Aesop was a serf and story-teller who lived in ancient Hellas between 620 and 560 BC--if he actually existed. No records of him were every recovered and through the years, many fables scattered throughout ancient Hellas became attributed to him. His collected works became known as 'Aesop's Fables', and there are quite a lot of them: nearly enough to read your children one of them for every night for two years. I'm in the mood for something simple and childish, so you're getting a collection of Aesop's fables. As good an excuse as any, right? Also: everything about this animation made me laugh, which is a bonus!
Showing posts with label Aesop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aesop. Show all posts
Aesop was a serf and story-teller who lived in ancient Hellas between 620 and 560 BC--if he actually existed. No records of him were every recovered and through the years, many fables scattered throughout ancient Hellas became attributed to him. His collected works became known as 'Aesop's Fables', and there are quite a lot of them: nearly enough to read your children one of them for every night for two years. I am on a family vacation with the inlaws, so you're getting a collection of Aesop's fables about family. As good an excuse as any, right?
The Father and His Sons
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons' hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks."
The Man and His Two Sweethearts
A middle-aged man, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two women at the same time. One of them was young, and the other well advanced in years. The elder woman, ashamed to be courted by a man younger than herself, made a point, whenever her admirer visited her, to pull out some portion of his black hairs. The younger, on the contrary, not wishing to become the wife of an old man, was equally zealous in removing every gray hair she could find. Thus it came to pass that between them both he very soon found that he had not a hair left on his head.
The Widow and Her Little Maidens
A Widow who was fond of cleaning had two little maidens to wait on her. She was in the habit of waking them early in the morning, at cockcrow. The maidens, aggravated by such excessive labor, resolved to kill the cock who roused their mistress so early. When they had done this, they found that they had only prepared for themselves greater troubles, for their mistress, no longer hearing the hour from the cock, woke them up to their work in the middle of the night.
The Father and His Two Daughters
A Man had two daughters, the one married to a gardener, and the other to a tile-maker. After a time he went to the daughter who had married the gardener, and inquired how she was and how all things went with her. She said, "All things are prospering with me, and I have only one wish, that there may be a heavy fall of rain, in order that the plants may be well watered." Not long after, he went to the daughter who had married the tilemaker, and likewise inquired of her how she fared; she replied, "I want for nothing, and have only one wish, that the dry weather may continue, and the sun shine hot and bright, so that the bricks might be dried." He said to her, "If your sister wishes for rain, and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join my wishes?'
The Farmer and His Sons (2)
A father, being on the point of death, wished to be sure that his sons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given it. He called them to his bedside and said, "My sons, there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards." The sons, after his death, took their spades and mattocks and carefully dug over every portion of their land. They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labor by an extraordinary and superabundant crop.
The Thief and His Mother
A Boy stole a lesson-book from one of his schoolfellows and took it home to his Mother. She not only abstained from beating him, but encouraged him. He next time stole a cloak and brought it to her, and she again commended him. The Youth, advanced to adulthood, proceeded to steal things of still greater value. At last he was caught in the very act, and having his hands bound behind him, was led away to the place of public execution. His Mother followed in the crowd and violently beat her breast in sorrow, whereupon the young man said, "I wish to say something to my Mother in her ear." She came close to him, and he quickly seized her ear with his teeth and bit it off. The Mother upbraided him as an unnatural child, whereon he replied, "Ah! if you had beaten me when I first stole and brought to you that lesson-book, I should not have come to this, nor have been thus led to a disgraceful death."
The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass
A Miller and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking and laughing. "Look there," cried one of them, "did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?' The old man hearing this, quickly made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk along merrily by his side. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. "There," said one of them, "it proves what I was a-saying. What respect is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle lad riding while his old father has to walk? Get down, you young scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs." Upon this the old man made his son dismount, and got up himself. In this manner they had not proceeded far when they met a company of women and children: "Why, you lazy old fellow," cried several tongues at once, "how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you?' The good-natured Miller immediately took up his son behind him. They had now almost reached the town. "Pray, honest friend," said a citizen, "is that Ass your own?' "Yes," replied the old man. "O, one would not have thought so," said the other, "by the way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you." "Anything to please you," said the old man; "we can but try." So, alighting with his son, they tied the legs of the Ass together and with the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance to the town. This entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at it, till the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he was subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell into the river. Upon this, the old man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again, convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass in the bargain.
The Father and His Sons
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons' hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks."
The Man and His Two Sweethearts
A middle-aged man, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two women at the same time. One of them was young, and the other well advanced in years. The elder woman, ashamed to be courted by a man younger than herself, made a point, whenever her admirer visited her, to pull out some portion of his black hairs. The younger, on the contrary, not wishing to become the wife of an old man, was equally zealous in removing every gray hair she could find. Thus it came to pass that between them both he very soon found that he had not a hair left on his head.
The Widow and Her Little Maidens
A Widow who was fond of cleaning had two little maidens to wait on her. She was in the habit of waking them early in the morning, at cockcrow. The maidens, aggravated by such excessive labor, resolved to kill the cock who roused their mistress so early. When they had done this, they found that they had only prepared for themselves greater troubles, for their mistress, no longer hearing the hour from the cock, woke them up to their work in the middle of the night.
The Father and His Two Daughters
A Man had two daughters, the one married to a gardener, and the other to a tile-maker. After a time he went to the daughter who had married the gardener, and inquired how she was and how all things went with her. She said, "All things are prospering with me, and I have only one wish, that there may be a heavy fall of rain, in order that the plants may be well watered." Not long after, he went to the daughter who had married the tilemaker, and likewise inquired of her how she fared; she replied, "I want for nothing, and have only one wish, that the dry weather may continue, and the sun shine hot and bright, so that the bricks might be dried." He said to her, "If your sister wishes for rain, and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join my wishes?'
The Farmer and His Sons (2)
A father, being on the point of death, wished to be sure that his sons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given it. He called them to his bedside and said, "My sons, there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards." The sons, after his death, took their spades and mattocks and carefully dug over every portion of their land. They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labor by an extraordinary and superabundant crop.
The Thief and His Mother
A Boy stole a lesson-book from one of his schoolfellows and took it home to his Mother. She not only abstained from beating him, but encouraged him. He next time stole a cloak and brought it to her, and she again commended him. The Youth, advanced to adulthood, proceeded to steal things of still greater value. At last he was caught in the very act, and having his hands bound behind him, was led away to the place of public execution. His Mother followed in the crowd and violently beat her breast in sorrow, whereupon the young man said, "I wish to say something to my Mother in her ear." She came close to him, and he quickly seized her ear with his teeth and bit it off. The Mother upbraided him as an unnatural child, whereon he replied, "Ah! if you had beaten me when I first stole and brought to you that lesson-book, I should not have come to this, nor have been thus led to a disgraceful death."
The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass
A Miller and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking and laughing. "Look there," cried one of them, "did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?' The old man hearing this, quickly made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk along merrily by his side. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. "There," said one of them, "it proves what I was a-saying. What respect is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle lad riding while his old father has to walk? Get down, you young scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs." Upon this the old man made his son dismount, and got up himself. In this manner they had not proceeded far when they met a company of women and children: "Why, you lazy old fellow," cried several tongues at once, "how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you?' The good-natured Miller immediately took up his son behind him. They had now almost reached the town. "Pray, honest friend," said a citizen, "is that Ass your own?' "Yes," replied the old man. "O, one would not have thought so," said the other, "by the way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you." "Anything to please you," said the old man; "we can but try." So, alighting with his son, they tied the legs of the Ass together and with the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance to the town. This entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at it, till the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he was subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell into the river. Upon this, the old man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again, convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass in the bargain.
Aesop was a serf and story-teller who lived in ancient Hellas between 620 and 560 BC--if he actually existed. No records of him were every recovered and through the years, many fables scattered throughout ancient Hellas became attributed to him. His collected works became known as 'Aesop's Fables', and there are quite a lot of them: nearly enough to read your children one of them for every night for two years. I am very short on time and energy today so you're getting two of his little fables, both about the lion and the mouse--but as you will see the moral of each story is very different.
"Some field-mice were playing in the woods where a lion was sleeping when one of the mice accidentally ran over the lion. The lion woke up and immediately grabbed the wretched little mouse with his paw. The mouse begged for mercy, since he had not meant to do the lion any harm. The lion decided that to kill such a tiny creature would be a cause for reproach rather than glory, so he forgave the mouse and let him go. A few days later, the lion fell into a pit and was trapped. He started to roar, and when the mouse heard him, he came running. Recognizing the lion in the trap, the mouse said to him, 'I have not forgotten the kindness that you showed me!' The mouse then began to gnaw at the cords binding the lion, cutting through the strands and undoing the clever ingenuity of the hunter's art. The mouse was thus able to restore the lion to the woods, setting him free from his captivity."
Moral: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
"While a lion was sleeping, a mouse ran over his shaggy mane. This angered the lion and he leaped up from his den, all the hairs of his mane standing on end. A fox made fun of the fact that a lion, king of all the animals, had been startled by a mouse. The lion answered the fox, 'You insolent creature! I was not afraid of the mouse scratching me and running away; I was just worried that he might make a mess on my mane.'"
Moral: Small liberties can be large offenses.
Hey everyone, I am having a bit of an off day and I can't get myself to actually write anything useful. I'm sorry; tomorrow will be better. Today, I am more in the mood for fables and being a couch potato, so I am sharing with you a video of some of Aesop's fables, animated for kids. It makes me very happy, so hopefully, it does the same for you.
Aesop was a serf and story-teller who lived in ancient Hellas between 620 and 560
BC--if he actually existed. No records of him were every recovered and through the years, many fables scattered throughout ancient Hellas became attributed to him. His collected works became known as 'Aesop's Fables', and there are quite a lot of them: nearly enough to read your children one of them for every night for two years.
In this video, five are told: A Bad Dinner (00:04), Sour Grapes (04:46), Saving A Wolf (10:03), The Clever Kid Goat (14:58), and The Dog and the Bone (20:16). Enjoy!
Around this time last year, I was going through a very rough patch. It was the roughest patch since I was sixteen. I'm not sure if you readers noticed--I hope not, because I did not intend to have it come across. This blog is not so much about my personal life as it is about my religious life. While the two overlap, they both have their own spheres as well. At any rate, by this time last year, I was dealing with my share of unslayable Giants, and no one came to my rescue--at least that is what it felt like.
Once everything got sorted, I realized that I had somehow forgotten that the Theoi do not abandon Their followers, and that some things simply need time to come to fruitation. This time, it took nearly a year to sort things out and about a year ago today, I could finally see light at the end of the tunnel. Even when the light became visible at the end of the tunnel, I failed to understand the message I had been given: 'when the time is right, we will fix it'.
I have often heard Hellenists say that the Gods help those who help themselves. I don't agree, although I do not disagree either. The ancient example most often offered up in evidence is from Aesop, a serf and story-teller who lived in ancient Hellas between 620 and 560 BC. In his fable 'Hēraklēs and the Wagoner', this message of self-help is very literally displayed:
"A carter was driving a wagon along a country lane, when the wheels sank down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefied and aghast, stood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utter loud cries to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is said, appeared and thus addressed him: "Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man. Goad on your bullocks, and never more pray to me for help, until you have done your best to help yourself, or depend upon it you will henceforth pray in vain."
I think there is a difference between sitting back and expecting the Gods to fix it and waiting to act until the time is right. I tried everything I could to fix the situation prematurely last year, and along the way, I got frustrated, and sad, and scared. In hindsight, if I had just accepted what I knew in my gut at the time--that the time was not right, and that I just had to wait a little longer and put faith in the Gods--that period of my life would have been so much easier for me.
You see, I knew this. When things started to go wrong, I prayed to the Theoi, to Athena and Zeus, and asked Them to help me; if I had ever offered to Them gifts They had appreciated, and if I had ever displayed my devotion to Them in a way They agreed with, I asked Them to fix what was beyond my control. I knew They accepted my plea, so I set up all the right conditions, I wrote the e-mails, I talked to everyone involved, and then I waited. And waited. And waited. And then I started to doubt, and freak out, and worry, and it all went down-hill from there. Then, it got fixed. Magically, almost overnight. An opportunity presented itself that I latched onto and the situation was fixed.
By the time that happened, I had also begun to realize I had been an idiot for doubting. And that opportunity? It opened doors I never thought would open for me, at least not for a few years. It propelled me forward in my career and life. It was more and far better than I had ever prayed for. I felt like a complete ass. Once I figured all of this out, I held a ritual of thanks giving to make up for my doubt, and to truly thank the Theoi for Their help and continued support. If I thought a Goddess as dignified as Athena would roll Her eyes, I am sure She would have done so at that moment--lovingly so, though, like a parent with a child.
The reason I bring this up, is that for the last two months, I have been in a similar holding pattern. Call me crazy, but I am quite sure this is my opportunity to show I have actually learned something from last year's debacle. And I am doing well. I know it will be fixed somehow--and I get subtile signs about it every once in a while to support me. So, I jump every opportunity presented to me in the direction I feel the Theoi want me to go, and in the mean time, I wait. Patiently, gratefully, I wait.
I think Aesop had a fair point: do nothing, and you will sink. You will lose it all. Yet, I think there is a difference between 'doing nothing' and 'placing your faith in the Gods'. I am a bit of a control freak, so I know the difference: doing nothing is a closed off choice: you are making the decission not to act. You keep control, but nothing will happen to get you out of the situation. Putting your faith in the Gods is an open choice which takes the course of events out of your hands, and leaves you vulnerable and without control. It's very, very, scary, and it is a true test of faith. Because of my own insecurities--not my lack of faith--I failed last time. It was a valuable lesson, and I get a chance for redemption now. So I give up control. I wait. And eventually, it will work out.
Once everything got sorted, I realized that I had somehow forgotten that the Theoi do not abandon Their followers, and that some things simply need time to come to fruitation. This time, it took nearly a year to sort things out and about a year ago today, I could finally see light at the end of the tunnel. Even when the light became visible at the end of the tunnel, I failed to understand the message I had been given: 'when the time is right, we will fix it'.
I have often heard Hellenists say that the Gods help those who help themselves. I don't agree, although I do not disagree either. The ancient example most often offered up in evidence is from Aesop, a serf and story-teller who lived in ancient Hellas between 620 and 560 BC. In his fable 'Hēraklēs and the Wagoner', this message of self-help is very literally displayed:
"A carter was driving a wagon along a country lane, when the wheels sank down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefied and aghast, stood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utter loud cries to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is said, appeared and thus addressed him: "Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man. Goad on your bullocks, and never more pray to me for help, until you have done your best to help yourself, or depend upon it you will henceforth pray in vain."
Self-help is the best help."
I think there is a difference between sitting back and expecting the Gods to fix it and waiting to act until the time is right. I tried everything I could to fix the situation prematurely last year, and along the way, I got frustrated, and sad, and scared. In hindsight, if I had just accepted what I knew in my gut at the time--that the time was not right, and that I just had to wait a little longer and put faith in the Gods--that period of my life would have been so much easier for me.
You see, I knew this. When things started to go wrong, I prayed to the Theoi, to Athena and Zeus, and asked Them to help me; if I had ever offered to Them gifts They had appreciated, and if I had ever displayed my devotion to Them in a way They agreed with, I asked Them to fix what was beyond my control. I knew They accepted my plea, so I set up all the right conditions, I wrote the e-mails, I talked to everyone involved, and then I waited. And waited. And waited. And then I started to doubt, and freak out, and worry, and it all went down-hill from there. Then, it got fixed. Magically, almost overnight. An opportunity presented itself that I latched onto and the situation was fixed.
By the time that happened, I had also begun to realize I had been an idiot for doubting. And that opportunity? It opened doors I never thought would open for me, at least not for a few years. It propelled me forward in my career and life. It was more and far better than I had ever prayed for. I felt like a complete ass. Once I figured all of this out, I held a ritual of thanks giving to make up for my doubt, and to truly thank the Theoi for Their help and continued support. If I thought a Goddess as dignified as Athena would roll Her eyes, I am sure She would have done so at that moment--lovingly so, though, like a parent with a child.
The reason I bring this up, is that for the last two months, I have been in a similar holding pattern. Call me crazy, but I am quite sure this is my opportunity to show I have actually learned something from last year's debacle. And I am doing well. I know it will be fixed somehow--and I get subtile signs about it every once in a while to support me. So, I jump every opportunity presented to me in the direction I feel the Theoi want me to go, and in the mean time, I wait. Patiently, gratefully, I wait.
I think Aesop had a fair point: do nothing, and you will sink. You will lose it all. Yet, I think there is a difference between 'doing nothing' and 'placing your faith in the Gods'. I am a bit of a control freak, so I know the difference: doing nothing is a closed off choice: you are making the decission not to act. You keep control, but nothing will happen to get you out of the situation. Putting your faith in the Gods is an open choice which takes the course of events out of your hands, and leaves you vulnerable and without control. It's very, very, scary, and it is a true test of faith. Because of my own insecurities--not my lack of faith--I failed last time. It was a valuable lesson, and I get a chance for redemption now. So I give up control. I wait. And eventually, it will work out.
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