The Bats, Birds, and The Beasts
Aesop | Greece
A war between birds and beasts led to bats' clever neutrality, but their changing allegiances resulted in banishment to darkness.
A Bat, Thorn Bush, and Seagull started a business, but their ship sank, making the Bat hide, Seagull search, and Thorn Bush cling to fabric.
A strong Wolf believed he was a Lion and joined real Lions, only to realize he was just a regular Wolf among them.
Anansi, a mischievous spider, tricks Brother Turtle to catch fish for him but learns the value of hard work in the end.
The Dog borrowed food from the Sheep, forgot the debt, and refused to repay, leading to an unfair court decision against the innocent Sheep.
A lion and bear fought over a goat, exhausting themselves, and a fox took advantage, leaving them with regret.
A confident mule enjoying a carefree break believed he had racing horse lineage, but after a day of labor, he doubted his heritage.
A king's pond frightened the princes with a mistaken turtle monster, but the clever turtle escaped and swam back to safety.
A frightened Thunny being chased by a Dolphin cleverly leads them both to the shore, where they both get stranded.
Once upon a time, a great war broke out between the birds and the beasts. They could not agree and so they fought, each using their own strength. The foxes were always after the geese and the eagles never left the hares alone. Even the owls, who seemed wise, would eat mice every day.
This war was a dreadful thing to behold. Many hares and mice were lost. Chickens and geese were taken down in large numbers. After every fight, the winner would feast.
In this time of trouble, the bat family was careful. They did not choose a side to support. They were clever and waited to see who would win. When the birds were winning, the bats said, "We are birds too!" But when the beasts started to win, they quickly changed and said, "Actually, we are beasts!"
After the battle was over, the birds and the beasts talked about what the bats had done. They felt that the bats had been dishonest by changing sides. Both the birds and the beasts decided to chase the bats away.
So, the bats had to hide. They found dark towers and empty old buildings to live in. They only came out at night when everyone else was asleep. They had been clever, but their cleverness made everyone else angry. Now, they had to live in the dark.
Anansi and the Turtle
Clever spider Anansi tricked the turtle with soup, but the turtle's underwater house left Anansi wet and hungry.
A Woman and Her Hen
A woman had a special Hen that laid one egg daily, so she tried feeding it more to get two eggs, but it stopped laying altogether.
Anansi and the Tug of War
Anansi, a clever little spider, challenges Elephant and Hippo to a tug-of-war. Can his wit win against strength in the jungle?
A Jackdaw and Peacock Feathers
Jackdaw, a plain bird, found and adorned himself with peacock feathers, only to be exposed and ridiculed, returning to his ordinary state in shame.
A majestic Mountain with strange noises drew crowds of curious people, but their long wait revealed a humble Mouse instead.
A clever jackal in search of an easy meal watches two fighting goats, but his greed leads to a painful lesson.
A fowler deceives a curious Blackbird with the promise of a marvelous city but captures it in a net instead.
Crows and owls feud over food and space, crows send a spy, gather information, and drive owls away, leading to peaceful coexistence.
A hardworking Butcher's shop is visited by a stray dog that steals a sheep's heart, prompting the Butcher to be more vigilant.
A dog falls into a well, and the gardener, while trying to save him, gets bitten due to a misunderstanding, leaving the dog behind.
A sow refuses a wolf's offer to watch her piglets, seeing through the wolf's true intentions and protecting her young.
Curious spider Anansi finds a magical rock that puts animals to sleep; he tricks them but is eventually outsmarted.