The Lion, the Fox, and the Stag
The story revolves around a cunning fox who tricks a stag into visiting his friend, a lion, who is ill and hungry. The fox convinces the stag that he has been appointed king by the lion, and the stag follows him to the lion's den, where he is attacked and escapes with only minor injuries. The fox returns to the lion and tries to persuade the stag to return, telling him that the lion was only trying to share royal secrets. The stag falls for this trick again and returns to the lion's den, where he is killed and eaten by the lion. Meanwhile, the fox takes advantage of the situation and steals the brains from the stag's carcass as a reward for his trouble. When the lion searches for the brains, the fox mocks him, saying that someone who has been tricked twice cannot have any brains left.
By Esopo · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Children's Literature, Moral Story · 596 words
First lines
A Lion lay sick in his den, unable to provide himself with food. So he said to his friend the Fox, who came to ask how he did, "My good friend, I wish you would go to yonder wood and beguile the big Stag, who lives there, to come to my den: I have a fancy to make my dinner off a stag's heart and brains. " The Fox went to the wood and found the Stag and said to him, "My dear sir, you're in luck. You know the Lion, our King: well, he's at the point of death, and has appointed you his successor to rule over the beasts. I hope you won't forget that I was the first to bring you the good news. And now I must be going back to him; and, if you take my advice, you'll come too and be with him at the last. " The Stag was highly flattered, and followed the Fox to the Lion's den, suspecting nothing. No sooner had he got inside than the Lion sprang upon him, but he misjudged his spring, and the Stag got away with only his ears torn, and returned as fast as he could to the shelter of the wood.
What this Textopian page supports
The Lion, the Fox, and the Stag is listed on Textopian as a fable by Esopo, dated 1668 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: 1668 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fable, Children's Literature, Moral Story, Classical Literature, Anthropomorphism
- Length: 596 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Lion, the Fox, and the Stag 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 Lion, the Fox, and the Stag?
- How does this fable by Esopo fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fable first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- The Wolf The Fox And The Ape by Esopo
- The Eagle And The Fox by Esopo
- The Eagle The Cat And The Wild Sow by Esopo
- The Jackdaw And The Pigeons by Esopo
- The Bat And The Weasels by Esopo
Genres
- Fable — The book was written by Esopo, an author known for his fables. The book features animals like a lion, a fox and a stag as characters, which is typical of fables.
- Children's Literature — This type of story, with its anthropomorphized animals and moral lesson, is often found within children's literature.
- Moral Story — Fables usually carry moral lessons therefore it could also be classified as moral story genre.
- Classical Literature — As Esopo is an author of ancient times, this book represents a part of Classical Literature.
Tags
fable · animals · morality · wisdom · friendship · deception · survival · nature · cunning · loyalty · betrayal · adventure