Aesop's Fables

Aesop (620 - 564 BCE)

The Fox and The Grapes

A fox, who failed to reach grapes after many attempts, didn't want to admit defeat and instead despising the grapes that he wanted so much earlier

The Goose That Laid The Golden Eggs

Greedy countryman, who owned a Goose that laid golden eggs, grew impatient and wanted to get rich quick but ended up losing his wonderful goose

The Cat and The Mice

Mice, who had learned from experiences, realized that they needed to keep their distance from a clever cat who had many tricks to catch Mouse

The Mischievous Dog

A mischievous dog thought of his wooden clog as something to be proud of while, in truth, it served as warning for people around him

The Charcoal Burner and The Fuller

A charcoal burner wanted to share a house with a fuller but the fuller refused because the charcoal would blacken the cloth he whitened

The Mice in Council

Mice had a plan to hang a bell about the cat's neck which would notify them if the cat was near. But no one volunteered to bell the cat

The Bat and The Weasels

A foolish bat who blundered into weasel nest avoided being eaten by reading the situation well and reasoned with weasel. He escaped two times

The Dog and The Sow

A dog and a sow arguing their offspring were better than other animal's offspring. The sow pointed out that dog's puppies were born blind

The Fox and The Crow

A foolish yet beautiful Crow, who longing to be called Queen of Birds, got fooled by Fox flattering words and eventually lost her food

The Horse and The Groom

A groom, who wanted his horse sleek and well, spending hours combing the horse but stole his horse's meal and sold it for his own profit

The Wolf and The Lamb

A hungry wolf went hunting and saw a lamb who, despite her attempts to reason with wolf, was unable to convince the wolf and got captured and eaten

The Peacock and The Crane

A peacock was boasting about his gorgeous tail to a crane who responded by spreading his broad wings and flew up toward the blue sky

The Cat and The Birds

A hungry cat, upon hearing that birds were sick, disguised himself as a doctor to deceive the wise birds who realized the cat's bad intention

The Spendthrift and The Swallow

A foolish spendthrift saw a singing swallow, tought that summer had come, quickly sold his clothes and eventually suffered from the cold

The Old Woman and The Doctor

A greedy doctor who prolonged the treament of an old woman and during the course of the treament continuously stealing her belongings

The Moon and Her Mother

The moon asked her mother to make a gown for her but her mother couldn't make one for her because she keeps changing everyday

Mercury and The Woodman

An honest woodman who lost his wooden axe was not tempted by golden axe nor silver axe. Mercury gave all three axes to reward his honesty

The Ass, The Fox, and The Lion

A fox betrayed an ass, his comrades, and gave him up to a lion. The lion betrayed the fox and struck him first instead of the ass

The Lion and The Mouse

A generous lion spared a mouse life and some days later the mouse repaid his kindness by freeing the lion when he was trapped in a hunter's net

Last updated: 2 August 2026