The fables they are short literary texts with an educational or exemplary content. In general, they are intended for boys and girls, which is why they play an important role in children’s literature. They are texts with a didactic purpose that stimulates curiosity, reflection and the acquisition of values, and are usually transmitted orally.
The characters in fables are animals or inanimate beings that carry out actions typical of humans, that is, they are personified. In this way, they allow to analyze different virtues and defects of people in a pedagogical way, in order to transmit a moral reflection, which is usually the moral. This can appear explicitly in a final sentence, or be implicit, so that the receiver deduces it.
Origin and evolution of the fable
The origin of the fable is located in the East, particularly in India, where certain cultures sought to spread noble values and virtues among their children that would help them become good rulers.
Then, through travelers, they were transmitted to Europe. In Greece, Aesop was one of the most outstanding cultists of the genre, while in Rome, Horace and Phaedrus have been inspired by many of his texts to write their own.
Later, the fable spread throughout the world through the different campaigns of conquest, and reaches the present day preserving its original characteristics, both in terms of its formal elements and its moralizing will.
fables structure
The fables also constitute the minimum expression of some issues related to narrative texts; Its short length means that the stories must quickly condense their main elements:
- Introduction. The characters, the time and place, and the first actions leading up to the main conflict are introduced.
- Knot. It details what happens to the characters, it is the problem they must face.
- Outcome. The conflict that arose in the knot is resolved and the story is closed.
- moral. A lesson or moral teaching related to the value that is sought to be exemplified is transmitted.
Examples of short fables
- The wolf in sheep’s clothing
In order to eat the lambs of the flock, a wolf decided to get inside a lamb’s skin and mislead the shepherd. In this way, at sunset, the farmer took him to the flock and closed the door of the corral so that no wolf could enter. However, at night the shepherd entered the corral to take a lamb for dinner the next day. Thus, he took the wolf thinking it was a lamb and sacrificed it instantly.
moral: Whoever does the deception receives the damage.
- The dog and its reflection
Once upon a time there was a dog that was crossing a lake. In doing so, he carried quite a large prey in his mouth. As he crossed it, he saw himself in the reflection of the water. Believing that he was another dog, and seeing the huge piece of meat he was carrying, he rushed to snatch it away. However, wanting to take the prey from his own reflection, he lost the prey he had in his mouth and was left with nothing.
moral: The ambition to have it all can lead us to lose what we have achieved.
- Peter and the wolf
Pedro used to have fun making fun of his neighbors, because he would shout that there was a wolf and when everyone went to help him, he would laugh and tell them that it had been a lie. One day, a wolf really came and wanted to attack his flock. The problem was that when Pedro began to ask for help, no one believed him, so the wolf ended up eating all his sheep.
moral: We must not lie, otherwise no one will believe us when we tell the truth.
- The fox and the grapes
A fox was hungry and saw a huge bunch of grapes hanging from a vine. He reached out and tried to reach them, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t even touch them. Realizing that he would not be able to reach them, he walked away in great frustration, exclaiming, “Those grapes were so green they must have tasted bad, I didn’t even want them!”
moral: If we fail to achieve a goal, we should not belittle it or blame other people or circumstances for our failed plans.
- The hare and the Tortoise
The hare always teased the tortoise for being slow. One day, the turtle, tired of her attitude, challenged her to run a race. The hare, laughing and very sure of himself, accepted the duel. When the race began, she hurried out and the turtle followed suit with her slow gait. Since the hare took it for granted that she would win, she decided to take a nap shortly before reaching the finish line. When she woke up, she realized that she had been asleep for too long and that the turtle was two steps away. She ran at full speed but did not make it in time, so the turtle won the race and was cheered by the forest animals.
moral: Vanity and arrogance can play a trick on us, and we should never underestimate or make fun of those who do not have the same abilities as us.
- The goose that lays the golden eggs
A very poor farmer couple bought one day the biggest and most beautiful chicken in the market. The next morning, when they went to the chicken coop to look for the eggs, they found a surprise: he had laid a golden egg! The couple did not come out of their astonishment, especially when they saw that this strange event was repeated day after day. That’s how they got rich, until, prisoners of greed, it occurred to them to kill the chicken so they wouldn’t have to wait for it to lay one egg a day, and then access the source of all that wealth once and for all. . They did, but when they killed and cut the chicken open they found nothing.
moral: Greed and greed are never good advisers, because they can lead us to lose what we have.
- The Ant and the Grasshopper
The cicada enjoyed the summer very calmly, while watching the ant work hard, collecting food for the winter. Although she advised the cicada to stop being so lazy and do the same as her, she did not listen and she continued singing very carefree under the sun. One day, winter came, and the cicada was found out in the open, frozen to death and without food. She then decided to go to the ant’s house and ask her for help, but she replied: “While I worked, you did nothing, now look how we are.” And saying this, she closed the door in her face. The cicada left head down, but she learned her lesson.
moral: We must distribute the time between work and leisure, and be cautious for difficult times, because everything can change from one day to the next.
- the mouse and the lion
One day the lion was preparing to rest after a long day of hunting. He lay down under a tree, and as he was about to fall asleep he felt a discomfort in his nose. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was a mouse, so he prepared to eat it so he could rest once and for all. At that moment, the little mouse begged him not to do it, that if he let him go one day he would make it up to him. Laughing, the lion let him escape, incredulous of that promise. Some time later, the lion got caught in a hunter’s net. He began to scream desperately and the mouse heard him. That was how he approached and, with his sharp teeth, he was able to break the net and save the lion from his captor.
moral: Good deeds have their reward, and help can come from those who least expect it.
- The frog and the scorpion
One day the frog was resting on the bank of a river when he saw a scorpion approaching. Frightened, she went on guard. When she had him in front of her, the scorpion asked her if she could please cross him on her back because he needed to reach the other shore. The frog was suspicious, but she convinced her when she understood that if the scorpion stung her, they would both drown. That was how she put him on her back and began to swim across the river. In the middle of the way, she felt a deep sting on her back and she realized that the scorpion had stung her. When she asked him why she had done it, since now they would both die, the scorpion, as they sank, she replied: “I couldn’t help it, it’s in my nature.”
moral: Others do not have to act as we would: even if someone shows good intentions, the traits that are part of their nature do not change.
- The horse and the donkey
A farmer had a horse and a donkey that he used as pack animals. One day, the two of them were going to the city with a lot of weight on their backs, and the donkey could not resist anymore, so he asked the horse to help him with his load. The horse, indifferent, turned a deaf ear to the request, and a few minutes later the donkey fell defeated and died instantly. So, the peasant took all the load from him and put it on top of the horse, to which he also added the skin of the donkey. Thus, the horse, for not having wanted to help him, had to carry all the weight the rest of the way.
moral: We must always help others, because if we don’t, in one way or another, we end up harming ourselves.
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