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1. ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’. A hare was making fun of a tortoise for moving so slowly. The tortoise, tiring of the hare’s gibes about how slow he was on his feet, eventually challenged the hare to a race. ‘I’ll race you, hare,’ he said; ‘and I bet I’ll win the race.’.
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By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) The tale of...
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- Popular Fabulists from Around The World
- Aesop
- Jean de La Fontaine
- Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian
- Rudyard Kipling
- Joel Chandler Harris
- Wisdom Stories from Africa
- Panchatantra Stories
- Fables of Bidpai
- Jataka Tales
When someone asks me to define a fable, one of my favorite answers (courtesy of Gilbert Keith Chesterton) is that "a fable can't be good with a human in it, and a fairy tale can't be good without one." If you're searching for a list of famous fabulists (authors of fables) and tales from around the world, I've included them below!
Aesop was supposedly a slave from Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, or Ethiopia. No one is certain he ever existed, and we know now that Phaedrus—not Aesop—wrote the famous fables. Nevertheless, the written works are an essential part of the literary tradition, and no list of fabulists would be complete without Aesop. Aesop's Fablescontains timeless messag...
A friend and contemporary of Moliere, Jean de La Fontaine was one of the best French poets of the 17th century—and perhaps the first real master of his language. He experienced many personal and business troubles, but he never lacked patronage for his literary ventures. His fables are influenced by Aesop and Boccaccio, and he wrote with an adult au...
Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian was an 18th-century poet, translator, playwright, and fabulist of noble origin who was second only to Jean de La Fontaine. He died at a young age, so you can only find a little over 100 Florian fablesin existence today.
The Jungle Book is Rudyard Kipling's most famous work, which features stories with strong moral tones and animals with human characteristics. Through it, he pays homage to his childhood in India, where he also returned later in his life. He received a Nobel Prize for his work at the age of 42, making him the youngest Nobel laureate in literature. K...
Joel Chandler Harris wrote Uncle Remus Stories, a collection of many fables. In several collections, he featured an intriguing character named Br'er (Brother) Rabbit, who uses his wits to fight stronger opponents. Br'er Rabbit, also called Breer Rabbit, is a trickster with questionable morals. He isn't always successful in his endeavors, but he qui...
South-African Folk-Talespresent many animal fables packed with ancient wisdom and a surprisingly fresh worldview. A few stories include: 1. "The Monkey's Fiddle" 2. "The Tiger, the Ram, and the Jackal" 3. "The Story of Lion and Little Jackal" 4. "Crocodile's Treason" 5. "The Judgement of Baboon"
Existing since ancient Indian times, one of the oldest-known fable collections is called Panchatantra. They were written in Sanskrit and have inspired many tales and collections. The Panchatantra fables are typically attributed to Vishnu Sharma, a wise man solicited by the king to write stories that taught his children how to run a kingdom. Thefabl...
The Fables of Bidpai, or the Fables of Pilpay, is a collection of Arabic tales based on the Panchatantra. The main characters are Pilpay (Bidpai), Dabschelim, Kalilah, and Dimnah. The stories are narrated in a relatively complicated frame format typical of an Oriental narration style. However, you can essentially break down the stories into short f...
Jataka Talesis a collection of more than 500 fables that expounds on specific virtues. The main character (animal or human) is one of the incarnations of Buddha before he became the Enlightened One. Jataka in Sanskrit means "Born" and is related to Buddha's many births. Some of these stories date from the fourth century before Jesus Christ and can ...
- The Tortoise and the Hare: Never Give Up! First on on our list of Life Lessons From Aesop’s Fables is the one that everyone knows! The Story: A Hare is boasting about his speed in front of the other animals and challenges any one of them to race him.
- The Ants and the Grasshopper: Work Hard and Play Hard! Next, on our list of Life Lessons From Aesop’s Fables is the one that I like! The Story: A Grasshopper spends his summer singing and dancing, while a team of Ants have worked hard all summer collecting food for the winter.
- The Dog and the Shadow: Be happy With What You Have. The Story: A Dog is walking home with a piece of meat in his mouth. On his way home he crosses a river and looks into the water.
- The Crow and the Pitcher: There’s always a way! The Story: A thirsty Crow comes across a pitcher, which had been full of water. But when it puts beak into the mouth of the pitcher, he cannot reach the water.
- The Crow and the Pitcher. Had this two-legged thing been as stupid as many, though dying for drink she would not have got any… When happening across a pitcher of water out in the wilderness, a thirsty Crow believes that his troubles are over.
- The Hare and the Tortoise. The Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the Tortoise, but for the fun of the thing he agreed. Tired of the Hare making fun of his plodding and pondering pace, a Tortoise finally has enough and challenges him to a race.
- The Fox and the Hedgehog. A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog knows one big thing. Upon crossing a river, a Fox gets his tail entangled in a bush and cannot move.
- The Frogs Who Desired a King. Frightened by the din, the frogs go into hiding, only to return slowly to look at the king. Saddened that they had no one to rule over them, a band of Frogs send a convoy to Jupiter to ask for a King.
- The Fox and the Grapes. Moral: We often belittle what we cannot have. When a fox is unable to reach some beautiful grapes hanging from a high branch, he consoles himself by saying the grapes were probably sour anyway.
- The Lion and the Mouse. Moral: It always pays to be kind. A lion spares a mouse’s life in exchange for the mouse’s promise to help the lion if he’s ever in trouble.
- The Owl and the Grasshopper. Moral: Don’t be taken in by insincere flattery. A sleepy owl is irritated by a singing grasshopper who refuses to quiet down.
- The Thirsty Crow. Moral: A little thought can help solve almost any problem. A crow wishes to drink water from a pitcher, but the water is too low and the opening too narrow.
Read Hundreds of Fables - Free and no advertising - Aesop Fables and more… Popular Fables. The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The Lion Makers. The North Wind and the Sun. The Monkey and the Crocodile. The Tale of Two Fish and a Frog. The Tortoise And The Geese. The Ox Who Won the Forfeit. The Three Little Pigs. The Dog's House. The Elephant and The Dog.
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Sep 7, 2024 · Fable, narrative form, usually featuring animals that behave and speak as human beings, told in order to highlight human follies and weaknesses. A moral—or lesson for behaviour—is woven into the story and often explicitly formulated at the end. (See also beast fable.) The Western tradition of fable.
