask from his face. Sophocles wrote a lost satyr play entitled Momos. The variants of this fable are actually a chief source of our limited knowledge about Momos, who is otherwise insufficiently known.

  125

  Zeus and the Tortoise

  Zeus entertained all the animals at his wedding feast. Only the tortoise was absent. Puzzled by his absence, Zeus asked her the next day:

  ‘Why, alone among the animals, did you not attend my wedding feast?’

  The tortoise replied:

  ‘There’s no place like home.’

  This aroused the anger of Zeus and he condemned her to carry her home everywhere on her back.

  It is thus that many prefer to live simply at home than to eat richly at the tables of others.

  NOTE: The tortoise actually replied with ‘Home is dear, home is best,’ apparently a maxim of the Greeks, so we have used an equivalent maxim.

  126

  Zeus the Judge

  Once upon a time, Zeus decided that Hermes should inscribe on ostraka the faults of men and deposit these ostraka in a little wooden box [kibōtion] near him, so that he could do justice in each case. But the ostraka got mixed up together and some came sooner, others later, to the hands of Zeus for him to pass judgements on them as they deserved.

  This fable shows that one should not be surprised if wrong-doers and wicked people are not punished sooner after they commit their misdeeds.

  NOTE: Ostraka were potsherds, bits of broken pots, or tablets made of earthernware, or even oyster shells, by which the ancient Greeks cast their votes in assemblies and on which they also made notes. A pile of ostraka was thus the ancient equivalent of a notepad.

  As for the little wooden box, such boxes in mythological settings often indicate some special meaning. A chest, especially when it is called a larnax or a soros, may indicate that, as Professor H. J. Rose suspected, ‘some kind of ritual lies behind all these tales’. See N. M. Holley, ‘The Floating Chest’, Journal of Hellenic Studies (Vol. LXIX, 1949, pp. 39–47). And see also Robert K. G. Temple, He Who Saw Everything: A Verse Translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh (Rider, 1991, pp. xxiii, 132, 134).

  127

  The Sun and the Frogs

  It was summer, and people were celebrating the wedding feast of the Sun. All the animals were rejoicing at the event, and only the frogs were left to join in the gaiety. But a protesting frog called out:

  ‘Fools! How can you rejoice? The Sun dries out all the marshland. If he takes a wife and has a child similar to himself, imagine how much more we would suffer!’

  Plenty of empty-headed people are jubilant about things which they have no cause to celebrate.

  128

  The Mule

  A mule who had grown fat on barley began to get frisky, saying to herself: ‘My father is a fast-running horse, and I take after him in every way.’ But, one day, she was forced to run a race. At the end of the race she looked glum and remembered that her father was really an ass.

  This fable shows that even if circumstances put a man on show, he ought never to forget his origins, for life is full of uncertainty.

  129

  Herakles and Athena

  Herakles was making his way through a narrow pass when he spotted something on the ground which looked like an apple. He decided to crush it, but the object doubled its size. When he saw this, Herakles stamped on it more violently than before and struck it with his club. The object swelled in volume and became so big that it blocked the road. The hero Herakles then dropped his club and stood there in a state of amazement. As this was going on, Athena appeared before him and said:

  ‘Stop, brother. This thing is the spirit of dispute and quarrels. If one leaves it alone, it stays just as it was before. But if you fight it, see how it blows up.’

  This fable shows that combat and strife are the cause of untold harm.

  130

  Herakles and Pluto

  Herakles was admitted to the ranks of the gods and received at the table of Zeus, bowing graciously to each god in turn. Lastly he came to Pluto, God of Wealth. But he lowered his eyes to the floor and turned away from him. Shocked, Zeus asked why, having pleasantly saluted all the gods, he should turn his face away when he got to Pluto. Herakles replied:

  ‘It’s because when we were together on earth I nearly always saw him being attracted to wicked men.’

  This fable could also apply to men who are made wealthy by fortune but who are of bad character.

  131

  The Demi-god [Hērōs]

  A man had the image of a demi-god in his house and offered it rich sacrifices. As he didn’t cease spending and using considerable sums for the sacrifices, the demi-god appeared before him one night and said:

  ‘Stop squandering your wealth, my friend. For if you spend everything and become poor, you’ll only take it out on me.’

  Thus, many people, fallen on hard times because of their own folly, lay the blame on their gods.

  132


  The Tunny-fish and the Dolphin

  A tunny-fish was pursued by a dolphin and splashed through the water with a great to-do. It was when the dolphin had almost caught him that the force of the tunny-fish’s leap landed him on a sand bar. Carried by the same impulse, the dolphin landed beside him and there they both lay. As the tunny-fish took his last gasps and faced death he said:

  ‘I no longer dread death now that I see he who has caused it sharing the same fate.’

  This fable shows that it is easier to tolerate our misfortune when it is shared by those who have caused it.

  NOTE: The fact that dolphins breathe air was clearly not realized here.

  133

  The Quack Doctor

  A quack doctor once treated a sick man. All the other doctors he had consulted had told him that his life was not in any danger but that his recovery would be slow. Only the quack doctor advised him to settle all his affairs because he would not survive much more than a day, and then he left him to it.

  A few days later the sick man got up and ventured outside. He was pale and walked with difficulty. He chanced to meet the quack doctor, who said to him:

  ‘How are the inhabitants of the Underworld getting on?’

  The sick man replied:

  ‘They are at peace because they have drunk the Waters of Lethe [Forgetfulness]. But recently there has been a great fuss down there. Both Death and Hades have issued terrible threats against all doctors, claiming that they won’t allow the sick to die naturally. And they have written all their names down on a register. They were going to add your name to the list, but I threw myself at their feet and implored them not to, swearing that you are not a real doctor and had been unjustly accused of being one for no reason.’

  This particular fable pillories those doctors whose science and talent consists solely of plausible words.

  134

  The Doctor and the Sick Man

  A doctor had been looking after a patient, but the man died. And the doctor said to his household:

  ‘This man would not be dead if he had abstained from wine and had taken his enemas.’

  ‘Ha! My dear friend,’ said one of his servants, ‘it’s no good saying that now when it’s useless; it was when he was still alive and could benefit that you should have given him that advice.’

  This fable shows that our friends should come to our aid at times of need and not make clever remarks when things are desperate.

  135

  The Kite and the Snake

  A kite swooped down and carried off a snake but the snake twisted round and bit the bird. So the two of them then hurtled down from a great height and the kite was killed by the fall.

  The snake declaimed:

  ‘Why were you so stupid as to harm me, who had done nothing against you? It serves you right to be punished for having carried me off’

  People who give in to jealousy and hurt those who are weaker than themselves could fall into the same trap: they pay the price when all the harm they have done is unexpectedly revealed.

  NOTE: Another version of this fable is found in 167, ‘The Raven and the Snake’.

  136

  The Kite Who Neighed

  The kite once had a different voice, a voice which was high-pitched and shrill. But one day he heard a horse neighing beautifully, and he longed to imitate it. Try as he might, he simply couldn’t attain the same voice as the horse, and at the same time he lost his own.

  This is why he has neither his own voice nor that of the horse.

  Jealous people envy qualities which they don’t possess and lose their own.

  137

  The Bird-catcher and the Asp

  A bird-catcher took his snare and birdlime and went out to do some hunting. He spotted a thrush on a tall tree and decided to try and catch it. So, having arranged his [sticky] twigs one on top of the other, he concentrated his attention upwards. While he was gazing thus he didn’t see that he had trodden on a sleeping asp, which turned on him and bit him. The fowler, knowing that he was mortally wounded, said to himself:

  ‘How unfortunate I am! I wanted to catch my prey and I did not see that I myself would become Death’s prey.’

  This is how, when we plot against our fellow-creatures, we are the first to fall into calamity.

  NOTE: The asp, or Egyptian cobra [Vipera aspis], does not exist in Greece. This fable thus has its origins elsewhere.

  The Greeks made birdlime, ixos, a sticky glue spread on the branches to which the birds’ feet got stuck, usually from crushed mistletoe berries, though sometimes from oak-gum or other sticky substances. See also Fables 157, 242 and 349.

  138

  The Old Horse

  An old horse had been sold to a miller to turn the millstone. When he was harnessed to the mill-wheel he groaned and exclaimed:

  ‘From the turn of the race course I am reduced to such a turn as this!’

  Don’t be too proud of youthful strength, for many a man’s old age is spent in hard work.

  139

  The Horse, the Ox, the Dog and the Man

  When Zeus made man, he only gave him a short life-span. But man, making use of his intelligence, made a house and lived in it when winter came on. Then, one day, it became fiercely cold, it poured with rain and the horse could no longer endure it. So he galloped up to the man’s house and asked if he could take shelter with him. But the man said that he could only shelter there on one condition, and that was that the horse would give him a portion of the years of his life. The horse gave him some willingly.

  A short time later, the ox also appeared. He too could not bear the bad weather any more. The man said the same thing to him, that he wouldn’t give him shelter unless the ox gave him a certain number of his own years. The ox gave him some and was allowed to go in.

  Finally the dog, dying of cold, also appeared, and upon surrendering part of the time he had left to live, was given shelter.

  Thus it resulted that for that portion of time originally allotted them by Zeus, men are pure and good; when they reach the years gained from the horse, they are glorious and proud; when they reach the years of the ox, they are willing to accept discipline; but when they reach the dog years, they become grumbling and irritable.

  One could apply this fable to surly old men.

  140

  The Horse and the Groom

  A groom used to steal his horse’s barley and sell it. To make up for it he spent the whole day grooming and currying the horse, who said to him:

  ‘If you really want to see me look good, don’t sell the barley that is intended to feed me.’

  Thus, greedy people trick poor people with their seductive talk and with flattery, while depriving them of their bare necessities.

  141

  The Horse and the Ass

  A man had a horse and an ass. One day, while they were on the road, the ass said to the horse:

  ‘Take a bit of my burden if you value my life.’

  The horse turned a deaf ear and the ass fell, exhausted, and died.

  Then the master transferred the load on to the horse, as well as the flayed skin of the ass. The horse sighed and said:

  ‘Ah! I don’t stand a chance! Alas, what has befallen me! Because I didn’t want to carry a light load, now here I am carrying it all, even the skin as well!’

  This fable shows that if the strong stand by the weak, they preserve each other’s lives.

  142

  The Horse and the Soldier

  A soldier fed his horse well on barley as long as it was his companion, sharing all his toils and dangers for the duration of the war. But when the war ended the horse was used to do menial work and to carry heavy loads, and was only given straw to eat. Meanwhile, another war was declared and, at the sound of the trumpet, the master bridled his horse, armed himself and mounted. But the horse, having no strength, stumbled at each step. He said to his master:

  ‘Now go and line up among the foot-soldiers. For from a horse you have change
d me into an ass. How do you expect me to change back from an ass into a horse again?’

  In times of security and ease, misfortunes should not be forgotten.

  143

  The Reed and the Olive

  The reed and the olive tree were arguing over their steadfastness, strength and ease. The olive taunted the reed for his powerlessness and pliancy in the face of all the winds. The reed kept quiet and didn’t say a word. Then, not long after this, the wind blew violently. The reed, shaken and bent, escaped easily from it, but the olive tree, resisting the wind, was snapped by its force.

  The story shows that people who yield to circumstances and to superior power have the advantage over their stronger rivals.

  144

  The Camel Who Shat in the River

  A camel was crossing a swiftly flowing river. He shat and immediately saw his own dung floating in front of him, carried by the rapidity of the current.

  ‘What is that there?’ he asked himself. ‘That which was behind me I now see pass in front of me.’

  This applies to a situation where the rabble and the idiots hold sway rather than the eminent and the sensible.