FABLE XL
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
Strong Mama Deer lived in a forest. She was very brave. She was very fast. One day, Mama Deer heard a sound. It was a far-off sound. It was a scary sound. Her big foot stamped the ground. She made a loud noise. Her whole body shook a little. Other deer looked at her. They felt a little worried. Mama Deer shook her head. She looked all around quickly. Her heart beat so fast. She wanted to run away. She did not know why. Her legs felt like jelly. She was very, very afraid.
Little Fawn saw her Mama Deer. She was small and curious. Little Fawn walked to her mother. She looked up at Mama Deer. "Mama," Little Fawn asked softly. "You are so big. You are so strong. You are brave all the time. You are never scared. But you heard that sound. Then you were very scared. Your legs shook. Your heart beat fast. Why are you scared, Mama? You are so strong!" Mama Deer looked. She did not know what to say. Little Fawn waited for an answer. She loved her strong Mama Deer very much.
Mama Deer sighed a little. "What you say is true," she told Fawn. "I am strong. I am very brave. I want to be brave always. I tell myself, 'Be brave!'" But then I hear that sound. It is the sound of a dog. My heart jumps so much. My legs feel very weak. All my bravery goes away. I do not know why this happens. I just feel very, very scared. I must run away fast. My legs carry me far, far away. I cannot stop myself from running. It is just how I am inside."
So, Little Fawn learned a big lesson. Mama Deer was big. Mama Deer was strong. But she had a secret fear. Sometimes, you are big and strong. Still, some things make you feel very scared. You cannot help it. It is just how you are. This does not make you less strong. Mama Deer was still brave for other things. Little Fawn knew this now. Even the strongest have a secret fear. They cannot change it. It is just how they are.
Original Story
FABLE XL.
THE FAWN AND HER MOTHER.
A Hind was one day stamping with her foot, and bellowing so loudly that the whole herd quaked for fear, when one of her little Fawns, coming up to her, said, "Mother, what is the reason that you, who are so strong and bold at all other times, if you do but hear the cry of the hounds, are so afraid of them?" "What you say is true," replied the Hind; "though I know not how to account for it. I am, indeed, vigorous and strong enough, and often resolve that nothing shall ever dismay my courage; but, alas! I no sooner hear the voice of a hound than all my spirits fail me, and I cannot help making off as fast as my legs can carry me."
MORAL.
When we have done all, Nature will remain what she was. There is no arguing a coward into courage.
THE FAWN AND HER MOTHER.
Story DNA
Moral
When we have done all, Nature will remain what she was. There is no arguing a coward into courage.
Plot Summary
A strong Hind is overcome with fear, causing her herd to tremble. Her Fawn questions why she, usually so bold, is terrified by the sound of hounds. The Hind admits that despite her strength and resolutions, she cannot explain or overcome her instinctual terror, always fleeing when she hears a hound. The fable concludes with the moral that inherent nature cannot be argued into courage.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to resignation
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often use animal characters to illustrate human flaws or virtues, a common literary device across many cultures and eras.
Plot Beats (4)
- A Hind is seen stamping her foot and bellowing loudly, causing fear among her herd.
- Her Fawn approaches her, asking why she, usually strong, becomes so afraid when she hears hounds.
- The Hind admits that she doesn't know why, but despite her strength and resolve, her spirits fail her at the sound of a hound, and she runs away.
- The story concludes with the moral that nature cannot be argued into courage.
Characters
The Hind
A large, strong, and muscular female red deer, with powerful legs built for speed and stamping. Her coat is a rich reddish-brown, sleek and well-maintained, indicative of a healthy animal. She stands tall and appears robust.
Attire: N/A (animal)
Wants: To protect herself and her herd, and to understand and overcome her inexplicable fear of hounds.
Flaw: An ingrained, uncontrollable fear of hounds that overrides her physical strength and resolves.
She does not change. The story highlights her static nature, demonstrating that her inherent fear cannot be reasoned away.
Strong, bold, vigorous, yet inherently cowardly when faced with her specific fear. She is self-aware of her contradiction but unable to overcome it.
The Fawn
A small, delicate young red deer, still with its characteristic white spots on a light reddish-brown coat. Her limbs are slender, and her movements are graceful and curious. She is noticeably smaller and less robust than her mother.
Attire: N/A (animal)
Wants: To understand her mother's behavior and the world around her.
Flaw: Youthful naivety and lack of experience, which prevents her from fully grasping the depth of her mother's ingrained fear.
She learns about the inexplicable nature of fear, even in the strong, through her mother's confession.
Curious, observant, questioning, and innocent. She is still learning about the world and her mother's complexities.
Locations
Forest Clearing
A natural clearing within a dense forest where a hind and her fawn are present. The ground is likely soft earth or covered with fallen leaves and undergrowth, typical of a deer habitat.
Mood: Initially tense and fearful due to the hind's bellowing, then reflective as she explains her fear.
The hind is bellowing in fear, causing the herd to quake, and her fawn questions her courage.