Whenever I travel back to my home country of Greece, I get to reconnect with artifacts and memories of my childhood. Last month, while I was visiting my parents for a few days, I came across a book in my old room that I used to read as a kid: Aesop’s Fables. Its colorful and familiar cover caught my eye, and I couldn’t help but open it and read a few pages.
A fable is a tale that contains a short narrative that aims to illustrate a hidden message. The message may cover religious, social, and political themes and often highlights a moral truth. As such, fables have been used throughout time as ethical guides. Generally, fables use animals or objects as part of the narrative as opposed to fairytales, which revolve around human personalities. The main characters in fables are abstract by design so that the listener is more likely to receive the story without any bias against its protagonists.
Fables initially belonged to oral tradition. Many are attributed to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece around 600 BCE. How many fables are actually his is unclear, since some of the material that made it to modern times is from sources earlier than him or comes from beyond the Greek cultural sphere. But as is usually the case with folklore stories, some central person always had first the trouble of collecting them, and afterwards the fame of creating them.
Whatever their origins, many of Aesop’s fables and their moral messages have stayed with me all these years due to their simple and effective storylines. Like the fable of “The Ant and the Grasshopper” which teaches us that it is best to prepare for the days of necessity. Or the fable of “The Fox and the Grapes” which reminds us that it is easy to despise what we cannot get. And of course, the famous fable of “The Hare and the Tortoise” which advises us that working hard and staying the course can help us achieve our goals.
These fables may seem too simple and too roundabout for the modern world. Too simple because their rough draft of human nature may not correspond to the complex and subtle nuances of modern life. And too roundabout because, today, moral lessons and values are spoken out directly and not by way of allegory. Nonetheless, if you are looking for pleasing and not too strenuous content, the simplicity in the symbolism of these tales makes them the perfect read. And I would add, from personal experience, that they are especially well-suited for young readers. For those of you interested in reading some of Aesop’s numerous fables, the Library of Congress has put together an extensive collection that you can access and read for free here.
I had a copy of Aesop’s Fables as a kid, too (though not in Greek) and I remember reading some of them over and over.
The times may be more complex, but I think the general themes of these fables are still applicable. Work hard, keep your nose down, and good things can happen. Don’t brag or be too cocky, or it can come back and bite you. Don’t knock something until you try it — or condemn what you don’t understand.
I used to think about “The Hare and the Tortoise” every time I was far back in the pack during a high school track meet. It came through for me more than once in terms of pushing myself through to a decent finish. Got me through a marathon too. Thanks Aesop!
Hi Spyros, this is such a beautifully written piece. I remember reading all three of the fables you mention, but I did not know the history behind them or the differences between fables and folklore. Thanks so much for enlightening me.