Aesop is the supposed author of several hundred animal fables which teach shrewdness and worldly wisdom. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Aesop lived during the 6th century BCE and was probably a slave on the island of Samos. It is said that Aesop was ugly and deformed and those who came to listen to his tales laughed as much at him as at his stories. Though no historical information on Aesop is available, he was probably a real person. In later times his name became synonymous with ‘fable’ and many tales not composed by him were nevertheless attributed to him.

The fables, which number several hundred, were initially transmitted orally. It is likely that the tales changed, sometimes significantly, as they were told and retold, so that various versions of the fables were in circulation. This is borne out by the existence of widely varying versions of individual fables that were later recorded and which can still be seen - contained in old Greek manuscripts, as well as in the retellings and adaptations by later writers. Some of the fables were put into verse by Babrius in the 3rd century CE.

A collection of fables that relied heavily on Aesop was that of Phaedrus, written in Rome in the 1st century CE. Phaedrus’ treatment of the tales greatly influenced the way later writers used them, notably the 17th century French poet and fabulist Jean de La Fontaine.

Now read on to discover these wise and witty tales from ancient times