Aesop’s Fables: The Origin of Modern Day Expressions
Aesop’s Fables, or a collection of fables credited to the Greek slave Aesop, are speculated to have been written sometime in the mid-6th century. Fables, a narrative form that features animals speaking and acting like human beings, often contain a moral that comments on human behaviour that is explicitly presented at the end. Through characters like the Fox, Hare, Sheep, and Wolf, Aesop displays the moral lessons present in his fables that “have been accepted as the core of childhood reading and instruction since the time of Plato” (Lerer). These morals have become such a pillar in modern-day society that they have infiltrated everyday expressions. This review will examine some of the most popular modern phrases and the fable they originated from.
“The Hare and the Tortoise” is one of Aesop’s most well-known and most-told fables. In this story, a Hare challenges a Tortoise to race, and when the Hare finds himself so far ahead, he decides to take a nap. But he rested for so long that Tortoise, with his slow and steady pace, reached the goal before the Hare. This fable is credited as the origin of the expression, “slow and steady wins the race.” While a direct reference to the Tortoise’s consistent walking speed, this saying also acts as a lesson: sometimes a more balanced and stable approach is more effective and rewarding than a swift and impulsive one. This expression is a staple in western society and, in most cases, exemplifies some of the first life lessons children learn, especially when large media companies adapt Aesop’s beloved fables. For example, Disney released a 1935 short film adapting Aesop’s fable, titled “The Tortoise and the Hare,” and it eventually went on to win the 1934 Oscar for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. “Slow and steady wins the race” is just one of the many morals from Aesop’s fables that have become fundamental modern day phrases.
Another one of Aesop’s fables that represents the origin of today’s most famous expressions is the story “The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf.” In the fable, the son of a Shepherd decides to play a joke on his neighbours and claims that a wolf is attacking the flock, shouting out “Wolf!” He does this numerous times, and each time the neighbours fall for the boy’s trick. However, one day there actually is a wolf killing off the flock of sheep, but when the boy calls out, “Wolf!” the neighbours believe this to be a trick and ignore his cries, leaving the wolf to feast on the sheep. While the fables moral claims: “You cannot believe a liar even when he tells the truth,” the expression taken from this story that is known today has a slightly different meaning. The phrase “the boy who cried wolf” is commonly known as a modern day indicator that identifies when someone is raising a false alarm or greatly exaggerating. This specific fable acts as a cautionary tale for readers, explicitly recognising the benefits that come with always telling the truth through the example of the Shepherd’s boy.
Aesop’s Fables are deeply rooted moral lessons that span centuries, be it through the fables themselves or everyday expressions. A great deal of phrases used today originated from Aesop’s fables, of which majority of the population would not be aware of: “Look before you leap,” comes from the tale “The Fox and the Goat;” “Out of the frying pan, into the fire,” originated from “The Stag and the Lion”; and finally, “Quality, not quantity,” was the overarching moral of “The Lioness and the Vixen.” While most would overlook the validity of Aesop’s fables because of the inclusion and actions of animals in the stories, they are still incredibly relevant and a poignant examination of humanity. The fables break down complex ideas of morality and philosophy into comprehensible-sized portions suitable to educate and guide children—the ultimate goal of a fable. But at its core, fables have the ability to transcend both time and language and will forever “remain a defining form of children’s literature” (Lerer).
Happy Reading!
Works Cited:
Aesop, and Arthur Rackham. Aesop's Fables. Dover Publication, Inc., 2009.
“Ingenuity and Authority: Aesop's Fables and Their Afterlives.” Children's Literature: A
Reader's History, from Aesop to Harry Potter, by Seth Lerer, University of Chicago Press,
2009.