AESOP'S FABLE

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Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to modern times through a number of sources and continue to be reinterpreted in different verbal registers and in popular as well as artistic media. The fables originally belonged to the oral tradition and were not collected for some three centuries after Aesop's death. By that time a variety of other stories, jokes and proverbs were being ascribed to him.

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The Eagle, Cat, and Wild Sow

An eagle had made her nest up high in an oak tree; meanwhile, in a hollow halfway up the tree, a cat had given birth to kittens; finally, at the foot of the tree there was a forest-dwelling sow and her litter of piglets. As it turned out, this fortuitous congregation was eventually destroyed by the cat's wicked and malicious scheming. First, she went to the eagle's nest and said, 'You are about to be destroyed, and so am I! Woe is me! You can see for yourself how the treacherous sow keeps digging in the dirt day after day: she plans to uproot the tree so that she will be able to attack our offspring down there on the ground.' After having scared the eagle out of her wits with these words, the cat then crept down to the den of the bristly sow. 'Your litter is in grave danger,' said the cat, 'because the eagle is ready to seize your little piglets as soon as you go out to look for food.' Having filled the houses of both the eagle and the sow with terror, the sneaky creature hid herself safely inside her hollow in the tree. She crept out at night on tiptoe, finding plenty of food for herself and her kittens, but during the day she only poked her nose out of her den, pretending to be afraid. Meanwhile, the eagle didn't stir from the branches since she expected some disaster and the wild sow would not venture out of doors, since she wanted to protect her home from the eagle's attack. To make a long story short: the sow and the eagle both died of hunger, together with their children, thus supplying the cat and her kittens with a bountiful feast.

Moral:

Someone who speaks with a forked tongue often stirs up all kinds of trouble.

Gossips are to be seen and not heard ie not listened to.

Don’t let fear paralyse you.

Those who stir up enmity are not to be trusted.

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The above tale reminds me of a story I heard when I was a student at Sydney University, or Sinny Uni as it is usually pronounced.

I also mention that back then, Commemoration Day, the celebration of the founding of Sinny Uni in 1853, was usually accompanied by pranks and mischief, as well as fund raising for charity.

The following is from the Sydney Morning Herald, January 11 2008, at:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/bridge-over-parramatta-road-20080111-gdrwda.html

It is said that one University Commemoration Day, Parramatta Road (then the main western artery into the city) was in chaos because a gang of workmen were busy pulling up the tram lines. Some Machiavellian students rang the police and told them that a group of students had dressed up as workmen and were digging up Parramatta Road. Something should be done and done quickly.

Having alerted the police, the students then rushed out to the workers and informed them that it was Commemoration Day, students were running wild all over the city, and they had heard that a group of students, dressed as police, were about to try and stop the workers from doing their jobs.

The students then quietly retreated into the university grounds, found strategic vantage points, and watched a brawl break out between the police and workers. It probably never happened but it is a great story.