I, La, share my love of fables of all kinds as well as few other stories and parables that I find to be interesting. But mostly this blog will contain fabulous fables.
A picture once was shown,
In which one man, alone,
Upon the ground had thrown
A lion fully grown.
Much gloried at the sight the rabble.
A lion thus rebuked their babble:—
That you have got the victory there,
There is no contradiction.
But, gentles, possibly you are
The dupes of easy fiction:
Had we the art of making pictures,
Perhaps our champion had beat yours!"
Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
African Proverb
Btw, I put this up just cause I found it interesting :-P
A fable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities), and that illustrates a moral lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.
A fable differs from a parable in that the latter excludes animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech and other powers of humankind.
For all of you word buffs (like myself), once again according to Wiki:
The word "fable" comes from the Latin "fabula" (a "story"), itself derived from "fari" ("to speak") with the -ula suffix that signifies "little": hence, a "little story".
Though in its original sense "fable" denotes a brief, succinct story that is meant to impart a moral lesson, in a pejorative sense, a "fable" may be a deliberately invented or falsified account of an event or circumstance. Similarly, a non-authorial person who, wittingly or not, tells "tall tales," may be termed a "confabulator".
An author of fables is termed a "fabulist," and the word "fabulous," strictly speaking, "pertains to a fable or fables." In recent decades, however, "fabulous" has come frequently to be used in the quite different meaning of "excellent" or "outstanding".
I found these 8" x 5" Felt Story Boards at www.LearningWonders.com. The stories shown are:
Ant and the Grasshopper Hare and the Tortoise Lion and the Mouse The Plain Tree The Dog and His Shadow Fox and the Grapes Wolf in Sheep's Clothing Bees and the Bear Goose with the Golden Egg Boy who Cried Wolf Maid and her Milk The Heron
A Dog was lying in a Manger on the hay which had been put there for the cattle. When the cattle came and tried to eat, he growled and snapped at them and wouldn't let them get at their food. "What a selfish beast," said one of them to his companions; "he can't eat the hay himself and yet he won't let those eat who can."
Once upon a time, a Tortoise lived in a pond with two Ducks, who were her very good friends. She enjoyed the company of the Ducks, because she could talk with them to her heart's content; the Tortoise liked to talk. She always had something to say, and she liked to hear herself say it.
After many years of this pleasant living, the pond became very low, in a dry season; and finally it dried up. The two Ducks saw that they could no longer live there, so they decided to fly to another region, where there was more water. They went to the Tortoise to bid her good-by.
"Oh, don't leave me behind!" begged the Tortoise. "Take me with you; I must die if I am left here."
"But you cannot fly!" said the Ducks. "How can we take you with us?"
"Take me with you! take me with you!" said the Tortoise.
The Ducks felt so sorry for her that at last they thought of a way to take her. "We have thought of a way which will be possible," they said, "if only you can manage to keep still long enough. We will each take hold of one end of a stout stick, and do you take the middle in your mouth; then we will fly up in the air with you and carry you with us. But remember not to talk! If you open your mouth, you are lost."
The Tortoise said she would not say a word; she would not so much as move her mouth; and she was very grateful. So the Ducks brought a strong little stick and took hold of the ends, while the Tortoise bit firmly on the middle. Then the two Ducks rose slowly in the air and flew away with their burden.
When they were above the treetops, the Tortoise wanted to say, "How high we are!"
But she remembered, and kept still.
When they passed the church steeple she wanted to say, "What is that which shines?" But she remembered, and held her peace.
Then they came over the village square, and the people looked up and saw them.
"Look at the Ducks carrying a Tortoise!" they shouted; and every one ran to look.
The Tortoise wanted to say, "What business is it of yours?" But she didn't.
Then she heard the people shout, "Isn't it strange! Look at it! Look!"
The Tortoise forgot everything except that she wanted to say, "Hush, you foolish people!" She opened her mouth,-- and fell to the ground. And that was the end of the Tortoise.
It is a very good thing to be able to hold one's tongue!
from Stories to Tell to Children by Sara Cone Bryan
As you all know (or you ought to know) you can't keep a good story down....or something like that. "Tristan and Harriet" is a stop-motion "claymation" film based on Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. It a fun story and shows what you can do with a little ...or maybe a lot of imagination. Enjoy!!!
A Dog was crossing a river, with a piece of meat in his mouth, when he saw his own shadow reflected in the stream below. Thinking that it was another dog, with a piece of meat, he resolved to make himself master of that also; but in snapping at the supposed treasure he dropped the bit he was carrying, and so lost all.
There was a little Frog Whose home was in a bog, And he worried 'cause he wasn't big enough. He sees an ox and cries: "That's just about my size, If I stretch myself--Say Sister, see me puff!"
So he blew, blew, blew, Saying: "Sister, will that do?" But she shook her head. And then he lost his wits. For he stretched and puffed again Till he cracked beneath the strain, And burst, and flew about in little bits.
from Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks From the French of La Fontaine written by La Fontaine, Jean de, 1621-1695 illustrated by Rae, John, 1882-1963 Translator Larned, W.T. (William Trowbridge)
One hot summer's day a Fox was strolling through an orchard when he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine. "Just the thing to quench my thirst," thought the fox. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried to reach the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up. Finally, the fox walked away with his nose in the air, saying: "I am sure they are sour."
Moral: It is easy to despise what you cannot get.
Picture from The Baby's Own Aesop (verse fables by W.J. Linton), 1887. Illustrations by Walter Crane
A picture once was shown, In which one man, alone, Upon the ground had thrown A lion fully grown.
Much gloried at the sight the rabble. A lion thus rebuked their babble:—
That you have got the victory there, There is no contradiction. But, gentles, possibly you are The dupes of easy fiction: Had we the art of making pictures, Perhaps our champion had beat yours!"
Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter. An African Proverb
Not only a fabulous fable but excellent shadow puppetry! Actually it's animation that looks like shadow puppetry but it's great no matter what it is. Enjoy!
Two hungry cats, having stolen some cheese, could not agree how to divide it. So they called in a monkey to decide the case.
"Let me see" says the monkey with an arch look, "this slice weighs more than the other." With that, he bit off a large piece, in order, as he said, to make them balance. The other scale was now too heavy. This gave the upright judge a fine pretense to take a second mouthful.
"Hold! Hold!" cried the two cats, "give each of us his share of the rest and we will be content."
"If you are content," says the monkey, "justice is not. The law my friends, must have its course." So he nibbled first one piece, and then the other.
The poor cats, seeing their cheese in a fair way to be eaten up, most humbly begged the judge to give himself no further trouble.
"Not so fast, I beseech you, my friends",says the judge. "We owe justice to ourselves as well as to you. What is left is due to me in right of my office." So saying, he crammed the whole into his mouth, and very gravely dismissed the court.
Moral: This fable teaches us that it is better to bear a slight wrong, rather than to resort to the law for trifles. (Taken from McGuffey’s Third Reader, c 1836)
Hmmmmm.....what do you think? Is that really the moral of this story???
A Fox was boasting to a Cat of its clever devices for escaping its enemies.
"I have a whole bag of tricks," he said, "which contains a hundred ways of escaping my enemies."
"I have only one," said the Cat, "but I can generally manage with that."
Just at that moment they heard the cry of a pack of hounds coming towards them, and the Cat immediately scampered up a tree and hid herself in the branches.
"This is my plan," said the Cat. "What are you going to do?"
The Fox thought first of one way, then of another, and while he was debating the hounds came nearer and nearer, and at last the Fox in his confusion was caught up by the hounds and soon killed by the huntsmen.
The Cat, who had been looking on, said: "Better one safe way than a hundred on which you cannot decide."
Every person, according to an ancient legend, is born into the world with two bags suspended from their neck.
One bag hangs down our back and one bag hangs in the front.
The bag in front is full of our neighbors' faults.
The bag hanging down our back is a large bag filled with our own faults.
That is why people are quick to see the faults of others, and yet are often blind to their own failings.
*Alms Bag or Besace - A Beggars Bag. A cylindrical bag with an opening in centre, forming two pouches. It was usually carried over a shoulder.
**(the purse shown at the top of the blog is known as a miser's, or beggar's, bag and came into fashion at the end of the 18th century; it was used by men and women until the early part of the 20th century to hold money. The two silver rings, or sliders, cover the center opening and can be moved to hold the coins in the bag.)
