I always think of Aesop's fables as having to do with animals, but "Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva, and Momus" features gods. It still has a relatable morale though.
According to an ancient legend, the first man was made by Jupiter, the first bull by Neptune, and the first house by Minerva. On the completion of their labors, a dispute arose as to which had made the most perfect work. They agreed to appoint Momus as judge, and to abide by his decision. Momus, however, being very envious of the handicraft of each, found fault with all. He first blamed the work of Neptune because he had not made the horns of the bull below his eyes, so he might better see where to strike. He then condemned the work of Jupiter, because he had not placed the heart of man on the outside, that everyone might read the thoughts of the evil disposed and take precautions against the intended mischief. And, lastly,...
Today I've got a short tale from Aesop.
A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when they were molting. He tied them all to his tail and strutted down towards the Peacocks. When he came near them they soon discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him and plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay could do no better than go back to the other Jays, who had watched his behavior from a distance; but they were equally annoyed with him, and told him:
"It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."
I think it's a good reminder that what matters is who you are, not how you look. Pretending to be something you're not is bound to backfire on you and the people who like you for who you actually are will be disappointed in you too.
Thursday’s Tales is a...
I tend to enjoy troll stories, probably because of a couple of wonderful books we had when I was a kid. "The Troll Outwitted" is just a short tidbit from Denmark, but once again intelligence beats out brute strength. The tale comes from Northern Mythology: Comprising the Principal Popular Traditions and Superstitions of Scandinavia, North Germany, and the Netherlands, by Benjamin Thorpe, 1851.
A farmer, who had a small hill on his field, resolved not to let it lie waste, and began to plow it up. At this a troll who lived in the hill, came out and demanded who it was that dared to plow on his roof. The farmer said that he did not know it was his roof, and suggested that it was disadvantageous for both to let such a piece of land lie uncultivated. The farmer said he was willing to plow, sow and reap every year, and that the troll should alternately have that which in one year...
Today I've got another tale from the Grimms, "The Hurds." It's from the second edition of their Children's and Household Tales. This time, beauty does not win the day. Neither does cleverness actually- just plain old hard work.
Once upon a time there was a girl who was beautiful, but lazy and negligent. When she had to spin she was so ill-tempered that if there was a little knot in the flax, she at once pulled out a whole heap of it and scattered it about on the ground beside her. She had a servant who was industrious, and who gathered together the discarded flax, cleaned it, spun it well, and had a beautiful dress woven out of it for herself.
A young man had courted the lazy girl, and the wedding was about to take place. On the eve of the wedding, the industrious girl was dancing merrily about in her beautiful dress, and the bride said,
Ach, wat kann das Mäken springen
in...
It's September and even though it's still really warm here, I'm thinking fall already, so today I've got a harvest story. This one's from the Grimms. It's about a clever peasant who even tricks a devil.
One day the peasant had been working in his field, and just as it was getting dark he was getting ready to go home when in the middle of his field he saw a pile of burning coals. Filled with amazement he walked toward it, and sitting on the top of the glowing coals there was a little black devil.
"You must be sitting on a treasure," said the peasant.
"Yes indeed," replied the devil, "on a treasure that contains more gold and silver than you have ever seen in your life."
"The treasure is in my field and belongs to me," said the peasant.
"It is yours," answered the devil, "if for two years you will give me one half of everything your field produces. I have enough money,...
As I was searching for last week's story, I ran across another story that I thought I'd share today.
"The Dragon King's Daughter" is a parable that appears in the twelfth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, one of the most influential of the of Buddhist scriptures. I know very little about Buddhism, but according to the internet, many believe the Lotus Sutra contains the ultimate and complete teaching of the Buddha.
There was once a daughter of Sagara (“Ocean”), one of the great Dragon Kings who lived at the bottom of the sea. When the Buddha was teaching on Vulture Peak, Bodhisattva Chishaku stood up and said, "It took eons of practicing austerities and accumulating wisdom for even our own Shakyamuni Buddha to realize awakening. Is it possible for anyone to quickly attain Buddhahood?"
To this Manjusri Bodhisattva said, "With the Awakened One’s permission, let me tell you about the Dragon King’s daughter. She is just eight years old, highly intelligent, and well-versed in Buddha-dharma. In...