Aesop | Greece
The Farmer and The Fox
A farmer catches a fox that destroyed his crops, but in his anger, he sets it on fire, leading to disastrous consequences and regret.
Once upon a time, there was a Farmer who owned beautiful vineyards and lush orchards. But he had a problem. Foxes would sneak in and destroy his precious fruits, causing much trouble to him.
One day, the Farmer finally managed to catch one of these tricky Foxes in a trap. He was so furious at the Fox for all the damage it had caused that he decided to teach it a lesson it would never forget.
He tied a piece of rope soaked in oil to the Fox's tail. Then he set the rope on fire and let the Fox run free. The Fox, terrified and in great pain, dashed off as fast as it could.
The terrified Fox raced through a large field. This field was filled with the Farmer's corn, standing tall and golden, ready for harvest. But as the Fox ran, sparks from his flaming tail flew off and landed among the corn stalks.
The dry corn quickly caught fire from the sparks. Before long, a strong wind blew, and the fire spread quickly throughout the entire field. The flames consumed all the corn, leaving the field in ashes.
When the Farmer saw his field destroyed, he was filled with regret. He realized that in his anger, he had caused more harm to himself than the Fox ever did. He wished he had thought of a safer and kinder way to handle the situation.
