The Eagle and the Beetle by Esopo
The Eagle and the Beetle, by Esopo: A eagle sees a beetle crawling on the ground and decides to make a meal of it. The beetle, however, outsmarts the eagle by offering to carry the eagle's load in exchange for its freedom. The eagle agrees and soon finds itself being carried by the beetle, only to realize that it has been outsmarted once again.
By Esopo · First published 1602 · Genre: Fable, Fairy Tale, Children's Literature · 279 words
First lines
An Eagle was chasing a hare, which was running for dear life and was at her wits' end to know where to turn for help. Presently she espied a Beetle, and begged it to aid her. So when the Eagle came up the Beetle warned her not to touch the hare, which was under its protection. But the Eagle never noticed the Beetle because it was so small, seized the hare and ate her up. The Beetle never forgot this, and used to keep an eye on the Eagle's nest, and whenever the Eagle laid an egg it climbed up and rolled it out of the nest and broke it. At last the Eagle got so worried over the loss of her eggs that she went up to Jupiter, who is the special protector of Eagles, and begged him to give her a safe place to nest in: so he let her lay her eggs in his lap. But the Beetle noticed this and made a ball of dirt the size of an Eagle's egg, and flew up and deposited it in Jupiter's lap.
What this Textopian page supports
The Eagle and the Beetle is listed on Textopian as a fable by Esopo, dated 1602 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Fable
- Author: Esopo
- Date: 1602 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fable, Fairy Tale, Children's Literature, Fantasy, Moral Story
- Length: 279 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Eagle and the Beetle by Esopo
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Eagle and the Beetle?
- How does this fable by Esopo fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fable first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Eagle And The Arrow by Esopo
- The Fox And The Snake by Esopo
- The Stag At The Pool by Esopo
- The Serpent And The Eagle by Esopo
- The Partridge And The Fowler by Esopo
- The Fox Who Served A Lion by Esopo
Genres
- Fable — Being a story by Esopo, the plot is likely to have moral lessons or teachings, a main characteristic of fables.
- Fairy Tale — The book may involve anthropomorphized animals and fantastic elements typical of fairy tales.
- Children's Literature — Fables and tales are commonly written for children, making this a strong possibility.
- Fantasy — The potential anthropomorphization of animals lends a fantastical element to the story.
Tags
fable · morality · animal characters · nature · wisdom · power · humility · conflict · survival · friendship · deception · cunning