Aesop's Fables

Aesop, or Æsop (from the Greek ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ Aisopos), known only for his fables, was by tradition a slave of African descent who lived from about 620 to 560 bc in Ancient Greece. Aesop's Fables are still taught as moral lessons and used as subjects for various entertainments, especially children's plays and cartoons. Aesop wrote thousands of fables, his most famous fable is "The Lion and the Mouse." Nothing was known about Aesop from credible records. The tradition was that he was at one point freed from slavery and that he eventually died at the hands of Delphians. In fact, the obscurity shrouding his life has led some scholars to deny his existence altogether. His most famous fable in America is a parable of "The Tortoise and the Hare." In this story, a rabbit challenges a tortoise to a race. The rabbit is sure of its victory and as a result, depending on the version of the story, in some way completes the race slower than the turtle. Often, the hare takes a nap or takes too many breaks. The persistent tortoise, despite being slower, wins because it persevered.

'Laura Gibbs has recently brought out a splendid translation with a very helpful introduction of the bulk of the fables in the Oxford World's Classics.'