Aesop's Fables - Short stories with a moral

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The Frogs & the Ox


An Ox came down to a reedy pool to drink. As he splashed heavily into the water, he crushed a young Frog into the

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Belling the Cat


The Mice once called a meeting to decide on a plan to free themselves of their enemy, the Cat. At least they wished

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The Town & the Country Mouse


A Town Mouse once visited a relative who lived in the country. For lunch the Country Mouse served wheat stalks,

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The Fox & the Grapes


A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree.

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The Wolf & the Crane


A Wolf had been feasting too greedily, and a bone had stuck crosswise in his throat. He could get it neither

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The Lion & the Mouse


A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him

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The Gnat & the Bull


A Gnat flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and settled on the tip

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The Plane Tree


Two Travellers, walking in the noonday sun, sought the shade of a widespreading tree to rest.

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The Owl & the Grasshopper


The Owl always takes her sleep during the day. Then after sundown, when the rosy light

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The Oak & the Reeds


A Giant Oak stood near a brook in which grew some slender Reeds. When the wind blew,

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The Crow and the Pitcher


A Giant Oak stood near a brook in which grew some slender Reeds. When the wind blew,

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The Crow & the Pitcher


In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty

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The Two Goats


Two Goats, frisking gayly on the rocky steeps of a mountain valley, chanced to meet,

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The Wild Boar & the Fox


A Wild Boar was sharpening his tusks busily against the stump of a tree, when a Fox h

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The Heron


A Heron was walking sedately along the bank of a stream, his eyes on the clear water,

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The Fox & the Stork


The Fox one day thought of a plan to amuse himself at the expense of the Stork, at wh

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The Stag & His Reflection


A Stag, drinking from a crystal spring, saw himself mirrored in the clear water. He g

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The Cock & the Fox


One bright evening as the sun was sinking on a glorious world a wise old Cock flew in

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The Fox & the Goat


A Fox fell into a well, and though it was not very deep, he found that he could not g

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The Fox & the Leopard


A Fox and a Leopard, resting lazily after a generous dinner, amused themselves by dis

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The Frog & the Mouse


A young Mouse in search of adventure was running along the bank of a pond where lived

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The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing


A certain Wolf could not get enough to eat because of the watchfulness of the Shepher

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The Eagle & the Beetle


A Beetle once begged the Eagle to spare a Hare which had run to her for protection. B

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The Mother & the Wolf


Early one morning a hungry Wolf was prowling around a cottage at the edge of a villag

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The Hare & the Tortoise


A Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.

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The Dog & His Reflection


A Dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fas

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The Fox & the Crow


One bright morning as the Fox was following his sharp nose through the wood in search

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The Ant & the Dove


A Dove saw an Ant fall into a brook. The Ant struggled in vain to reach the bank, and

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The Man & the Satyr


A long time ago a Man met a Satyr in the forest and succeeded in making friends with

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The Hare & His Ears


The Lion had been badly hurt by the horns of a Goat, which he was eating. He was very

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The Fisherman & the Little Fish


A poor Fisherman, who lived on the fish he caught, had bad luck one day and caught no

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The Wolf & the Kid


There was once a little Kid whose growing horns made him think he was a grown-up Bill

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The Tortoise & the Ducks


The Tortoise, you know, carries his house on his back. No matter how hard he tries, h

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The Young Crab & His Mother


"Why in the world do you walk sideways like that?" said a Mother Crab to her son. "Yo

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The Dog, the Cock, & the Fox


A Dog and a Cock, who were the best of friends, wished very much to see something of

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The Eagle & the Jackdaw


An Eagle, swooping down on powerful wings, seized a lamb in her talons and made off w

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The Boy & the Filberts


A Boy was given permission to put his hand into a pitcher to get some filberts. But h

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Hercules & the Wagoner


A Farmer was driving his wagon along a miry country road after a heavy rain. The hors

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The Kid & the Wolf


"A frisky young Kid had been left by the herdsman on the thatched roof of a sheep she

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The Bundle of Sticks


A certain Father had a family of Sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves.

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The Ass & His Driver


An Ass was being driven along a road leading down the mountain side, when he suddenly

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The Oxen & the Wheels


A pair of Oxen were drawing a heavily loaded wagon along a miry country road. They ha

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The Shepherd Boy & the Wolf


A Shepherd Boy tended his master's Sheep near a dark forest not far from the village.

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The Farmer & the Stork


A Stork of a very simple and trusting nature had been asked by a gay party of Cranes

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The Sheep & the Pig


One day a shepherd discovered a fat Pig in the meadow where his Sheep were pastured.

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The Travelers & the Purse


Two men were traveling in company along the road when one of them picked up a well-fi

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The Lion & the Ass


One day as the Lion walked proudly down a forest aisle, and the animals respectfully

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The Frogs Who Wished for a King


The Frogs were tired of governing themselves. They had so much freedom that it had sp

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The Wolf & His Shadow


A Wolf left his lair one evening in fine spirits and an excellent appetite. As he ran

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The Rat & the Elephant


A Rat was traveling along the King's highway. He was a very proud Rat, considering hi

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The Boys & the Frogs


Some Boys were playing one day at the edge of a pond in which lived a family of Frogs

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The Ants & the Grasshopper


One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshi

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The Ass Carrying the Image


A sacred Image was being carried to the temple. It was mounted on an Ass adorned with

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A Raven & a Swan


A Raven, which you know is black as coal, was envious of the Swan, because her feathe

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The Ass & the Load of Salt


A Merchant, driving his Ass homeward from the seashore with a heavy load of salt, cam

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The Lion & the Gnat


"Away with you, vile insect!" said a Lion angrily to a Gnat that was buzzing around h

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The Leap at Rhodes


A certain man who visited foreign lands could talk of little when he returned to his

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The Cock & the Jewel


A Cock was busily scratching and scraping about to find something to eat for himself

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The Monkey & the Camel


At a great celebration in honor of King Lion, the Monkey was asked to dance for the c

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The Ass, the Fox, & the Lion


An Ass and a Fox had become close comrades, and were constantly in each other's compa

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The Birds, the Beasts, & the Bat


The Birds and the Beasts declared war against each other. No compromise was possible,

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The Lion, the Bear, & the Fox


Just as a great Bear rushed to seize a stray kid, a Lion leaped from another directio

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The Wolf & the Lamb


A stray Lamb stood drinking early one morning on the bank of a woodland stream. That

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The Wolf & the Sheep


A Wolf had been hurt in a fight with a Bear. He was unable to move and could not sati

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The Hares & the Frogs


Hares, as you know, are very timid. The least shadow, sends them scurrying in fright

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The Travelers & the Sea


Two Travelers were walking along the seashore. Far out they saw something riding on t

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The Wolf & the Lion


A Wolf had stolen a Lamb and was carrying it off to his lair to eat it. But his plans

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The Peacock


The Peacock, they say, did not at first have the beautiful feathers in which he now t

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The Mice & the Weasels


The Weasels and the Mice were always up in arms against each other. In every battle t

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The Wolf & the Lean Dog


A Wolf prowling near a village one evening met a Dog. It happened to be a very lean a

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The Fox & the Lion


A very young Fox, who had never before seen a Lion, happened to meet one in the fores

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The Dog & His Master's Dinner


A Dog had learned to carry his master's dinner to him every day. He was very faithful

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The Vain Jackdaw & his Borrowed Feathers


A Jackdaw chanced to fly over the garden of the King's palace. There he saw with much

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The Monkey & the Dolphin


It happened once upon a time that a certain Greek ship bound for Athens was wrecked o

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The Wolf & the Ass


An Ass was feeding in a pasture near a wood when he saw a Wolf lurking in the shadows

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The Monkey & the Cat


Once upon a time a Cat and a Monkey lived as pets in the same house. They were great

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The Dogs & the Fox


Some Dogs found the skin of a Lion and furiously began to tear it with their teeth. A

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The Dogs & and the Hides


Some hungry Dogs saw a number of hides at the bottom of a stream where the Tanner had

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The Rabbit, the Weasel & the Cat


A Rabbit left his home one day for a dinner of clover. But he forgot to latch the doo

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The Bear & the Bees


A Bear roaming the woods in search of berries happened on a fallen tree in which a sw

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The Dog in the Manger


A Dog asleep in a manger filled with hay, was awakened by the Cattle, which came in t

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The Wolf & the Goat


A hungry Wolf spied a Goat browsing at the top of a steep cliff where he could not po

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The Ass & the Grasshoppers


One day as an Ass was walking in the pasture, he found some Grasshoppers chirping mer

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The Mule


A Mule had had a long rest and much good feeding. He was feeling very vigorous indeed

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The Cat, the Cock, and the Young Mouse


A very young Mouse, who had never seen anything of the world, almost came to grief th

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The Wolf & the Shepherd


A Wolf had been prowling around a flock of Sheep for a long time, and the Shepherd wa

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The Peacock & the Crane


A Peacock, puffed up with vanity, met a Crane one day, and to impress him spread his

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The Farmer & the Cranes


Some Cranes saw a farmer plowing a large field. When the work of plowing was done, th

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The Farmer & His Sons


A rich old farmer, who felt that he had not many more days to live, called his sons t

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The Two Pots


Two Pots, one of brass and the other of clay, stood together on the hearthstone. One

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The Goose & the Golden Egg


There was once a Countryman who possessed the most wonderful Goose you can imagine, f

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The Fighting Bulls and the Frog


Two Bulls were fighting furiously in a field, at one side of which was a marsh. An ol

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The Mouse & the Weasel


A little hungry Mouse found his way one day into a basket of corn. He had to squeeze

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The Farmer & the Snake


A Farmer walked through his field one cold winter morning. On the ground lay a Snake,

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The Sick Stag


A Stag had fallen sick. He had just strength enough to gather some food and find a qu

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The Goatherd & the Wild Goats


One cold stormy day a Goatherd drove his Goats for shelter into a cave, where a numbe

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The Spendthrift & the Swallow


A young fellow, who was very popular among his boon companions as a good spender, qui

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The Cat & the Birds


A Cat was growing very thin. As you have guessed, he did not get enough to eat. One d

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The Dog & the Oyster


There was once a Dog who was very fond of eggs. He visited the hen house very often a

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The Astrologer


A man who lived a long time ago believed that he could read the future in the stars.

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Three Bullocks & a lion


A Lion had been watching three Bullocks feeding in an open field. He had tried to att

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Mercury & the Woodman


A poor Woodman was cutting down a tree near the edge of a deep pool in the forest. It

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The Fox & the Crab


A Crab one day grew disgusted with the sands in which he lived. He decided to take a

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The Serpent & the Eagle


A Serpent had succeeded in surprising an Eagle and had wrapped himself around the Eag

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The Bull & the Goat


A Bull once escaped from a Lion by entering a cave which the Goatherds used to house

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The Old Lion & the Fox


An old Lion, whose teeth and claws were so worn that it was not so easy for him to ge

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The Man & the Lion


A Lion and a Man chanced to travel in company through the forest. They soon began to

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The Ass & the Lap Dog


There was once an Ass whose Master also owned a Lap Dog. This Dog was a favorite and

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The Milkmaid & Her Pail


A Milkmaid had been out to milk the cows and was returning from the field with the sh

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The Wolf & the Shepherd


A Wolf had been prowling around a flock of Sheep for a long time, and the Shepherd wa

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The Goatherd & the Goat


A Goat strayed away from the flock, tempted by a patch of clover. The Goatherd tried

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The Miser


A Miser had buried his gold in a secret place in his garden. Every day he went to the

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The Wolf & the House Dog


There was once a Wolf who got very little to eat because the Dogs of the village were

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The Fox & the Hedgehog


A Fox, swimming across a river, was barely able to reach the bank, where he lay bruis

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The Bat & the Weasels


A Bat blundered into the nest of a Weasel, who ran up to catch and eat him. The Bat b

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The Quack Toad


An old Toad once informed all his neighbors that he was a learned doctor. In fact he

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The Fox Without a Tail


A Fox that had been caught in a trap, succeeded at last, after much painful tugging,

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The Mischievous Dog


There was once a Dog who was so ill-natured and mischievous that his Master had to fa

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The Rose & the Butterfly


A Butterfly once fell in love with a beautiful Rose. The Rose was not indifferent, fo

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The Cat & the Fox


Once a Cat and a Fox were traveling together. As they went along, picking up provisio

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The Boy & the Nettle


A Boy, stung by a Nettle, ran home crying, to get his mother to blow on the hurt and

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The Old Lion


A Lion had grown very old. His teeth were worn away. His limbs could no longer bear h

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The Fox & the Pheasants


One moonlight evening as Master Fox was taking his usual stroll in the woods, he saw

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Two Travelers & a Bear


Two Men were traveling in company through a forest, when, all at once, a huge Bear cr

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The Porcupine & the Snakes


A Porcupine was looking for a good home. At last he found a little sheltered cave, wh

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The Fox & the Monkey


At a great meeting of the Animals, who had gathered to elect a new ruler, the Monkey

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The Flies & the Honey


A jar of honey was upset and the sticky sweetness flowed out on the table. The sweet

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The Eagle & the Kite


An Eagle sat high in the branches of a great Oak. She seemed very sad and drooping fo

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The Stag, the Sheep, & the Wolf


One day a Stag came to a Sheep and asked her to lend him a measure of wheat. The Shee

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The Animals & the Plague


Once upon a time a severe plague raged among the animals. Many died, and those who li

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The Shepherd & the Lion


A Shepherd, counting his Sheep one day, discovered that a number of them were missing

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The Bees & Wasps, & the Hornet


A store of honey had been found in a hollow tree, and the Wasps declared positively t

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The Lark & Her Young Ones


A Lark made her nest in a field of young wheat. As the days passed, the wheat stalks

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The Cat & the Old Rat


There was once a Cat who was so watchful, that a Mouse hardly dared show the tip of h

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The Ass & His Shadow


A Traveler had hired an Ass to carry him to a distant part of the country. The owner

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The Miller, His Son, & the Ass


One day, a long time ago, an old Miller and his Son were on their way to market with

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The Wolf, the Kid, & the Goat


Mother Goat was going to market one morning to get provisions for her household, whic

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The Swallow & the Crow


The Swallow and the Crow had an argument one day about their plumage.

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Jupiter & the Monkey


There was once a baby show among the Animals in the forest. Jupiter provided the priz

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The Lion, the Ass, & the Fox


A Lion, an Ass, and a Fox were hunting in company, and caught a large quantity of gam

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The Lion's Share


A long time ago, the Lion, the Fox, the Jackal, and the Wolf agreed to go hunting tog

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The Mole & his Mother


A little Mole once said to his Mother:

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The North Wind & the Sun


The North Wind and the Sun had a quarrel about which of them was the stronger. While

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The Wolves & the Sheep


A pack of Wolves lurked near the Sheep pasture. But the Dogs kept them all at a respe

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The Cock & the Fox


A Fox was caught in a trap one fine morning, because he had got too near the Farmer's

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The Ass in the Lion's Skin


An Ass found a Lion's skin left in the forest by a hunter. He dressed himself in it,

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The Fighting Cocks & the Eagle


Once there were two Cocks living in the same farmyard who could not bear the sight of

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