
_________________________
Who is Aesop?
Aesop (/ˈiːsɒp/ EE-sop or /ˈeɪsɒp/ AY-sop; Greek: Αἴσωπος, Aísōpos; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop’s Fables. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Many of the tales associated with him are characterized by anthropomorphic animal characters.
Scattered details of Aesop’s life can be found in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave (δοῦλος) who by his cleverness acquires freedom and becomes an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name have included Esop(e) and Isope. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last 2,500 years have included many works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays, and television programs.
Most people today are familiar with Aesop’s fables:
I only ever heard the fire part of this, I never knew the rest. Much different with the passions bit
Yeah. I can see how it would be.
This one kind of resonates with me. I’m not entirely a “society is doomed” guy (except for when I’m on Twitter too much) but it seems generally like too many people are either ruled by passion (crazy) or they don’t have it at all (apathy.) Humanity needs more people in the middle of that spectrum.