Aesop’s Fables
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Aesop’s was first a slave; he had two different masters before he was garneted his freedom by the latter because of his wit and intelligence. With his freedom he supposedly became involved with public affairs; because of this he travelled a lot telling his fables along the way. King Croesus of Lydia became so impressed with Aesop he offered him a job and residency at his court.
Aesop is mainly known for the hundreds of fables, which have reached countless generations, for thousand of years after his time. Not every fable has been shown too be Aesop’s own original material. Many fables that are linked to Aesop couldn’t be his own for many reasons. One of these reasons could have been because the author could be unclear through storytelling through time where the information could get lost or altered. Although if storytelling hadn’t happened fables wouldn’t have survived as they have.
For a mission form the king, Aesop was sent to Delphi in Greece to give each person an certain amount of money, however there was a misunderstanding of how much they should each get and the Delphi people where not grateful. So Aesop took the money back and started to go home. On his way Delphi people searched his baggage but unknown to Aesop they had planted a golden bowl form their temple in his bag. Finding the bowl they took him back to Delphi and found him guilty, so his punishment was to be hurled of a cliff.
The Lion And Mouse
Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him.
“Pardon, O King,” cried the little Mouse, “forgive me this time, I shall never forget it. Who knows but I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?”
The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him that he lifted up his paw and let him go.
Some time hunters, who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.
Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts.
“Was I not right?” said the little Mouse.
Joseph Jacobs added the moral of this story:
“Little friends may prove great friends.”
“Great and little have need one of another.”
· http://www.umass.edu/aesop/history.php
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- http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UPqM6WGIkJoC&pg=PA267&lpg=PA267&dq=fable+little+friends+may+prove+great+friends+meaning%3F&source=bl&ots=VXkrKI6H9q&sig=s5JYPn_VbzFsfVbyXvNPDG37zbs&hl=en&ei=2B6rTLPiJcuTjAebwZ3pBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=fable%20little%20friends%20may%20prove%20great%20friends%20meaning%3F&f=false
