Aesop's Fables (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781593083304
• ISBN10: 1593083300
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-01-06
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics

Summary

The fables of Aesop have become one of the most enduring traditions of European culture, ever since they were first written down nearly two millennia ago. Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collectionsof prose and verse fables scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature. First published in English by Caxton in 1484, the fables and their morals continue to charm modern readers: who does not know the story of the tortoise and the hare, or the boy who cried wolf?This new translation is the first to represent all the main fable collections in ancient Latin and Greek, arranged according to the fables' contents and themes. It includes 600 fables, many of which come from sources never before translated into English.

Author Biography

D. L. Ashliman, an emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh, taught folklore, mythology, German, and comparative literature at that institution for 33 years. He has also served as guest professor at the University of Augsburg in Germany.

Table of Contents

The World of Aesop and His Fables	ix
Introduction by D.L. Ashliman	xiii
1. The Fox and the Grapes	15	(1)
2. The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs	15	(1)
3. The Cat and the Mice	16	(1)
4. The Mischievous Dog	16	(1)
5. The Charcoal Burner and the Fuller	17	(1)
6. The Mice in Council	18	(1)
7. The Bat and the Weasels	19	(1)
8. The Dog and the Sow	19	(2)
9. The Fox and the Crow	21	(1)
10. The Horse and the Groom	22	(1)
11. The Wolf and the Lamb	22	(1)
12. The Peacock and the Crane	23	(2)
13. The Cat and the Birds	25	(1)
14. The Spendthrift and the Swallow	26	(1)
15. The Old Woman and the Doctor	27	(2)
16. The Moon and Her Mother	29	(1)
17. Mercury and the Woodman	29	(1)
18. The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion	30	(1)
19. The Lion and the Mouse	31	(1)
20. The Crow and the Pitcher	32	(1)
21. The Boys and the Frogs	33	(2)
22. The North Wind and the Sun	35	(1)
23. The Mistress and Her Servants	35	(1)
24. The Goods and the Ills	36	(1)
25. The Hares and the Frogs	37	(1)
26. The Fox and the Stork	38	(1)
27. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing	39	(1)
28. The Stag in the Ox Stall	39	(1)
29. The Milkmaid and Her Pail	40	(1)
30. The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Sprat	41	(1)
31. The Fox and the Monkey	42	(1)
32. The Ass and the Lapdog	43	(2)
33. The Fir Tree and the Bramble	45	(1)
34. The Frogs' Complaint against the Sun	45	(1)
35. The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox	46	(1)
36. The Gnat and the Bull	47	(1)
37. The Bear and the "Travelers	48	(1)
38. The Slave and the Lion	48	(3)
39. The Flea and the Man	51	(1)
40. The Bee and Jupiter	52	(1)
41. The Oak and the Reeds	52	(2)
42. The Blind Man and the Cub	54	(1)
43. The Boy and the Snails	54	(1)
44. The Apes and the Two Travelers	55	(1)
45. The Ass and His Burdens	56	(1)
46. The Shepherd's Boy and the Wolf	57	(1)
47. The Fox and the Goat	58	(1)
48. The Fisherman and the Sprat	59	(1)
49. The Boasting Traveler	60	(1)
50. The Crab and His Mother	60	(2)
51. The Ass and His Shadow	62	(1)
52. The Farmer and His Sons	62	(1)
53. The Dog and the Cook	63	(1)
54. The Monkey as King	64	(1)
55. The Thieves and the Cock	65	(1)
56. The Farmer and Fortune	66	(1)
57. Jupiter and the Monkey	66	(1)
58. Father and Sons	67	(1)
59. The Lamp	67	(2)
60. The Owl and the Birds	69	(1)
61. The Ass in the Lion's Skin	70	(1)
62. The She-Goats and Their Beards	71	(1)
63. The Old Lion	72	(1)
64. The Boy Bathing	73	(2)
65. The Quack Frog	75	(1)
66. The Swollen Fox	75	(1)
67. The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk	76	(1)
68. The Boy and the Nettles	76	(1)
69. The Peasant and the Apple Tree	77	(1)
70. The Jackdaw and the Pigeons	78	(1)
71. Jupiter and the Tortoise	78	(1)
72. The Dog in the Manger	79	(1)
73. The Two Bags	80	(1)
74. The Oxen and the Axletrees	80	(1)
75. The Boy and the Filberts	81	(2)
76. The Frogs Asking for a King	83	(1)
77. The Olive Tree and the Fig Tree	84	(1)
78. The Lion and the Boar	84	(1)
79. The Walnut Tree	85	(1)
80. The Man and the Lion	85	(1)
81. The Tortoise and the Eagle	86	(1)
82. The Kid on the Housetop	86	(1)
83. The Fox without a Tail	87	(1)
84. The Vain Jackdaw	88	(1)
85. The Traveler and His Dog	88	(1)
86. The Shipwrecked Man and the Sea	89	(1)
87. The Wild Boar and the Fox	89	(1)
88. Mercury and the Sculptor	90	(1)
89. The Fawn and His Mother	90	(1)
90. The Fox and the Lion	91	(1)
91. The Eagle and His Captor	92	(1)
92. The Blacksmith and His Dog	92	(1)
93. The Stag at the Pool	93	(1)
94. The Dog and His Reflection	94	(1)
95. Mercury and the Tradesmen	95	(1)
96. The Mice and the Weasels	96	(1)
97. The Peacock and Juno	97	(2)
98. The Bear and the Fox	99	(1)
99. The Ass and the Old Peasant	99	(1)
100. The Ox and the Frog	100	(1)
101. The Man and the Image	101	(1)
102. Hercules and the Wagoner	102	(1)
103. The Pomegranate, the Apple Tree, and the Bramble	103	(1)
104. The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox	103	(1)
105. The Blackamoor	104	(1)
106. The Two Soldiers and the Robber	104	(1)
107. The Lion and the Wild Ass	105	(1)
108. The Man and the Satyr	106	(2)
109. The Image Seller	108	(1)
110. The Eagle and the Arrow	108	(1)
111. The Rich Man and the Tanner	109	(1)
112. The Wolf, the Mother, and Her Child	109	(1)
113. The Old Woman and the Wine Jar	110	(1)
114. The Lioness and the Vixen	111	(1)
115. The Viper and the File	111	(2)
116. The Cat and the Cock	113	(1)
117. The Hare and the Tortoise	113	(1)
118. The Soldier and the Horse	114	(1)
119. The Oxen and the Butchers	114	(1)
120. The Wolf and the Lion	115	(1)
121. The Sheep, the Wolf, and the Stag	115	(1)
122. The Lion and the Three Bulls	116	(1)
123. The Horse and His Rider	116	(1)
124. The Goat and the Vine	117	(2)
125. The Two Pots	119	(1)
126. The Old Hound	119	(1)
127. The Clown and the Countryman	120	(1)
128. The Lark and the Farmer	121	(1)
129. The Lion and the Ass	122	(1)
130. The Prophet	123	(1)
131. The Hound and the Hare	124	(1)
132. The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox	125	(1)
133. The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner	125	(2)
134. The Wolf and the Crane	127	(1)
135. The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow	127	(1)
136. The Wolf and the Sheep	128	(1)
137. The Tuna Fish and the Dolphin	129	(1)
138. The Three Tradesmen	129	(1)
139. The Mouse and the Bull	130	(1)
140. The Hare and the Hound	131	(1)
141. The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse	132	(1)
142. The Lion and the Bull	133	(2)
143. The Wolf; the Fox, and the Ape	135	(1)
144. The Eagle and the Cocks	135	(1)
145. The Escaped Jackdaw	136	(1)
146. The Farmer and the Fox	137	(1)
147. Venus and the Cat	138	(2)
148. The Crow and the Swan	140	(1)
149. The Stag with One Eye	141	(1)
150. The Fly and the Draft Mule	141	(2)
151. The Cock and the Jewel	143	(1)
152. The Wolf and the Shepherd	143	(1)
153. The Farmer and the Stork	144	(1)
154. The Charger and the Miller	144	(1)
155. The Grasshopper and the Owl	145	(1)
156. The Grasshopper and the Ants	146	(1)
157. The Farmer and the Viper	147	(1)
158. The Two Frogs	147	(1)
159. The Cobbler Turned Doctor	148	(1)
160. The Ass, the Cock, and the Lion	148	(1)
161. The Belly and the Members	149	(1)
162. The Bald Man and the Fly	150	(1)
163. The Ass and the Wolf	151	(1)
164. The Monkey and the Camel	152	(1)
165. The Sick Man and the Doctor	153	(2)
166. The Travelers and the Plane Tree	155	(1)
167. The Flea and the Ox	155	(1)
168. The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat	156	(1)
169. The Man and His Two Mistresses	156	(1)
170. The Eagle, the Jackdaw, and the Shepherd	157	(1)
171. The Wolf and the Boy	158	(1)
172. The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass	158	(2)
173. The Stag and the Vine	160	(1)
174. The Lamb Chased by a Wolf	160	(1)
175. The Archer and the Lion	161	(2)
176. The Wolf and the Goat	163	(1)
177. The Sick Stag	163	(1)
178. The Ass and the Mule	164	(1)
179. Brother and Sister	165	(1)
180. The Heifer and the Ox	166	(1)
181. The Kingdom of the Lion	167	(1)
182. The Ass and His Driver	168	(1)
183. The Lion and the Hare	168	(1)
184. The Wolves and the Dogs	169	(1)
185. The Bull and the Calf	169	(2)
186. The Trees and the Ax	171	(1)
187. The Astronomer	171	(1)
188. The Laborer and the Snake	172	(1)
189. The Caged Bird and the Bat	172	(1)
190. The Ass and His Purchaser	173	(1)
191. The Kid and the Wolf	174	(1)
192. The Debtor and His Sow	175	(1)
193. The Bald Huntsman	175	(1)
194. The Herdsman and the Lost Bull	176	(1)
195. The Hound and the Fox	176	(1)
196. The Mule	177	(1)
197. The Father and His Daughters	177	(1)
198. The Thief and the Innkeeper	178	(1)
199. The Pack Ass and the Wild Ass	179	(1)
200. The Ass and His Masters	179	(1)
201. The Pack Ass, the Wild Ass, and the Lion	180	(1)
202. The Ant	181	(1)
203. The Frogs and the Well	182	(1)
204. The Crab and the Fox	182	(2)
205. The Fox and the Grasshopper	184	(1)
206. The Farmer, His Boy, and the Rooks	184	(1)
207. The Ass and the Dog	185	(1)
208. The Ass Carrying the Image	186	(1)
209. The Athenian and the Theban	187	(2)
210. The Goatherd and the Goat	189	(1)
211. The Sheep and the Dog	189	(1)
212. The Shepherd and the Wolf	190	(1)
213. The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephant	190	(2)
214. The Pig and the Sheep	192	(1)
215. The Gardener and His Dog	192	(1)
216. The Rivers and the Sea	193	(1)
217. The Lion in Love	193	(1)
218. The Beekeeper	194	(1)
219. The Wolf and the Horse	194	(2)
220. The Bat, the Bramble, and the Seagull	196	(1)
221. "The Dog and the Wolf	196	(1)
222. The Wasp and the Snake	197	(1)
223. The Eagle and the Beetle	198	(1)
224. The Fowler and the Lark	199	(1)
225. The Fisherman Piping	200	(1)
226. The Weasel and the Man	200	(2)
227. The Plowman, the Ass, and the Ox	202	(1)
228. Demades and His Fable	202	(1)
229. The Monkey and the Dolphin	203	(2)
230. The Crow and the Snake	205	(1)
231. The Dogs and the Fox	205	(1)
232. The Nightingale and the Hawk	206	(1)
233. The Rose and the Amaranth	206	(1)
234. The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog	207	(1)
235. The Wolves, the Sheep, and the Ram	208	(1)
236. The Swan	208	(1)
237. The Snake and Jupiter	209	(1)
238. The Wolf and His Shadow	210	(1)
239. The Plowman and the Wolf	211	(1)
240. Mercury and the Man Bitten by an Ant	211	(1)
241. The Wily Lion	212	(1)
242. The Parrot and the Cat	213	(1)
243. The Stag and the Lion	213	(1)
244. The Imposter	214	(1)
245. The Dogs and the Hides	214	(1)
246. The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass	215	(1)
247. The Fowler, the Partridge, and the Cock	216	(1)
248. The Gnat and the Lion	217	(2)
249. The Farmer and His Dogs	219	(1)
250. The Eagle and the Fox	219	(1)
251. The Butcher and His Customers	220	(1)
252. Hercules and Minerva	221	(1)
253. The Fox Who Served a Lion	221	(1)
254. The Quack Doctor	222	(1)
255. The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox	223	(1)
256. Hercules and Plutus	224	(1)
257. The Fox and the Leopard	225	(1)
258. The Fox and the Hedgehog	225	(1)
259. The Crow and the Raven	226	(1)
260. The Witch	227	(1)
261. The Old Man and Death	227	(2)
262. The Miser	229	(1)
263. The Foxes and the River	229	(1)
264. The Horse and the Stag	230	(1)
265. The Fox and the Bramble	230	(1)
266. The Fox and the Snake	231	(1)
267. The Lion, the Fox, and the Stag	231	(2)
268. The Man Who Lost His Spade	233	(1)
269. The Partridge and the Fowler	233	(1)
270. The Runaway Slave	234	(1)
271. The Hunter and the Woodman	234	(1)
272. The Serpent and the Eagle	235	(1)
273. The Rogue and the Oracle	236	(1)
274. The Horse and the Ass	237	(1)
275. The Dog Chasing a Wolf	238	(1)
276. Grief and His Due	238	(1)
277. The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons	239	(1)
278. The Woman and the Farmer	239	(1)
279. Prometheus and the Making of Man	240	(1)
280. The Swallow and the Crow	240	(1)
281. The Hunter and the Horseman	241	(1)
282. The Goatherd and the Wild Goats	241	(1)
283. The Nightingale and the Swallow	242	(1)
284. The Traveler and Fortune	243	(2)
Glossary of Names and Terms from Classical Mythology	245	(4)
Appendix (Aesopic Fables and Their Aarne-Thompson Type Numbers)	249	(3)
Inspired by Aesop 's Fables	252	(3)
Comments & Questions	255	(3)
For Further Reading	258	(2)
Alphabetical Index of Fables	260

Excerpts

From D. L. Ashliman's Introduction to Aesop's Fables

“Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched!” “He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” “She has a sour-grapes attitude.” “They are killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.” “He demands the lion’s share.” “Don’t be like the boy who called ‘wolf!’” These expressions are so much a part of our everyday language and culture that they seem to have been with us forever, and that is almost the case, for the fables that produced these proverbial sayings are indeed even older than (to name but three) the modern English, French, and German languages where today they are so much at home. The fables behind these sayings are those of arguably the most famous storyteller of all time, the legendary Aesop. Who was the man who created these timeless literary gems?

The Man Aesop

Aesop (sometimes spelled Æsop, Æsopus, Esop, Esope, or—using the Greek form of his name—Aisopos) has been known in history and in legend since the fifth century b.c., or earlier, as a gifted Greek storyteller and the author of the world’s best-known collection of fables. However, it cannot be proven with any degree of certainty that he existed as a real person. Most modern scholars believe that Aesop was instead a name invented, already in antiquity, to provide attribution for a body of oral tales whose true authors were a number of anonymous storytellers. Martin Luther expressed this view some 500 years ago: “Attributing these stories to Aesop is, in my opinion, itself a fiction. Perhaps there has never been on earth a man by the name of Aesop” (quoted in Jacobs, History of the Aesopic Fabl, p. 15; see “For Further Reading”).



Although it is possible that there was indeed a gifted Greek storyteller by the name of Aesop, his reputation expanded to legendary proportions in the decades and centuries following his death, and with time many more stories and deeds were credited to him than he could have composed and performed. Supporting this view, many of the earliest references to the stories of Aesop refer to Aesopic (or Aesopian) fables rather than Aesop’s fables. In other words, Aesopic, an adjective, describes a kind of story and a literary tradition but does not claim to identify a specific author.



One thing is certain: Aesop, if he existed at all, did not leave behind a collection of written fables. His reputation is that of an oral storyteller, not an author of written literature. The oldest references to his fables refer to tales memorized and retold, not written and read. For example, from Aristophanes’s comedy Wasps (written in 422 b.c.) we learn that telling anecdotes and comic stories in the style of Aesop was common entertainment at banquets in ancient Athens. More seriously, in 360 b.c. Plato recorded in his dialog Phaedo (section 61b) that Socrates, under sentence of death in prison, diverted himself by reformulating some of Aesop’s fables. Plato’s Phaedo quotes Socrates himself: “I took some fables of Aesop, which I had ready at hand and knew, and turned them into verse.” The doomed philosopher did not have a book or manuscript of Aesop’s fables in prison with him, if such a book or manuscript even existed at the time. He knew the fables from memory, as did the partygoers in Aristophanes’s comedy.



The most frequently cited ancient reference to the man Aesop is found in the History of the Greco-Persian Wars written by the Greek historian Herodotus about 425 b.c. Here we learn that Aesop, the fable writer, was a slave of Iadmon, son of Hephaestopolis, a Samian, and that Iadmon’s grandson (also named Iadmon) claimed and received compensation for the murder of Aesop. If this account is true, Aesop would have lived during the sixth century b.c. Apart from this sketchy biography, Herodotus recorded essentially no additional details about the fable writer.



However, later Greek and Roman writers were not so reticent. One body of literature is particularly relevant in this regard. Usually referred to as The Life of Aesop, this work has survived in a number of medieval manuscripts by different anonymous compilers and is based on earlier accounts, now lost. The statements about Aesop’s life history contained in the different versions of this work often contradict one another, or they are so miraculous and fantastic as to be unbelievable by modern standards.



The ultimate source of these accounts is undoubtedly folklore: anonymous legends told and retold by generations of oral storytellers. The Life of Aesop is today generally held to be fiction, but as is the case with many legends, there could be at least a kernel of truth in one or more of the episodes. The following biographical outline has been gleaned from different versions of The Life of Aesop, most prominently the accounts published by Lloyd W. Daly in his Aesop without Morals (pp. 31–90) and the Everyman’s Library version of Aesop: Fables (pp. 17–45).



Aesop was born a slave, or possibly was captured into slavery at an early age. His birthplace is variously stated as Thrace, Phrygia, Ethiopia, Samos, Athens, or Sardis. He was dark-skinned. In fact, it is said that his name was derived from Aethiop (Ethiopian). He was physically deformed: a hunchback, pot belly, misshapen head, snub nose, and bandy legs are often mentioned. Although in his early years he suffered from a serious speech impediment, or—according to some—the inability to speak at all, he was cured through the intervention of a deity and became a gifted orator, especially skillful at incorporating fables into his speeches.



As a young man Aesop was transported by a slave trader to Ephesus (in modern Turkey). Because of his grotesque appearance, no one there would buy him, so he was taken to the island of Samos, where he was examined by Xanthus, identified in the manuscripts as “an eminent philosopher,” but a person whose existence cannot be verified historically. At first repulsed by Aesop’s appearance, Xanthus changed his mind when the slave proclaimed, “A philosopher should value a man for his mind, not for his body.” Impressed with Aesop’s astuteness, Xanthus purchased him as a manservant for his wife.



Aesop soon proved himself to be an irreverent and sarcastic trickster with a clever retort for every occasion. The following episode is typical of many others illustrating how Aesop’s quick wit saved him from punishment, sometimes deserved, sometimes not: Xanthus, wanting to know what fate awaited him on a particular day, sent Aesop to see if any crows were outside the door. According to popular belief, two crows would portend good fortune, whereas a single crow would be an omen of bad luck. Aesop saw a pair of crows and reported this to his master, who then set forth with good cheer. Upon opening the door, Xanthus saw only a single crow, for one of them had flown away, and he angrily turned on his slave for having tricked him into beginning a dangerous venture. “You shall be whipped for this!” said Xanthus, and while Aesop was being readied for his punishment a messenger arrived at the door with an invitation for Xanthus to dine with his friends. “Your omens have no meaning!” cried Aesop. “I saw the auspicious pair of crows, yet I am about to be beaten like a dog, whereas you saw the ominous single crow, and you are about to make merry with your friends.” Perceiving the irony and the wisdom of this observation, Xanthus released Aesop and spared him the threatened punishment.



Aesop’s cleverness extended from word to deed. An unrepentant trickster, his pranks ranged from tricking his fellow slaves into carrying the heavier burdens to seducing his master’s wife with her unwitting husband’s apparent blessing. His tricks often were masked by feigned stupidity on his part, which has led commentators to compare him to the German Till Eulenspiegel and the Turkish Nasreddin Hoca, two of the world’s most rascally but beloved tricksters.



Aesop’s legendary wisdom and shrewdness sometimes moved into the realm of the supernatural. He could solve seemingly impossible riddles and conundrums, foretell the future with uncanny accuracy, and unerringly discover hidden treasures. A master of human psychology, he understood what motivated people to act, and used this knowledge to manipulate them to his advantage. As his life progressed he moved to ever greater venues: from a trickster in a slave’s workroom to a lecturer in a philosopher’s auditorium to a diplomat and councilor in the courts of governors and kings.



With time his cunning, wisdom, and oratory skills brought him freedom from slavery, but in the end they cost him his life. At Delphi the citizens, offended by his lack of respect for their aristocracy and for their principal deity Apollo, planted a golden cup in his baggage, then accused him of temple theft.



Sentenced to die by being thrown over a cliff, Aesop pleaded his case with a series of fables, one of which was the story of “The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk” (no. 67 in the present collection). In this tale a frog and a mouse go swimming together in a pool with their feet tied together, but the mouse drowns. The frog, burdened by the dead mouse, is now an easy prey for a hawk, which forthwith captures and devours him.



Aesop compared himself to the mouse and the Delphians to the frog. “You may kill me,” he predicted, “but my unjust death will bring you great misfortune.” Aesop was executed near Delphi, and his dire prediction came true. Shortly after his death the region was visited with famine, pestilence, and warfare. The Delphians consulted the Oracle of Apollo as to the source of these calamities, and they received the answer that they were to make amends for the unjust death of Aesop. Accordingly they built there a pyramid in his honor.

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Excerpted from Aesop's Fables by Aesop
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