They were originally based on stories attributed to a man named Aesop (or Aesopus), a man to whom stories or fables about morality is attributed. These stories may well be over 2,600 years old as told by Aesop, but aspects of them may date back even much further.
"Crying wolf" is based on a story about a shepherd boy who thinks it's funny to raise the alarm that there's a wolf nearby when there is no wolf, just to get the townspeople all in a panic all for nothing and make them come running to help. Then when the wolf really comes, nobody believes the boy that there's danger and the shepherd boy's sheep are all killed.
"Sour grapes" refer to a story of a fox who badly wanted but couldn't reach grapes that were hanging too high out of reach on a vine, and, giving up and walking away, in a bad attitude she exclaimed "You aren't ripe anyway; I don't need any sour grapes!".
Who was this Aesop though to whom these and many more such stories are credited?
In many ways Aesop himself may be described as a mythical legend, for any sources of Aesop's life date from long after his death and some of it is even considered fictional.
Information about Aesop's life and death can be gathered from scattered mentions in ancient sources, and then of course there is what is commonly called The Aesop Romance (also known under a few other names). The latter is considered to be a fictional folkbook from popular Greek literature, with no particular writer credited. There are many versions of this book.
The earliest Greek sources indicate that Aesop was born in Thrace at a site on the Black Sea coast which would later become the city Mesambria, while a number of later writers from the Roman imperial period tell that he was born in Phrygia.
In The Aesop Romance, whether considered fictional or not, Aesop is an ugly slave with a hideous, deformed appearance, and people laughed at him. He couldn't even speak properly if at all; that is until after he shows some kindness to a priestess of Isis. Isis, the goddess, grants him speech and also a gift for clever storytelling, which he uses to both assist and confound his master Xanthus, a philosopher, embarrassing the philosopher in front of his students and even sleeping with his wife.
After interpreting a divination or portent for the people of Samos, Aesop is freed as a slave and acts as an emissary between the Samians and King Croesus. Later he travels to the courts of Lycurgus of Babylon and Nectanabo of Egypt.
Aesop came to a tragic end when King Croesus sent him to the temple of Apollo in Delphi. Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle. Apparently there people got so angry that they pushed Aesop off a cliff and he was killed in the fall. Or as Plutarch tells us; Aesop had come to Delphi on a diplomatic mission from King Croesus of Lydia, that he insulted the Delphians, was sentenced to death on a trumped-up charge of temple theft, and was thrown from a cliff.
No original writings by Aesop have survived, and the fables have made it to our time through oral tradition and the preservation of the fables by a series of authors starting with ones writing in both Greek and Latin. Many believe that Aesop himself may never have written down his stories, although The Aesop Romance claims that he wrote them down and deposited them in the library of King Croesus (who was later defeated by the Persians). Herodotus calls Aesop a "writer of fables" and Aristophanes speaks of "reading" Aesop. Socrates, while in prison turned some of the fables into verse.
The first printed version of Aesop's Fables in English was published on March 26, 1484 by William Caxton.
Toward the end of the 20th century, widespread study of The Aesop Romance began.
Modern scholarship reveals fables and proverbs of "Aesopic" form existing in both ancient Sumer and Akkad, as early as the third millennium BCE. Therefore, at their most ancient roots, the fables of Aesop are composed in a literary format that appears first not in Ancient Greece, Ancient India, or Ancient Egypt, but in ancient Sumer and Akkad. (Sumer is where Mankind had its very first civilization.)
Apollonius of Tyana, a 1st century CE philosopher, is recorded as having said about Aesop:
... like those who dine well off the plainest dishes, he made use of humble incidents to teach great truths, and after serving up a story he adds to it the advice to do a thing or not to do it. Then, too, he was really more attached to truth than the poets are; for the latter do violence to their own stories in order to make them probable; but he by announcing a story which everyone knows not to be true, told the truth by the very fact that he did not claim to be relating real events.
Download AUDIO BOOKS in GERMAN
Download AUDIO BOOKS in SPANISH
Download AUDIO BOOKS in FRENCH
Download AUDIO BOOKS in ITALIAN
PIEWDIEPIE PRESENTS PLATO'S REPUBLIC (say that five times fast)
Browse GAME GUIDES, ART BOOKS, DRAWING GUIDES, MANGA, MAGAZINES & MORE from Japan!
Speedreading and faster learning for Kids
MYSTERIOUS ISLAND confirmed to be TROFIS
Earn money easily from Google AdSense on AUTOPILOT mode by using this Wordpress plugin.
VINTAGE LAMP HUMIDIFIER kerosene lamp shaped vapor mist spraying humidifier with atomizer, classic
Read NOVELISTIC.STREAM - Free online novel
Retro 1940's record player VOLCANO VINYL SERIES The VINTAGE BLUETOOTH TURNTABLE gramophone bluetooth
BONA BONA game reserve lions & predators feeding day - Janda Walters' Travel Journal
Record live TV: Ultra-Link Digital TV product exploration
A Must-Read for A Deeper Understanding of China
SCARY MONSTERS CONGREGATE - creating EVIL GANG FILMMAKING behind-the-scenes EENDAG EPIC MOVIE SERIES
MILLIONAIRE SECRETS -
The best GUIDE on how to make money online
SIGN UP AND BUY FROM WANTITALL AND GET R50 FREE!
Norwegian course (advanced) based on a story (Nils)
HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY no. 2 performed by Lourens Fick on piano, composed by Franz Liszt
KITTY HAWK AIRPORT RV DAY airplanes designed by Richard VanGrunswen VAN'S AIRCRAFT 50 YEARS
3 INTERDIMENSIONAL PORTALS time travel, parallel reality/unreality, mystery
German course for beginners based on a story: Jens and Jakob
RV Aeroplane day at KITTY HAWK AERODROME
Norwegian course for beginners based on a story (Nils)
Hessel van der Walt SIMFONIE VAN LOF Gospel concert
The Fat Burner Formula FREE Book
Bluetooth operating instructions for AIM CZ201 2.1CH Multimedia Speaker System
QQ5 full HD 170 Degrees Ultra wide angle MINI DV video camera: My review
AIM Alarm Clock Radio, model ACR9 - Very nice bedside radio clock!
Panasonic HC-VX985M 4K video camera review
A small bluetooth speaker with good bass and great sound: HY-40 Super Bass Speaker
XCEED PULSE Portable Radio Clock - my favorite!
Mobicel V4 cellphone product exploration
AIM ADV1010 portable 10" LED Monitor and DVD Player: Good for a while
ENZER E5768P7 Portable DVD Player
AIM ADVD7P Portable Entertainment System
TELEFUNKEN 8GB Mp4 Player TMP-888B
National Panasonic RF-947 Y/B Radio
OTTIMO PCD-7200 PORTABLE CD PLAYER Review
Panasonic RX-DU10 Portable Stereo System first day impressions
CHARGE T5-S portable wireless speaker
L8STAR BM60 world's smallest flip phone review & discussion
Big sound from a small speaker: JBL GO2 Portable Bluetooth Grab and Go Speaker
Santa's Trading Co. Candle Lamps Battery Operated
Bright Light stick up bulb: Portable and Wall-mountable lamp, 3 LED. Very useful!
Eurolux 500W Portable Floodlight: Good for Workspace & Amateur Video
12V light for solar powered / battery powered lighting: Jinwang LED DC 12V 1W-3W Switched light, model HB11SET/B
Why is Google Search becoming totally useless?
PANTUM P2200 Mono Laser Printer: Fast printer 20 pages per minute, Processor 600MHz, Memory 64MB
4TB Seagate Expansion Hard Disk Drive
How to get into the BIOS on a Windows 10 computer
Store your music, photos & videos on the PREMIO 32GB Micro SDHC Card (including SD Adapter)
ASUS F540S laptop computer Review
ADATA 8GB Classic C008 USB Flash Drive
PREMIO 32GB Micro SDHC Card + SD Adapter
Android tablet keeps downloading unwanted apps
Pimp My Keyboard with Twin Seven Fun Keyboard Stickers
Connex SLIM BOOK 14" Intel Atom Quad Core Laptop: My review
TOSHIBA NB500 notebook laptop computer
Why can you sometimes not reach certain websites you know are there?
30,000 Photos - Royalty Free Images Conveniently on CD
Sonicfire Pro 5 Hangs when Trying to Open Project: Quick Fix
How Steinberg and Other Software Companies Encourage Software Piracy
How to create a sitemap FREE for your website
Filezilla FTP Virus / Malware / Adware / Website Parasite: How to Spot It and What to Do
GadgetTech Computer USB 4 Port Hub: Good Idea Made Bad
Digitech USB 2.0 Combo 6 Port USB Hub with Card Reader
Payperpostforum.com: My Experience & Review As a Forum Owner
Mocha -> LiveScript -> JavaScript
HP Deskjet 2050A All-in-One Printer: May Not Work on Your Computer
CONNEX SWIFT BOOK Laptop Computer product exploration
CONNEX Slim Book laptop computer product exploration
CONNEX Slim Book, CONNEX Swift Book laptops Reviews
What is the password for the wifi at Cabana Beach Resort, Umhlanga?
How to download YouTube videos FREE
How to change the video playback speed with Windows Media Player
YouTube video screen flickers in firefox! Help!
How to show and remove unavailable videos from your YouTube Playlist
What is the hardware specifications of the iLIFE Digital ZEDPC Portable All-in-One computer?
How to switch your freehostia.com website to https
How Politics Affected 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Who is Aesop of Aesop's Fables?
How did National Geographic start?
The Lost Ark of the Covenant: The Remarkable Quest for the Legendary Ark, by Tudor Parfitt
Die Gestewelde Kat leesboek vir 8 - 9 jaar oue kinders
The Garfield Super Selection comic book by Jim Davis
Drink Fresh Healthy Orange Juice with the Mellerware Cyclone Citrus Juicer
LOGIK Egg Boiler with Poaching Tray
Nostalgia Electrics Movie Time Popcorn Maker OFP-501
Ottimo F-718 1.5 Litre Cordless Kettle
AIM Halogen Heater Model AHH9 PO No. 00101709
Logik Hepa Vacuum Cleaner Tp-vc612b
BUSHBABY BUTANE CAMPING STOVE portable gas burner: Really useful 4 cooking, demonstrations & travel
BUSHBABY BUTANE CAMPING STOVE portable gas burner: Really useful 4 cooking, demonstrations & travel
GOLDAIR GTAC-708 USB MINI AIR COOLER - Don't overfill it with water!
The Smuggling Route For South African Rhino Horn
Butterflies: Colourful, Flying Little Creatures
Bob Martin Tick & Flea Dog Spot Tick & Flea Treatment
Cough Medicine for Maltese Poodles: No Such Thing?
Introduction to Training Your Dog
What caused the green gooey discharge in my maltese poodle dog's eyes?
Bob Martin Arthripet tablets for bone and joint stiffness in pets
Cool and humidify your air with H9 PORTABLE FOLDING HYDRATING 185° FAN
Kill Worms in Your Intestines with Mebendazole
DriBuddi hot air clothes dryer review: Is It Any Good and Should I Get One?
FASHION MEN STYLING CREAM - So what do you use it for?
How to make an auto-subscribe link to your youtube channel
ORAIMO SOUNDFLOW OBS-72D WIRELESS SPEAKER Triple Thumping Bass 360-degree colourful LED light REVIEW
Load more...
(c) Goodinfo.Stream
Goodinfo.Stream may earn commissions for referrals to products on Amazon.com & others
Disclaimer