Aesop's Fables

A Compilation of Aesop's Fables for children.

Aesop's fables are a collection of short stories with morals, said to have been orated by Aesop, a slave and storyteller. Aesop is believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BC.

The Ant and the Butterfly

Once upon a time, on a nice sunny day, an ant went in search of food. While roaming around in the forest, it saw a caterpillar in its nest. The ant thought it was dead. But, when the caterpillar moved its tail, the ant was surprised to see it alive. It cried, “What a poor, pitiable animal! What a sad fate! I can run here and there, and climb up and down the tree merrily. But, you lie here in this nest tied up in your shell, hardly able to move your tail.” The caterpillar was quiet when the ant mocked at him. A few days later the ant passed by the same way again. It saw the empty nest of the caterpillar. It began to wonder what happened to him. Suddenly a shadow of a big butterfly covered him. “Behold me,” said the butterfly. “I am your much-pitied friend! Boast your powers to run and climb. But, can you get me to listen to you? Haha!” he added. The butterfly rose in the air and flew with the breeze. He was soon lost to the ant’s sight. The ant realised: “We should never underestimate anyone by their looks.”

The Ant and the Dove

One day, a thirsty ant was passing by the riverside. It bent down to drink from the river. Suddenly, a big wave came and swept it away into the water. The ant struggled to swim. But the currents were strong. The ant cried, “Please help. I am drowning.” A dove sitting on the tree on the riverbank, heard the ant’s screams for help. Immediately, it plucked a leaf and threw it near the ant. The ant quickly got on to the leaf and swam ashore. It thanked the dove and the two became good friends. A few days later, a hunter came to the riverside. He saw the beautiful dove and aimed his arrow at it. The ant saw that his friend was in danger. As soon as the hunter pointed his arrow to shoot, the ant bit him hard on his leg. The hunter shouted in pain and dropped the arrow. On hearing the hunter’s screams, the dove flew away to safety. “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

The Ant and the Grasshopper

A grasshopper and an ant lived on a farm. It was a sunny day of summer. The grasshopper danced, hopped and chirped in the sunshine. An ant was passing by, carrying a huge load of corn. The grasshopper watched it work hard in the sun, carrying food home. “Why not come and chat with me,” said the grasshopper, “instead of toiling in the sun?” “I am helping to stock food for the winter,” said the ant, “and I advise you to do the same.” “Why bother about the winter now?” said the grasshopper. “We’ve got plenty of food now.” But, the ant replied, “I have to go, I have lots of work to do.” The ant went on and continued to work hard. When winter arrived, the grasshopper could not find any food. It was dying of hunger. The ants had plenty of corn and grains they had stocked up in the summer. They had food that lasted them the entire season. The grasshopper learnt its lesson: “Make hay while the sun shines.”

The Ass in the Lion’s Skin

An ass once found a lion’s skin. A hunter had left it out to dry in the sun and gone home. The ass put on the lion’s skin and went to his village. On seeing him, everyone fled in fear, thinking he was a lion. Even the animals ran away on seeing him. The ass felt very proud of his act. In his delight, he lifted his voice and started braying aloud. Suddenly everyone realised that it was an ass and not a lion. The owner of the ass, angered by this prank, came up to him and beat him black and blue. “Ah, I knew you by your voice,” he said. Shortly afterwards, a fox saw him and said that every ass loves to hear himself bray, but: “Even finest clothes cannot conceal a fool.”

The Ass and His Masters

Once upon a time, there was an ass that belonged to a wood-cutter. Every day, he carried wood from the forest to the town where his master sold the wood. He was tired of carrying the heavy load every day. He prayed to Lord Jupiter. He appealed, “My Lord, please change my master, so that I can have an easier life.” He said his master made him work too much and gave him too little food to eat. Jupiter ordered that the ass should be sold to a tile-maker. But, he warned the ass that he would repent his request later. Soon, the ass found that he was carrying more loads than before for the tile-maker. He then pleaded again to Jupiter to change his master. Jupiter warned that it would be the last time that he would grant his request, ordered for another change. This time the ass was sold to a tanner. The ass found that he had fallen into worse hands. “It would’ve been better to starve in my first master’s hands, or be overworked by the second,” he said. He cried, “This tanner is even worse as he won’t spare me even after I am dead. He will use my hide as tan.” The ass realised it is better to: “Be content with whatever you have.”

The Ass, the Fox and the Lion

Once upon a time an ass and a fox were good friends. They decided to be partners and went hunting together. As soon as they entered the forest, they saw a lion ready to pounce on them. The fox, seeing the danger he was in, told the ass. “I’ll trick the lion into going away. You stay here.” He went to the lion and said, “Sire, I have a proposal for you. If you don’t harm me, I will lead you to an ass for a delicious meal.” The lion agreed and waited. The fox went to the ass. He cunningly said, “Come with me my friend, you will be safe. Step into this ditch so that the lion may not see you.” The poor ass fell into the pit. The lion seeing the ass in the pit immediately attacked the fox and ate it. Then, later on, it ate the ass as well. “Never trust your enemy.”

The Bat, the Birds and the Beasts

The birds and the beasts of a jungle had an argument. The birds said they were superior to the beasts. The beasts claimed they were more powerful. To settle the argument, they decided to go to war. When the two armies stood against each other, all the animals joined their respective groups. But, the bat hesitated to join either side. The birds flew past his nest and asked the bat, “Come with us.” But the bat said, “I am a beast. I can’t join you.” When the beasts walked past him, they said, “Join us.” But the bat said, “I am a bird. I can’t be with you in this war.” At the last moment peace was declared between the two sides. There was no war. The bat went to the birds to join the celebrations. But, they all turned against him and he had to fly away. Then he went to beasts, but soon returned as they would have torn him to pieces. “Ah,” said the bat, “I see now: “A friend to all is a friend to none.”

The Bear and the Two Travellers

Two men were travelling together, when they suddenly saw a bear coming towards them. One of them climbed a tree nearby. He acted quickly to save himself and hid behind the branches. The other didn’t have enough time to run. Seeing that the bear could attack him, he lay flat on the ground. The bear came up to him and smelled with its nose all over him. The man held his breath and pretended to be dead. The bear soon left him. When the bear was gone, the other traveller came down the tree. He was curious to know what the bear had said in his ear. “He advised me,” his companion answered, “that we should never travel with a friend who deserts us in danger.” “Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them.”

The Bee and Jupiter

A swarm of bees made their hive on Mount Hymettus. The queen of the hive went to Mount Olympus and presented Jupiter with fresh honey from her combs. Jupiter was delighted with the offering. He promised to give her anything she would ask for. She asked him, “My Lord, give me a fierce sting. If people approached my hive for honey, I should be able to kill them with my sting.” Jupiter was sad, but he could not refuse her wishes as he had made a promise. He answered the bee, “Here you are, Queen Bee. You shall have a sting, but at the risk of your own life. If you use your sting, it will break off and remain in the wound of the person that you will attack. Then you will die from the loss of your sting.” The bee was sorry for its wish and said: “Evil wishes, like chickens, come home to roost.”

The Crow and the Pitcher

On a hot sunny day in summer, a crow felt very thirsty. He flew all over the fields, farms and the forest in search of water. He could not find any water as there was a drought. He felt weak, but continued to search. At last, he flew over a small abandoned hut. He found a small pitcher with very little water. The water was so less that the crow couldn’t reach it with its beak. The neck of the pitcher was too narrow. He tried to push the pitcher down for the water to flow out. But, it was too heavy and would not budge from its place. The crow cried, “What do I do now?” Then he came up with an idea. He started collecting as many stones as he could carry. One by one, he dropped the pebbles with his beak into the pitcher. The water started coming up slowly. When it was in his reach, he drank the water and saved his life. “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

The Boy who cried ‘Wolf’

Once upon a time there was a naughty shepherd boy. Every day he took his flock of sheep to the jungle for grazing. One day, he felt bored and decided to play a prank on the villagers. He shouted, “Help! Wolf! Wolf!” The villagers, hearing his cries, rushed to help the boy. They asked, “Where is the wolf?” The boy laughed aloud and said, “I fooled you all. I was merely playing a prank.” A few days later, the boy played the same trick again. When he cried, “Wolf,” again, the villagers realised his prank. They were angry with him. A few days later, a wolf really attacked the sheep. The boy ran towards the village shouting, “Help! Wolf! Help me please! Save the sheep!”When the villagers heard his cries, they ignored him thinking it was just another of his mischievous pranks. The boy told the villagers, “A wolf is really attacking the sheep. I admit I had lied before, but this time it is true!” Finally, the villagers went to look. It was true. But, it was too late. They could see the wolf running away and many dead sheep lying on the grass. They said: “We may not believe someone who often tells lies, even when he tells the truth.”

The Dancing Monkeys

A prince was fond of monkeys and kept them as pets. He ordered that his pets should be trained to dance. The pet monkeys quickly learnt how to dance. When dressed in rich clothes and fabulous masks, they danced quite well. Their dance was so spectacular, that it was often repeated with great applause by the courtiers. One day, a courtier decided to do some mischief. He took a handful of peanuts from his pocket and threw them on the stage. At the sight of the peanuts, the monkeys forgot dancing and rushed to get their favourite food. Pulling off their masks and tearing their clothes, they fought with each other for the nuts. The dancing came to an end amidst laughter and ridicule of the audience. The prince realised: “Nature exceeds nurture.”

The Eagle and the Fox

An eagle and a fox were good friends. They decided to live near each other. The eagle built her nest in the branches of a tall tree, while the fox made her home down in the hollows of the tree trunk. A few days later, they both produced young ones. They could not go hunting together because somebody could take away and eat their children. They hit upon a plan. They decided that if one goes hunting, the other would care for the children. Once they agreed upon this plan, the fox went to hunt. The eagle and her young ones were hungry, so she swooped down and grabbed the fox’s little cubs. They all feasted on the fox’s family. The fox, on her return, discovered what had happened. She grieved the death of her young ones. But, she was enraged that she could not take revenge on the eagle that moment itself. The next day, the eagle went in search of food. It saw an altar on which some villagers were sacrificing a goat. She swooped down and seized a piece of the flesh. She carried it to her nest. But, there was a burning cinder attached to the meat. The cinder burnt the nest. The eaglets were still young and couldn’t fly. They fell dead on the ground below. The fox gobbled them up in front of the eagle’s eyes. “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.”

The Eagle, the Wild Boar and the Cat

An eagle, a cat and a wild boar were friends. The eagle made her nest at the top of an oak tree. The cat found a convenient hole in the middle of the trunk and made it her home. The wild boar took shelter in the hollow at the bottom of the tree. The cat was selfish and cunning. She decided to destroy the colony. She climbed to the nest of the eagle and said, “We are both going to be dead soon. The wild boar is digging up at the bottom of the tree and it will soon fall. Then the boar and her family will feast on us.” The eagle was frightened out of her senses. The cat then went to the boar’s hollow and said, “Your children are in great danger. As soon as you go out, the eagle will pounce on one of your little piglets and eat them.” The wild boar was scared out of her wits. Both the eagle and the wild boar stayed in their homes guarding their children. That night, the cat went out silently in search of food for her kittens and fed them. The eagle, the boar and their children died from hunger. The cat and her kittens ate all of them too. “Never believe in gossips.”

The Four Oxen and the Lion

Once upon a time, a fierce and strong lion ruled a jungle. But, there was a severe drought and all the animals in the jungle perished. The lion was left with nothing to eat. He wandered in search of food. He came upon a village farm. There were four oxen, fat and well-fed by their master in the farm. The lion tried to attack them. But, the oxen cleverly fought him off. They stood together in such a manner that they pointed their horns in all the four directions. This way they easily shielded themselves whenever the lion attacked them from any direction. The lion could not dare attacking them when they were together. A few days later, the oxen quarrelled among themselves. They went off alone to the pasture to graze. The lion attacked them one by one, and soon ate all of them. “United we stand, divided we fall.”

The Fox and the Stork

Once upon a time a fox lived in the hollows of a tree. On the high branches of the same tree, a stork had made its nest. The fox was selfish. It invited the stork to dinner. The stork went to the fox’s lair. “Please come in and share my food,” said the fox. The stork sat down at the table. She was hungry and the food smelled delicious! The fox had made soup. But, he served it in shallow wide bowls. He licked at his soup and finished it very quickly. But, the stork could not eat from the bowl as it was too shallow for her long beak. The poor stork just smiled politely and stayed hungry. The stork said to the fox, “Thanks for the dinner. It was very kind of you to invite me. Tomorrow evening, please join me for dinner at my home.” The next day the fox went to the stork’s home. He saw that the stork had made soup for dinner and served it in tall jugs. The stork drank the soup easily, but the fox could not reach inside the tall jug. He had to go hungry. He realised that the stork had taken its revenge and it is wise to: “Do unto others as you would others do unto you.”

The Fox and the Grapes

On a hot sunny day, a fox was walking across a farm. He was thirsty and hungry. It saw a vineyard and went near. There were bunches of juicy grapes hanging all over the vineyard. The fox looked left and right and made sure no one was looking. He decided to steal some juicy grapes. He jumped up high trying to reach the grapes with his mouth. But, he could not reach them. The grapes were hanging just too high for him! He did not give up. He backed a few steps, then ran fast and leapt into the air towards the grapes. Again he failed to reach them. He got impatient. His legs were hurting with all the running and jumping. But he couldn’t reach even a single grape. At last he stopped trying. As he walked away, he thought, “I don’t really want those grapes. I’m sure they are too sour to eat.” “It is easy to despise what you can’t get.”

The Fox and the Goat

One day, a fox fell into a deep well and could not escape. A thirsty goat came to the well and saw the fox. The foolish goat asked the fox if the water was good. The fox, pretending to enjoy being inside the well, praised the water saying it was excellent. He asked the goat to come down and enjoy too. The goat thoughtlessly jumped into the well. The fox then told the goat it was difficult for them to climb up the well. It suggested a plan to escape. “You stand against the wall. I will run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards,” the fox said to the goat. The goat did as he was asked and the Fox escaped. But, he did not wait to help the goat. When the goat cursed him for breaking his promise, he shouted out: “Look before you leap.”

The Goose that Laid Golden Eggs

A farmer had a lovely goose on his farm. Every day, the goose laid an egg. One fine day, the farmer saw that the geese had laid a yellow and glittering egg. He picked it up. He was delighted to find that it was made of pure gold. Thereafter, the goose laid a golden egg every morning. The farmer soon became rich by selling the eggs. But, he became greedy. He wanted to get all the golden eggs at once. He decided to kill the geese. But, when he killed it, he did not find even a single egg there. The farmer realised that one should not be so foolish as to kill a goose that lays the golden egg and destroy the source of good fortune. “Greed oft overreaches itself.”

The Hare and the Tortoise

One day, a tortoise was slowly going back home. On the way he met a hare who made fun of him. The hare said laughing, “You crawl so slowly. You can never get very far!” The tortoise was upset by the hare’s rude words. He said, “Let’s race and see who is faster.” The hare rolled on the floor laughing. He said, “Are you joking! A race between us! All right, we’ll see who reaches the other side of the hill first.” He ran away fast, leaving the tortoise far behind. After a while, the hare stopped. He waited for the tortoise to come long. He waited and waited and there was no sign of the tortoise yet. He felt sleepy. “I will take a nap. There is no way the tortoise can catch up with me. Even if he comes here, I will run fast and easily win the race,” the hare thought. He went to a shady tree and lay down under it. He was soon fast asleep. The tortoise passed the sleeping hare. He walked on slowly, but steadily. After some time, the hare woke up and ran. It saw the tortoise near the finishing line. He ran as fast as he could, but he could not catch up with the tortoise. The tortoise had won the race. The hare realised: “Slow and steady win the race.”

The Lion and the Mouse

A lion was sleeping in his den. A little mouse was playing and began running up and down on the lion. His play awakened the lion. He placed his paw on the mouse and opened his big jaws to swallow him alive. The mouse screamed, “Pardon me, king of the jungle. Please don’t eat me. I will never forget your kindness. Who knows, I may be able to repay your kindness later?” The lion laughed at the idea of the mouse being able to help him. In good humour, he let the mouse go. A few days later, the lion was trapped by hunters. He was tied to a tree by the hunters who went in search of a wagon to carry him to the village. The little mouse passed by and saw the lion was in danger. He chewed at the ropes and freed the lion. "Little friends may prove great friends,” said the mouse. “Kindness begets kindness.”

Mercury and the Woodman

A poor woodcutter was cutting a tree on the bank of a river. Suddenly, his axe slipped from his hands and fell into the water. He stood by the water's edge crying. Without his axe he could not cut any trees. If he didn’t take wood from the jungle to sell in the market, his family would have nothing to eat. Lord Mercury appeared from the water and asked the woodcutter why he was crying. On hearing what happened, Mercury dived into the river and brought up a golden axe. He asked him if it was the axe he had lost. The woodcutter replied that it was not. Mercury then went into the river again and brought out a silver axe. The woodcutter denied it was his. Once again Mercury dived into the river and brought up the missing axe. The woodcutter was overjoyed at getting his axe back and thanked him. Mercury, pleased with his honesty, presented him the golden and silver axe as well. The woodcutter, who became rich, told his story to his friend. The friend also wanted to become rich. He went to the river’s edge and let his axe drop into the water. When Mercury appeared as before and brought up a golden axe, the woodcutter’s friend screamed that it was his. But, Mercury angered with his lies, refused to give him his real axe too and went away. "Honesty is the best policy."

The Miser

A miser once sold all his possessions and bought a big lump of gold. He buried it in a hole by the side of an old wall in an abandoned house. Every day, he secretly went to look at it and made sure it wasn’t stolen. A thief observed that the miser went to the abandoned house every day. He decided to follow and find out what the miser was doing there. He discovered the secret of the hidden treasure. Later that night, when the miser had left the abandoned house, the thief dug up the gold and stole it. The next day, the miser found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and cried out loud, “I am ruined. I am ruined.” A neighbour saw him crying hard and asked him what happened. When the miser told him his story, he said, "Do not cry. Find a big rock and place it in the hole. Imagine that the rock is the lump of gold. Then you will feel that your gold is still lying there.” “The rock will do quite the same service as the gold! It is as useless as the gold that you never used," he added. The miser realised: “True value of money is not in its possession but in its use”

The Monkey and the Dolphin

A crew of sailors once set out to sea in their ship. One of sailors brought his pet monkey along for the journey. During their voyage, a terrible storm destroyed the ship. Everyone fell into the sea and the monkey was sure that he would drown. Suddenly, a dolphin appeared and picked him up. He placed him on his back and swam ashore. The dolphin took him to an island and the monkey got down from the dolphin’s back. The dolphin asked him, “Do you know this place?” The monkey did not know where he was. But, he boasted, “Yes, I do. In fact, the king of this Island is my best friend.” Knowing that no one lived on the deserted island, the dolphin said, “Well is that so, now you can be the king yourself!” The monkey asked, “How can I become the king?” The dolphin started swimming away and said, “You are the only creature on this island, so you can be the king to yourself!” The monkey realised: “Those who lie and boast may really end up in trouble.”

The Old Woman and the Physician

An old woman lost her sight and called on a doctor to heal her. In the presence of witnesses they made an agreement – If the doctor cured her of blindness, he would receive a sum of money from her, but if she remained blind, she should give him nothing. The physician came to her house every day. He applied an ointment on her eyes, which did not help much. Moreover, on every visit he took away some valuable goods in her house, knowing that she could not see him stealing. Slowly, when there was nothing left in the house to steal, he applied a medicine that healed her. He demanded the promised payment from the old woman. She had recovered her sight and saw that all her goods in her house had been stolen. So, she could not pay him back. He took the matter to the King’s court. The old woman argued in the court: “It is true, your majesty, that I promised to give him a sum of money if I should recover my sight. He declares that I am healed, but I am still blind.” “How do you claim to be blind,” said the King. “Your Highness, before I became blind, in my house I had seen valuable goods and possessions. But now, though the doctor says he cured me, I am not able to see a single thing in my house!" The King laughed and dismissed the case against the cunning doctor who stole the old woman’s possessions. The doctor realised: “He who plays a trick must be prepared to take a joke.”

The Peacock, the Jay and the Crane

Once upon a time, a Jay bird flew into the peacocks’ pen. He found a number of feathers lying there. He tied them all to his tail and strutted like a peacock. The peacocks discovered that he was a cheat and pecked at him till he ran away. The jay bird went back to the other birds of his own kind. They learnt of his behaviour and were quite annoyed with him. They threw him out from their fold. Later, one of the peacocks spread its feathers and mocked a crane which was passing by. He said, “I look like a king, in feathers that have all the colours of a rainbow, but you don’t have even a single colour on your wings!” "Yes, peacock," replied the crane; “but, I can fly high into the sky and lift up my voice to the stars. But, you walk below like an ordinary cock among the farm birds in dung.” The peacock was ashamed and the jaybird remarked: “It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.”

The Woodman and the Serpent

On a cold day in winter, a woodcutter was returning home from work. He saw a snake freezing to death on the snow. He took it home and put it near the fireplace so that it could get warmed up. The woodcutter’s children watched it slowly come back to life again. Then, one of them sat down next to it, to stroke its head. But, the snake raised its hood and opened it fangs. He was about to attack the child when the woodcutter seized his axe and killed the snake. The woodcutter said: "No gratitude from the wicked."