FABLE LIV
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
Little Wolf talked to other creatures. Little Wolf was very proud. He talked about his dad. "My dad was very brave," he said. "He was so strong. All were scared of him. My dad was a hero. He made a big show. Creatures listened.
"My dad came near," he said. "Sheep ran away fast. People ran away too. They all ran from him. My dad made them run. He was very scary. No one could stop him."
"My dad got hurt," Little Wolf said. "A big beast hit him. He fell down then. But it was okay. He was still very strong. He fought many creatures. He was a great wolf. He was very brave always. My dad was the best."
A Wise Fox watched Little Wolf. He had a little smile. He listened well to Little Wolf. The fox did not speak. He just looked at Little Wolf. Then he spoke up.
"Little Wolf," Wise Fox said. "Your words are not true. This is not a real story. You talk too much. You say silly things. Your story is not right. It is not the truth."
"Let me tell you," Wise Fox said. "I know the real story. I saw what happened. Your dad was not so brave. I will tell you now."
"Your dad scared donkeys," Wise Fox said. "Donkeys are not strong. He scared some sheep. The shepherd was asleep. The dog was asleep too. No one watched the sheep. Your dad ran to them. He scared them fast. He was not brave then. He only scared weak ones. This is the real truth. He did not fight strong beasts."
"Your dad saw a bull," Wise Fox said. "The bull was very big. Your dad went to fight it. He was not smart. The bull was very strong. The bull hit your dad. It hit him very hard. Your dad fell down fast. He could not get up. He wanted to run away. But he could not move. The bull was too strong. Your dad was not brave. He died like a coward. He was not a hero. He was not strong. He did not fight well. This is the real story. Do not tell lies."
Creatures learned to always tell the truth.
Original Story
FABLE LIV.
THE WARRIOR WOLF.
A young Wolf said aloud
To the listening crowd,
"I may well of my father's great courage be proud;
Wherever he came,
Flock, shepherd, or dame,
All trembled and fled at the sound of his name.
Did anyone spy
My papa coming by—
Two hundred or more—Oh! he made them all fly!
One day, by a blow,
He was conquered, I know;
But no wonder at last he should yield to a foe:
He yielded, poor fellow!
The conquering bellow
Resounds in my ears as my poor father's knell—Oh!"
A Fox then replied,
While, leering aside,
He laughed at his folly and vapouring pride:
"My chattering youth,
Your nonsense, forsooth,
Is more like a funeral sermon than truth.
Let history tell
How your old father fell;
And see if the narrative sounds as well.
Your folly surpasses,
Of monkeys all classes;
The beasts which he frightened, or conquered, were asses,
Except a few sheep,
When the shepherd, asleep,
The dog by his side for safety did keep.
Your father fell back,
Knocked down by a whack
From the very first bull that he dared to attack.
Away he'd have scoured,
But soon overpowered,
He lived like a thief, and he died like a coward."
Story DNA
Moral
Boasting about false or exaggerated bravery often leads to public humiliation and the revelation of the truth.
Plot Summary
A young Wolf proudly boasts to a crowd about his father's fearsome reputation and courage, exaggerating his father's past exploits and framing his eventual defeat as a noble end. A cunning Fox, however, interrupts the Wolf's speech, dismissing his claims as nonsense. The Fox then reveals the truth: the father was a coward who only preyed on the weak and was easily defeated by the first strong opponent he faced, dying dishonorably.
Themes
Emotional Arc
pride to humiliation
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often served as moral instruction, using animal characters to critique human behavior without direct offense.
Plot Beats (9)
- A young Wolf addresses a crowd, proudly boasting about his father's great courage and the fear he inspired.
- The Wolf claims his father made everyone, from flocks to shepherds, tremble and flee.
- He exaggerates, stating his father could make 'two hundred or more' fly away.
- The Wolf admits his father was eventually conquered by a blow, but frames it as an understandable defeat for a great warrior.
- A Fox, leering aside, interrupts the Wolf's speech.
- The Fox dismisses the Wolf's talk as nonsense and a 'funeral sermon' rather than truth.
- The Fox challenges the Wolf to let history tell the real story of his father's fall.
- The Fox reveals that the father only frightened 'asses' and a few sheep when the shepherd and dog were asleep.
- The Fox concludes by stating the father was knocked down by the very first bull he attacked and died like a coward.
Characters
The Young Wolf
A lean, agile wolf with a somewhat gangly build, indicative of youth. His fur is likely a standard grey-brown, perhaps a bit shaggy, not yet fully mature or scarred from battles. He carries himself with an exaggerated, almost theatrical confidence.
Attire: None, as he is an animal. His 'attire' is his natural fur coat.
Wants: To gain respect and admiration from his peers by glorifying his father's legacy and, by extension, his own lineage. He wants to be seen as strong and brave.
Flaw: His excessive pride and naivety make him easily manipulated and blind to the truth. He is easily embarrassed when confronted with reality.
He begins the story full of pride and delusion about his father's bravery. His arc involves being abruptly disabused of these notions by the Fox, leading to probable humiliation.
Boastful, naive, proud, attention-seeking, somewhat foolish.
The Fox
A sleek, cunning fox with a lithe build and vibrant reddish-brown fur. His movements are fluid and graceful, suggesting a creature of intelligence and experience.
Attire: None, as he is an animal. His 'attire' is his natural fur coat.
Wants: To expose the truth and deflate the Young Wolf's unwarranted pride. He seems to enjoy puncturing inflated egos.
Flaw: His cynicism might make him appear harsh or unkind, and he might enjoy others' discomfort a little too much.
He serves as the catalyst for the Young Wolf's realization, remaining consistent in his cynical and truth-telling role.
Cunning, sarcastic, observant, cynical, truth-telling.
Locations
Gathering Place in the Wilds
An open clearing or rocky outcrop within a wild, untamed landscape, suitable for a group of animals to gather and listen. The ground is likely uneven, possibly with sparse vegetation or exposed earth.
Mood: Initially boastful and proud, shifting to skeptical and critical.
The young Wolf boasts about his father's bravery, and the Fox exposes the truth.
Pasture with Sleeping Shepherd
A pastoral scene with grazing sheep, a sleeping shepherd, and a dog. The landscape is open and green, typical of a European countryside pasture.
Mood: Initially peaceful and vulnerable, then revealed as a scene of opportunistic predation.
The Fox describes the true circumstances of the old Wolf's 'victories' – preying on vulnerable sheep while the shepherd was asleep.
Cattle Pasture
A pasture where cattle, specifically bulls, are present. This implies a more robust and potentially dangerous environment than a sheep pasture.
Mood: Initially challenging and dangerous, ending in defeat and cowardice.
The Fox reveals the old Wolf's true downfall: being defeated by the first bull he dared to attack.