When a carter was pushing a wagon along a rural road, the wheels started to become stuck in a rut and couldn’t get out. The rudimentary driver remained there staring at the wagon, dumbfounded and horrified, and did nothing but scream out loud for Hercules to come and aid him. It is reported that Hercules came to him and told him, „Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man.“ Goad your bullocks and never again appeal to me for aid until you have done all in your power to help yourself, or you can count on the fact that your … Continue reading The Hercules and the Wagoner

A musically-talented fisherman brought his flute to the beach with him, while he went fishing. He stood on a protruding rock and played a number of melodies in the expectation that the fish, drawn to his music, would of their own volition swim into the net that he had set up below. After a long time of waiting in vain, he finally put away his flute and, after tossing his net into the water, he caught an impressive amount of fish. While he observed them running about and jumping in the net on the rock, he cried, „O you most … Continue reading The Music of the Fisherman

A wolf who had a bone lodged in his throat offered a significant sum of money to a crane so that she might insert her head into the wolf’s mouth and remove the bone. “Why, you have certainly already gotten a substantial reward, given that you were allowed to pull out your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf,” the wolf, who was smirking and grinding his teeth, exclaimed after the crane had successfully removed the bone and made her demand for payment. You should not expect a reward for serving the evil, and you should … Continue reading The Wolf and the Crane

A COCK discovered a beautiful stone while searching for food for himself and his hens. He cried, “If thy owner had found thee, and not I, he would have taken thee up, and have put thee in thy first estate; but I have found thee for no purpose.” If I had to choose between one barleycorn and all of the gems in the world, I’d choose the barleycorn any day. Image by svklimkin from Pixabay. Continue reading The Cock and the Jewel

A father had a family of boys who were constantly fighting.The fighting never stopped. After he was unsuccessful in resolving their disagreements via his exhortations, he made the decision to provide them with a real-world example of the harmful effects of disunity. After he was unsuccessful in resolving their disagreements via his exhortations, he made the decision to provide them with a real-world example of the harmful effects of disunity. When they were finished, he handed the faggot to each of them one at a time, one after the other, and gave them the instruction to shatter it into bits. … Continue reading The Father And His Sons