Fable Stories
Overview to Fables
Have you ever thought about what is a fable? They are usually concise stories that often teach the reader a moral lesson. Fable stories are mostly designed and written for kids, and because of that the stories are often very simple and the moral lesson they convey are even simpler to understand. The moral lessons in these stories teach the reader the right way to live life and are often put across with the help of talking or human-like animals. Two of the most common examples of fables with moral lessons are -
The Panchatantra
Aesops Fables
Common sayings like “Honesty is the best policy” are derived from Aesops Fables!
Features of a Fable
A story is considered to be a fable if it has the following features -
A short story
Contains a good moral lesson or teaching
Usually use animals as the main characters. These animals are given human characteristics.
Aesops Fables
Aesops Fables
Aesop was a Greek slave, who is now considered the most famous fable writer. His stories would often deal with the realities of life and the moral lessons in them were focused around ideals such as equality, justice, honesty, etc. Some of his most famous works include - the wolf and the kid, the ant and the grasshopper, etc.
Examples of Fables
The Ant and the Grasshopper
On a bright Autumn morning with warm sunshine over their heads, a family of ants was working very hard to dry out the grain that they had stored in the summer. That's when a hungry grasshopper came to them. The grasshopper begged the family of ants for some food as he was very hungry.
The Grasshopper Asking the Ants for Grain in Autumn
The ants asked him why he hadn't stored any food in the summer. The grasshopper then told them that he had spent all summer making music and didn't get a chance to store food.
The Grasshopper Playing Music During Summer
The ants were disgusted and told him he had sealed his fate and went back to work without helping the grasshopper.
The moral of this story was that there is a time for play and a time for work.
The Kid and the Wolf
Once upon a time, there was a small kid who had big grown-up horns. These horns made the baby goat think he was grown up and could take care of himself. One evening, when his flock was going back home he stayed behind to eat some grass. He was left all alone in the field because he didn’t listen to his mother. Scared out of his mind, he realized he would be easy prey for the big bad wolf. He called out loudly for his mother but found the wolf instead.
The Wolf Playing a Tune
Knowing there was little hope for him, he asked the wolf to pipe him a tune so that he could be happy for the last time and dance. The wolf obliged and played a tune. His tune alerted the Shepard dogs who came running back and chased off the wolf. The kid was saved!
The moral of this story was that one should not let anything turn one from their purpose.
Summary
Fables are short stories that convey simple moral teachings. They are primarily written for kids and thus contain talking animals that children find entertaining. Fable poems and stories are usually written to teach their readers the right way to live life. Aesops fables are the most well-known fables and they convey moral lessons related to the ideals of equality, work ethics, etc. Some common examples of fable stories are the lion and the rabbit, the tortoise, and the hare, etc.
FAQs on Fable Stories
1. What is the moral of the fable “The Ant and The Grasshopper”?
The moral of the fable of The Ants and The grasshopper is that there is a time for play and a time for work. It teaches children that if one plays when it is time to work, one must then face dire consequences. If the grasshopper had not spent the summer making music and instead had worked hard like the ants and stored grain, he would not be walking from colony to colony begging animals for food. Now, no one will help him and he will starve in the cold winter, while those who had worked hard when it was time to work will spend the winter warm and well fed.
2. What is the moral of the fable “The Kid and The Wolf”?
The moral of the fable of The Kid and The Wolf is that one should not let anything turn one from their purpose. It teaches kids that being distracted from their tasks can be disastrous. Had the wolf stayed on task and eaten the goat, he could’ve gone back home unharmed and well-fed. But since he decided to humor the kids' wish and play with the pipe, he ended up alerting the dogs and was chased off by them. Now he will spend his evening running and hungry.
3. What are Fables? What are the 4 types of fables?
Fables refer to short stories or poems written for kids that contain a moral lesson. There are 4 main types of fables-
Animal Fables - These are ones where animals are the main characters and have human-like characteristics and qualities
Human Fables- These are fables where humans are the main characters, examples include the fabled story of the boy who cried wolf
Plant Fables - These are the ones where plants are the protagonists. These are comparatively rarer than the others.
Mythological- Mytholigcal fables are ones where the main characters are deities and gods.
