Did you know that many of Aesop's Fables were originally developed by the Sumerians
and told by the ancient Egyptians, much earlier than when the Greeks compiled them?
Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia! My name is Kelly and
today's video is all about Aesop's Fables. Although now considered children's tales,
today we're going to have a look at the long history, meaning and importance of Aesop's Fables.
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Generally speaking, a fable is a short story that usually includes animals that act like
people as the main characters and conveys a moral or a lesson to be learnt. Aesop's Fables, which
come to a total of 725 (although modern editions often only include between two and three hundred)
are no different. Initially these short stories were a part of the long oral tradition of ancient
Greece but were committed to writing in the sixth century BCE, perhaps by a former slave named Aesop
who is thought to have been born in circa 620 BCE. Prior to that though, many of the fables now
attributed to Aesop were developed in Mesopotamia by the Sumerians. Fables themselves have a long
history prior to Archaic and Classical Greece, not only in Mesopotamia but also in Egypt, especially
during the Middle Kingdom. We know of Aesop from a few different ancient sources although all come
from after his supposed time and we don't actually have any evidence for Aesop himself writing down
any of his fables. Herodotus was writing in the 5th century BCE and tells us that Aesop was a
slave on Samos and was known as a storyteller or story maker. It is during the 5th century BCE that
some specific tales were connected to Aesop by writers like Aristophanes and Aristotle.
We know that in the late 4th century, Demetrius of Phalerum who worked in the Library of Alexandria
compiled Aesop's Fables for the first time, although this text no longer survives and the
earliest version that does survive dates to the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. The claim for Aesop
as the author of all 725 fables attested to him is much the same as that of Homer being the one
man who personally penned both the Iliad and the Odyssey; some scholars in fact doubt Aesop
ever existed at all and this is a question we will probably never find an answer for.
Each of Aesop's Fables, all of which are short and to the point,
contain a central moral - whether that be desirable behaviour or undesirable. They
teach the reader or listener about rights and wrongs and they highlight poor choices
but they're done so in a way that doesn't feel like you're being chastised or taught a lesson,
for most of the fables have an animal or animals with human characteristics that are dealing with
human concerns. The fables transmitted important life lessons as well as becoming a popular form
of children's entertainment with many of the main characters behaving in childlike ways.
These fables surviving over 2,500 years had more of a purpose than simply entertainment
and the teaching of good morals and what not to do in many situations; they also had a political
use - fables could be used as a way to criticise the government indirectly which meant the author
had no fear of punishment, especially considering these fables emerged in Greece during a period of
authoritarian rule which made free speech quite perilous at times. The fables reminded an audience
that the weak could be clever and being clever is a type of power. The fables were also a powerful
tool in speeches and could be used as a means to persuade with Aristotle arguing in his Rhetoric,
that "if you don't have any evidence to support your point a fable could be just as helpful."
So now that we know the history of the fables of Aesop and their purposes in ancient Greek society,
let's have a look at some of the most famous of Aesop's Fables:
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" (It is Easy to Despise What You Cannot Get). 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 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 (Appearances are Deceptive).
The Tortoise and the Hare: a hare was one day making fun of a tortoise for being so slow
upon his feet, "wait a bit" said the tortoise, "i'll run a race with you, and i'll wager that I
win" "oh well" replied the hare, who was much amused at the idea. "Let's try and see", and it
was soon agreed that the fox should set a course for them and be the judge. When the time came,
both started off together but the hare was soon so far ahead that he thought he might as well
have a rest, so down he lay and fell fast asleep. Meanwhile, the tortoise kept plodding on and in
time reached the goal. At last, the hare woke up with a start and dashed on at his fastest
but only to find that the tortoise had already won the race (Slow and Steady Wins the Race).
Do you know of any other Aesop Fables with a moral or a saying that is still common today?
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