Aesop’s Fables – Aesop

306 – The Monkey and the Camel

At an assembly of the beasts, a monkey got up and danced. He was enthusiastically applauded by everyone present. A jealous camel wanted to earn the same praise. He got up and also tried to dance, but he did such absurd things that the other animals became disgusted and beat him out of their sight with sticks.

This fable is suitable for those people who, through envy, compete with those who are their betters.

And so on. I read the very impressive Penguin Classics edition which includes all 358 fables in a highly readable and fascinating collection. The famous ones are all there – The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf and The Hen (sic) Who Laid the Golden Eggs – plus lots that are more obscure involving Greek gods. Aesop didn’t write most of them, but this is the accepted canon apparently.

I enjoyed the insights into pre-Christian attitudes. The humour is invariably cruel and there seems to be no presumption that help will be offered when a neighbour is in trouble. In fact, you are considered a fool if you don’t take advantage of the misfortune of others to promote your own interests. There is also a strong sense of conservatism and social rigidity to the morals.

As a bonus, I learned that killing storks was illegal in ancient Greece because they were regarded as excellent at killing snakes. Who knew?

(Incidentally, this fable appears to be the bases of a children's book that I've read many times. Many, many times. Many, many, many times.)