Aesop

   Ars Longa, Vita Brevis   Even through his eternal fame, little is truly known about Aesop. From ancient Greek information, we can conclude that he

 was born into slavery and was released due to his intellect. (www.online-literature.com). He supposedly lived from 620-560

B.C. (mural.uv.es). Ironically, it is believed he suffered from a speaking disorder at a young age, but quickly grew out of it. As

time progressed for Aesop, he became interested in writing. At first, his writings were mere political satires and stories, but

grew into his renowned fables. The majority of his fables consisted of an animal protagonist overcoming a conflict with the

psychological reward of morality. Although not a household name in some families, Aesop’s fables are known worldwide.

Anyone who has read [|"The Tortoise and the Hare"] or [|"The Boy Who Cried Wolf"] is vaguely familiar with Aesop’s work.

([|www.online-literature.com])

 A fable is a short story, typically with anthropomorphic animals, conveying a moral. (dictionary.com). Aesop was the father

of fables. For a man who lived over 2,000 years in the past and yet his work is still taught to (generally) younger audiences,

shows that art, be it of paint, pencil, or word, can become eternal. Aesop wrote over 600 fables during his life; most had animal

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">protagonists that in the end of the story learned a moral. Many of these fables have been translated over the years into different

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">languages, one of which is English. Though not the majority, some of his fables have received worldwide notoriety because of

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">their moral connection that is still relevant in our day. Some of these allegories include //The Tortoise and the Hare, the Boy Who// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">//Cried Wolf, the Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs, the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,// et cetera.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Much of the information anthropologists and historians have gathered about Aesop’s life is diminutive, and what most think

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">they know, is often disputed. Aesop is believed to have been born in 620 B.C, and his birthplace is said to be <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Athens <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Thrace,

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Amorium, Samos Island, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> A <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">e <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;">thiopia <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">, Sardis or <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Phrygia <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">. He was born into slavery to his master Iadmon. Due to his wit and

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">cleverness, Iadmon decided to free young Aesop from slavery. Subsequent to his newly earned freedom, Aesop began writing

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">and thus started his new-found career and fame.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">([|www.online-literature.com]).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> As Aesop progressed in age, he also did in wit and intellect. Aesop was known to people as clever, sarcastic, and often he

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">would often catch flaws in arguments and use that to his advantage. These qualities have helped Aesop get himself out of

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">negative situations, but these retorts may also have helped get him //into// those situations as well. Traits such as these may help a

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">writer; the ability to think on their feet and be witty to overturn the anger or bias of the person arguing with them.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">([|www.online-literature.com]).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> “You may kill me, but my unjust death will bring you great misfortune” ([|www.online-literature.com]) are the last words

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">uttered by Aesop. Though the exact reason is not fully known, Aesop was killed by Delphinian’s for what is believed to be

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">either theft of a golden goblet, or because of his writings (deemed “unfit” perhaps). Aesop’s life was cut short from being

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">thrown off a cliff of Delphi. In one way or another, the Delphinian’s did pay for their acts. Upon their people spread pestilence,

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">famine, and debt, and an Oracle of Apollo attributed this to the murder of Aesop. ([|www.online-literature.com]). ( mural.uv.es).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> There is much conflicting information concerning Aesop’s life. Also, the information historians and anthropologists have

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">collected is sparse, and seems to vary from story to story. Because of the contradictory evidence given, historians and other

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">writers have come to conclude that perhaps Aesop is just an interesting, likeable character created by a conglomeration of

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">diverse sources. His writings may have been by various people, working together to create a more interesting story than “a

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">bunch of writers who wrote 600 fables”. Aesop actually appears in the writings of Aristophanes and Plato, but this is still

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">insufficient information to prove his existence. ([|www.online-literature.com/]) ( www.platos-academy.com)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Though Aesop may not have actually existed, his character is definitely an interesting one, and although he himself may not

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">always be remembered or attributed to such masterpieces as //The Boy Who Cried Wolf// or //the Tortoise and the Hare//, his (or their)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">legacy remains in the words of the fables. Perhaps Aesop himself is just a fable.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Works Cited

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">"Aesop Biography." //Biography Base Home//. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <[]>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">"Aesop - Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss." //The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries//. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <[]>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">"Aesop." //MURAL - Student Homepages at University of Valencia//. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <[]>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">"Fable | Define Fable at Dictionary.com." //Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com//. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <[]>.

"Aesop's Fables - Plato's Academy, a Blog about Everything Greek." //Home - Plato's Academy, a Blog about Everything Greek//. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <[]>.