Aesop | Greece
The Eagle and the Beetle
An Eagle kills a Hare, Beetle seeks revenge by destroying Eagle's eggs, and Jupiter resolves the conflict.
One day, a Beetle asked an Eagle to spare the life of a Hare, who was hiding in the Beetle’s arms. The Eagle, feeling too proud to listen to the small Beetle, killed the Hare anyway.
The Beetle was angry and wanted to get back at the Eagle. So, it flew to the Eagle’s nest and broke all of her eggs.
The next year, the Eagle built her nest high up on a mountain, hoping to keep her eggs safe. But the Beetle found the nest again and broke all the eggs.
The Eagle was very upset and didn’t know who was breaking her eggs. She asked Jupiter, the king of the gods, for help. Jupiter let her put her eggs in his lap, thinking they would be safe. But the Beetle flew around Jupiter’s head and made him move, causing the eggs to fall and break.
Finally, the Beetle explained to Jupiter why she was doing this. Jupiter agreed that the Beetle was right. To stop this from happening again, Jupiter ordered that every spring, while the Eagle lays her eggs, the Beetle would sleep on the ground.
And that is why Beetles sleep in the ground during the spring, when Eagles lay their eggs.
