Aesop’s Fables Fable: (1) a short tale to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters. (2) a story about supernatural or extraordinary persons or incidents. (Dictionary.com)
As a future teacher, I chose to research Aesop because I appreciate the life lessons his stories teach. Aesop’s fables have become some of the greatest traditions of Greek culture. They were first told nearly two thousand years ago by Aesop (620 BC), a slave, unable to speak as a child. When he finally spoke, he was a gifted speaker. (Good Reads) He was freed by his Greek master who enjoyed the humor and charm of his stories. Aesop traveled to the Lydian city of Sardis, where he became a favorite of King Croesus (600-546 BC). (New World Encyclopedia) Aesop impressed the statesmen in Greece when the king asked his wisest advisors to consider who the happiest man was. After several responses, Aesop finally answered, “Croesus was as much happier than other men as the fullness of the sea was superior to the rivers in his kingdom.” Aesop found favor with the king as a storyteller. He was sent on a mission to the temple of Apollo at Delphi to deliver gold. He referred to the Delphians as parasites when they squabbled over the gold (Giloth), and they labeled him sacrilegious. They set him up to appear to have stolen from Apollo, and he was accused of theft and sacrilege and pushed over a cliff to his death. (enotes) Greek culture at this time was self-absorbed and cunning. Stories told by Aesop were composed over many centuries. Aesop created a variety of legends, myths, and political stories, but the fable, particularly those that highlight animals as the characters, is what he is most remembered for. He is credited with more than 100 animal tales. Aesop never wrote his fables down, but was prolific in the oral tradition. Some