A dog was walking over a bridge that went over a stream with a piece of meat in his jaws when he noticed his own shadow in the water and mistook it for another Dog who had a piece of meat that was twice as big as the one he was carrying. Almost instantly he let go of his own piece and launched a vicious assault on the other dog in order to take the bigger one that belonged to him. He ended up losing both the thing he was attempting to hold onto in the water (which turned out … Continue reading The Dog and the Shadow

A traveller who was just about to go on an adventure watched his dog stand at the door and stare at nothing without preparing himself for the voyage. Sharply he questioned him, „Why are you standing there looking at nothing?“ Everything is ready except for you, so please come with me as soon as possible. The dog responded with a wagging tail and the words „O, master!“ I am well prepared ; it is for you, that I am waiting for. The slow mover will often place the blame for the delay on his companion who is busier. Der Reisende … Continue reading The Traveller and His Dog

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

Those animals that lived in the field and the woodland were ruled over by a lion. He was not angry, violent, or despotic in any way; rather, he was just and as compassionate as a monarch could be. During his rule, he issued a royal public announcement calling for a general assembly of all the birds and beasts, and he drew up the foundation for a universal league, in which the wolf and the lamb, the panther and the kid, the tiger and the stag, and the dog and the hare should all live together in perfect peace and harmony. … Continue reading The Kingdom of the Lion *

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