The most classic Aesop fables, full text and list, with symbolism, including over 100 meaningful short stories.
Aesop's Fables Short Stories List:
29.THE DOLPHINS, THE WHALES, AND THE SPRAT
26.THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
22.THE MISTRESS AND HER SERVANTS
17.THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION
14.THE OLD WOMAN AND THE DOCTOR
13.THE SPENDTHRIFT AND THE SWALLOW
5.THE CHARCOAL-BURNER AND THE FULLER
2.THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGGS
THE FOX AND THE MONKEY
A Fox and a Monkey were on the road together, and fell into a dispute as to which of the two was the better born. They kept it up for some time, till they came to a place where the road passed through a cemetery full of monuments, when the Monkey stopped and looked about him and gave a great sigh. “ Why do you sigh? ” said the Fox. The Monkey pointed to the tombs and replied, “ All the monuments that you see here were put up in honour of my forefathers, who in their day were eminent men. ” The Fox was speechless for a moment, but quickly recovering he said, “ Oh! Don't stop at any lie, sir; you're quite safe: I ’ m sure none of your ancestors will rise up and expose you. ”
Boasters brag most when they cannot be detected.
THE DOLPHINS, THE WHALES, AND THE SPRAT
The Dolphins quarrelled with the Whales, and before very long they began fighting with one another. The battle was very fierce, an had lasted some time without any sign of coming to an end, when a Sprat thought that perhaps he could stop it; so he stepped in and tried to persuade them to give up fighting and make friends. But one of the Dolphins said to him contemptuously, “ We would rather go on fighting till we're all killed than be reconciled by a Sprat like you!
THE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL
A farmer's daughter had been out to milk the cows, and was returning to the dairy carrying her pail of milk upon her head. As she walked along, she fell a-musing after this fashion: “ The milk in this pail will provide me with cream, which I will make into butter and take to market to sell. With the money I will buy a number of eggs, and these, when hatched, will produce chickens, and by and by I shall have quite a large poultry-yard. Then I shall sell some of my fowls, and with the money which they will bring in I will buy myself a new gown, which I shall wear when I go to the fair; and all the young fellows will admire it, and come and make love to me, but I shall toss my head and have nothing to say to them. ” Forgetting all about the pail, and suiting the action to the word, she tossed her head. Down went the pail, all the milk was spilled, and all her fine castles in the air vanished in a moment!
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL
A Stag, chased from his lair by the hounds, took refuge in a farmyard, and, entering a stable where a number of oxen were stalled, thrust himself under a pile of hay in a vacant stall, where he lay concealed, all but the tips of his horns. Presently one of the Oxen said to him, “ What has induced you to come in here? Aren't you aware of the risk you are running of being captured by the herdsmen? ” To which he replied, “ Pray let me stay for the present. When night comes I shall easily escape under cover of the dark. ” In the course of the afternoon more than one of the farm-hands came in, to attend to the wants of the cattle, but not one of them noticed the presence of the Stag, who accordingly began to congratulate himself on his escape and to express his gratitude to the Oxen. “ We wish you well, ” said the one who had spoken before, “ but you are not out of danger yet. If the master comes, you will certainly be found out, for nothing ever escapes his keen eyes. ” Presently, sure enough, in he came, and made a great to-do about the way the Oxen were kept. “ The beasts are starving, ” he cried, “ here, give them more hay, and put plenty of litter under them. ” As he spoke, he seized an armful himself from the pile where the Stag lay concealed, and at once detected him. Calling his men, he had him seized at once and killed for the table.
THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING
A Wolf resolved to disguise himself in order that he might prey upon a flock of sheep without fear of detection. So he clothed himself in a sheepskin, and slipped among the sheep when they were out at pasture. He completely deceived the shepherd, and when the flock was penned for the night he was shut in with the rest. But that very night as it happened, the shepherd, requiring a supply of mutton for the table, laid hands on the Wolf in mistake for a Sheep, and killed him with his knife on the spot.
THE FOX AND THE STORK
A Fox invited a Stork to dinner, at which the only fare provided was a large flat dish of soup. The Fox lapped it up with great relish,but the Stork with her long bill tried in vain to partake of the savoury broth. Her evident distress caused the sly Fox much amusement. But not long after the Stork invited him in turn, and set before him a pitcher with a long and narrow neck, into which she could get her bill with ease. Thus, while she enjoyed her dinner, the Fox sat by hungry and helpless, for it was impossible for him to reach the tempting contents of the vessel.
THE HARES AND THE FROGS
The Hares once gathered together and lamented the unhappiness of their lot, exposed as they were to dangers on all sides and lacking the strength and the courage to hold their own. Men, dogs, birds and beasts of prey were all their enemies, and killed and devoured them daily: and sooner than endure such persecution any longer, they one and all determined to end their miserable lives. Thus resolved and desperate, they rushed in a body towards a neighbouring pool, intending to drown themselves. On the bank were sitting a number of Frogs, who, when they heard the noise of the Hares as they ran, with one accord leaped into the water and hid themselves in the depths. Then one of the older Hares who was wiser than the rest cried out to his companions, “ Stop, my friends, take heart; don't let us destroy ourselves after all: see, here are creatures who are afraid of us, and who must, therefore, be still more timid than ourselves. ”
THE GOODS AND THE ILLS
There was a time in the youth of the world when Goods and Ills entered equally into the concerns of men, so that the Goods did not prevail to make them altogether blessed, nor the Ills to make them wholly miserable. But owing to the foolishness of mankind the Ills multiplied greatly in number and increased in strength, until it seemed as though they would deprive the Goods of all share in human affairs, and banish them from the earth. The latter, therefore, betook themselves to heaven and complained to Jupiter of the treatment they had received, at the same time praying him to grant them protection from the Ills, and to advise them concerning the manner of their intercourse with men. Jupiter granted their request for protection, and decreed that for the future they should not go among men openly in a body, and so be liable to attack from the hostile Ills, but singly and unobserved, and at infrequent and unexpected intervals. Hence it is that the earth is full of Ills, for they come and go as they please and are never far away; while Goods, alas! come one by one only, and have to travel all the way from heaven, so that they are very seldom seen.
THE MISTRESS AND HER SERVANTS
A Widow, thrifty and industrious, had two servants, whom she kept pretty hard at work. They were not allowed to lie long abed in the mornings, but the old lady had them up and doing as soon as the cock crew. They disliked intensely having to get up at such an hour, especially in winter-time: and they thought that if it were not for the cock waking up their Mistress so horribly early, they could sleep longer. So they caught it and wrung its neck. But they weren't prepared for the consequences. For what happened was that their Mistress, not hearing the cock crow as usual, waked them up earlier than ever, and set them to work in the middle of the night.
THE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN
A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun, each claiming that he was stronger than the other. At last they agreed to try their powers upon a traveller, to see which could soonest strip him of his cloak. The North Wind had the first try; and, gathering up all his force for the attack, he came whirling furiously down upon the man, and caught up his cloak as though he would wrest it from him by one single effort: but the harder he blew, the more closely the man wrapped it round himself. Then came the turn of the Sun. At first he beamed gently upon the traveller, who soon unclasped his cloak and walked on with it hanging loosely about his shoulders: then he shone forth in his full strength, and the man, before he had gone many steps, was glad to throw his cloak right off and complete his journey more lightly clad.
Persuasion is better than force
THE BOYS AND THE FROGS
Some mischievous Boys were playing on the edge of a pond, and, catching sight of some Frogs swimming about in the shallow water, they began to amuse themselves by pelting them with stones, and they killed several of them. At last one of the Frogs put his head out of the water and said, “ Oh, stop! stop! I beg of you: what is sport to you is death to us. ”
THE CROW AND THE PITCHER
A thirsty Crow found a Pitcher with some water in it, but so little was there that, try as she might, she could not reach it with her beak, and it seemed as though she would die of thirst within sight of the remedy. At last she hit upon a clever plan. She began dropping pebbles into the Pitcher, and with each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it reached the brim, and the knowing bird was enabled to quench her thirst.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
THE LION AND THE MOUSE
A Lion asleep in his lair was waked up by a Mouse running over his face. Losing his temper he seized it with his paw and was about to kill it. The Mouse, terrified, piteously entreated him to spare its life. “ Please let me go, ” it cried, “ and one day I will repay you for your kindness. ” The idea of so insignificant a creature ever being able to do anything for him amused the Lion so much that he laughed aloud, and good-humouredly let it go. But the Mouse's chance came, after all. One day the Lion got entangled in a net which had been spread for game by some hunters, and the Mouse heard and recognised his roars of anger and ran to the spot. Without more ado it set to work to gnaw the ropes with its teeth, and succeeded before long in setting the Lion free. “ There! ” said the Mouse, “ you laughed at me when I promised I would repay you: but now you see, even a Mouse can help a Lion. ”
THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION
An Ass and a Fox went into partnership and sallied out to forage for food together. They hadn't gone far before they saw a Lion coming their way, at which they were both dreadfully frightened. But the Fox thought he saw a way of saving his own skin, and went boldly up to the Lion and whispered in his ear, “ I'll manage that you shall get hold of the Ass without the trouble of stalking him, if you'll promise to let me go free. ” The Lion agreed to this, and the Fox then rejoined his companion and contrived before long to lead him by a hidden pit, which some hunter had dug as a trap for wild animals, and into which he fell. When the Lion saw that the Ass was safely caught and couldn't get away, it was to the Fox that he first turned his attention, and he soon finished him off, and then at his leisure proceeded to feast upon the Ass.
Betray a friend, and you'll often find you have ruined yourself.
MERCURY AND THE WOODMAN
A Woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river, when his axe, glancing off the trunk, flew out of his hands and fell into the water. As he stood by the water's edge lamenting his loss, Mercury appeared and asked him the reason for his grief; and on learning what had happened, out of pity for his distress he dived into the river and, bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the one he had lost. The Woodman replied that it was not, and Mercury then dived a second time, and, bringing up a silver axe, asked if that was his. “ No, that is not mine either, ” said the Woodman. Once more Mercury dived into the river, and brought up the missing axe. The Woodman was overjoyed at recovering his property, and thanked his benefactor warmly; and the latter was so pleased with his honesty that he made him a present of the other two axes. When the Woodman told the story to his companions, one of these was filled with envy of his good fortune and determined to try his luck for himself. So he went and began to fell a tree at the edge of the river, and presently contrived to let his axe drop into the water. Mercury appeared as before, and, on learning that his axe had fallen in, he dived and brought up a golden axe, as he had done on the previous occasion. Without waiting to be asked whether it was his or not the fellow cried, “ That's mine, that's mine, ” and stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize: but Mercury was so disgusted at his dishonesty that he not only declined to give him the golden axe, but also refused to recover for him the one he had let fall into the stream.
Honesty is the best policy.
THE MOON AND HER MOTHER
The Moon once begged her Mother to make her a gown. “ How can I? ” replied she, “ there's no fitting your figure. At one time you ’ r a New Moon, and at another you're a Full Moon; and between whiles you're neither one nor the other. ”
THE SPENDTHRIFT AND THE SWALLOW
A Spendthrift, who had wasted his fortune, and had nothing left but the clothes in which he stood, saw a Swallow one fine day in early spring. Thinking that summer had come, and that he could now do without his coat, he went and sold it for what it would fetch. A change, however, took place in the weather, and there came a sharp frost which killed the unfortunate Swallow. When the Spendthrift saw its dead body he cried, “ Miserable bird! Thanks to you I am perishing of cold myself. ”
One swallow does not make summer.
THE CAT AND THE BIRDS
A Cat heard that the Birds in an aviary were ailing. So he got himself up as a doctor, and, taking with him a set of the instruments proper to his profession, presented himself at the door, and inquired after the health of the Birds. “ We shall do very well, ” they replied, without letting him in, “ when we've seen the last of you. ”
A villain may disguise himself, but he will not deceive the wise.
THE PEACOCK AND THE CRANE
A Peacock taunted a Crane with the dullness of her plumage. “ Look at my brilliant colours, ” said she, “ and see how much finer they are than your poor feathers. ” “ I am not denying, ” replied the Crane, “ that yours are far gayer than mine; but when it comes to flying I can soar into the clouds, whereas you are confined to the earth like any dunghill cock. ”
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB
A Wolf came upon a Lamb straying from the flock, and felt some compunction about taking the life of so helpless a creature without some plausible excuse; so he cast about for a grievance and said at last, “ Last year, sirrah, you grossly insulted me. ” “ That is impossible, sir, ” bleated the Lamb, “ for I wasn't born then. ” “ Well, ” retorted the Wolf, “ you feed in my pastures. ” “ That cannot be, ” replied the Lamb, “ for I have never yet tasted grass. ” “ You drink from my spring, then, ” continued the Wolf. “ Indeed, sir, ” said the poor Lamb, “ I have never yet drunk anything but my mother's milk. ” “ Well, anyhow, ” said the Wolf, “ I ’ m not going without my dinner. ” And he sprang upon the Lamb and devoured it without more ado.
THE HORSE AND THE GROOM
There was once a Groom who used to spend long hours clipping and combing the Horse of which he had charge, but who daily stole a portion of his allowance of oats, and sold it for his own profit. The Horse gradually got into worse and worse condition, and at last cried to the Groom, “ If you really want me to look sleek and well, you must comb me less and feed me more. ”
THE FOX AND THE CROW
A Crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a Fox observed her and set his wits to work to discover some way of getting the cheese.
Coming and standing under the tree he looked up and said, “ What a noble bird I see above me! Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite.
If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without doubt to be Queen of the Birds. ” The Crow was hugely flattered by this, and just to show the Fox that she could sing she gave a loud caw. Down came the cheese, of course, and the Fox, snatching it up, said, “ You have a voice, madam, I see: what you want is wits. ”
THE DOG AND THE SOW
A Dog and a Sow were arguing and each claimed that its own young ones were finer than those of any other animal. “ Well, ” said the Sow at last, “ mine can see, at any rate, when they come into the world: but yours are born blind. ”
THE BAT AND THE WEASELS
A Bat fell to the ground and was caught by a Weasel, and was just going to be killed and eaten when it begged to be let go.
The Weasel said he couldn't do that because he was an enemy of all birds on principle. “ Oh, but, ” said the Bat, “ I ’ m not a bird at all, I ’ m a mouse. ” “ So you are, ” said the Weasel, “ now I come to look at you. ” And he let it go. Some time after this the Bat was caught in just the same way by another Weasel, and, as before, begged for its life. “ No, ” said the Weasel, “ I never let a mouse go by any chance. ” “ But I ’ m not a mouse, ” said the Bat, “ I ’ m a bird. ” “ Why, so you are, ” said the Weasel; and he too let the Bat go.
Look and see which way the wind blows before you commit yourself.
THE MICE IN COUNCIL
Once upon a time all the Mice met together in Council, and discussed the best means of securing themselves against the attacks of the cat. After several suggestions had been debated, a Mouse of some standing and experience got up and said, “ I think I have hit upon a plan which will ensure our safety in the future, provided you approve and carry it out.
It is that we should fasten a bell round the neck of our enemy the cat, which will by its tinkling warn us of her approach. ” This proposal was warmly applauded, and it had been already decided to adopt it, when an old Mouse got upon his feet and said, “ I agree with you all that the plan before us is an admirable one: but may I ask who is going to bell the cat? ”
THE CHARCOAL-BURNER AND THE FULLER
There was once a Charcoal-burner who lived and worked by himself. A Fuller, however, happened to come and settle in the same neighbourhood; and the Charcoal-burner, having made his acquaintance and finding he was an agreeable sort of fellow, asked him if he would come and share his house: “ We shall get to know one another better that way, ” he said, “ and, beside, our household expenses will be diminished. ” The Fuller thanked him, but replied, “ I couldn't think of it, sir: why, everything I take such pains to whiten would be blackened in no time by your charcoal. ”
THE MISCHIEVOUS DOG
There was once a Dog who used to snap at people and bite them without any provocation, and who was a great nuisance to every one who came to his master's house. So his master fastened a bell round his neck to warn people of his presence. The Dog was very proud of the bell, and strutted about tinkling it with immense satisfaction. But an old dog came up to him and said, “ The fewer airs you give yourself the better, my friend. You don't think, do you, that your bell was given you as a reward of merit? On the contrary, it is a badge of disgrace. ”
Notoriety is often mistaken for fame.
THE CAT AND THE MICE
There was once a house that was overrun with Mice. A Cat heard of this, and said to herself, “ That's the place for me, ” and off she went and took up her quarters in the house, and caught the Mice one by one and ate them. At last the Mice could stand it no longer, and they determined to take to their holes and stay there. “ That's awkward, ” said the Cat to herself: “ the only thing to do is to coax them out by a trick. ” So she considered a while, and then climbed up the wall and let herself hang down by her hind legs from a peg, and pretended to be dead. By and by a Mouse peeped out and saw the Cat hanging there. “ Aha! ” it cried, “ you're very clever, madam, no doubt: but you may turn yourself into a bag of meal hanging there, if you like, yet you won't catch us coming anywhere near you. ”
If you are wise you won't be deceived by the innocent airs of those whom you have once found to be dangerous.
THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGGS
A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which laid a Golden Egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough, and, imagining the bird must be made of gold inside, they decided to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal at once. But when they cut it open they found it was just like any other goose. Thus, they neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed any longer the daily addition to their wealth.
Much wants more and loses all.
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
A hungry Fox saw some fine bunches of Grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain, for they were just out of reach: so he gave up trying, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking, “ I thought those Grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour. ”
Last updated: August 1, 2024