The Fox and the Crow

and other fables of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 57

Selected by

D. L. Ashliman
© 2008-2011

Contents

  1. The Fox and the Crow (Aesop, translated by V. S. Vernon Jones).

  2. Links to Additional Type 57 Fables.

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The Fox and the Crow

Aesop

A crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a fox observed her and set his wits to work to discover some way of getting the cheese. Coming and standing under the tree he looked up and said, "What a noble bird I see above me! Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite. If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without doubt to be queen of the birds." The crow was hugely flattered by this, and just to show the fox that she could sing she gave a loud caw. Down came the cheese, of course, and the fox, snatching it up, said, "You have a voice, madam, I see. What you want is wits."

Links to Additional Type 57 Fables

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  1. Aesop. The Raven and the Fox. In The Fables of Aesop: As First Printed by William Caxton in 1484. Edited by Joseph Jacobs. Vol 2: Text and Glossary, p. 21. London: David Nutt, 1889.

  2. Aesop. The Fox and the Crow. In Fables of Æsop and Others. Translated into English with Instructive Applications by Samuel Croxall. No. 9, pp. 38-39. Philadelphia: Thomas Cowperthwait and Co., 1850.

  3. Aesop. The Fox and the Crow. In Æsop: Retold by Joseph Jacobs, no. 8. Harvard Classics, vol. 17, part 1. New York: P. F. Collier and Son, 190914.

  4. Aesop. The Fox and the Crow. In Aesop's Fables. Translated by V. S. Vernon Jones. Introduction and Notes by D. L. Ashliman. No. 9, p. 21. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003.

  5. Jātaka. Jambu-Khādaka-Jātaka. In The Jātaka; or, Stories of the Buddha's Former Births. Edited by E. B. Cowell. Vol. 2 translated by W. H. D. Rouse. No. 294, pp. 299-300. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, [1895].

  6. Jātaka. Anta-Jātaka. In The Jātaka; or, Stories of the Buddha's Former Births. Edited by E. B. Cowell. Vol. 2 translated by W. H. D. Rouse. No. 295, pp. 300-301. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, [1895].

  7. La Fontaine, Jean de. Le Corbeau et le Renard. In Fables de La Fontaine. Book 1, fable 2, pp. 39-40. Tours: Alfred Mame et Fils, 1888.

  8. La Fontaine, Jean de. The Crow and the Fox. In The Fables of La Fontaine. Translated from the French [mainly by Robert Thomson]. Book 1, fable 2, p. 18. London: J. C. Nimmo and Bain, 1884.

  9. Fansler, Dean Spruill. Auac and Lamiran. In Filipino Popular Tales, no. 64, pp. 395-97. Lancaster, PA. and New York: American Folk-Lore Society, 1921.

  10. Wilhelm, Richard. The Fox and the Raven. In The Chinese Fairy Book. Translated from the German by Frederick H. Martens. No. 13, pp. 29-30. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1921.

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Revised April 27, 2011.