Fables – Origins and Archetypes
A Historical, Structural, and Comparative Approach
Jun 23, 2009 Christopher Mansour
Fables are as ancient as mythology itself and their impact on Western Literature is undeniable. Aesop, the first recorded fabulist, supposedly composed his during the sixth century BCE (Handford xiv). The first collection was made in Athens circa 300 BCE followed by the Roman Babrius nearly a century later (xiv). Much later, several European writers including Marie de France, with Latin translations in hand, reworked the old stories to suit more contemporary audiences (Beer 9).
Definition of and Historical Origins of Fables
A fable is "a brief narrative, in either verse or prose, which illustrates some moral truth"(Beckson and Ganz 85). Its a kind of popular story that developed from the oral tradition of early primitive groups much like myths and folktales. According to S.A. Handford, it was "primitive man's" close proximity to "wild and domestic animals" that influenced him to tell stories about animals who could think and act with "human motivations"(xiii).
Over the centuries, fables have been used to enlighten and to teach conventional wisdom (Beer 9). The basic structure lends itself as a tool to transmit cultural values. Some critics describe them as a form of "ancient fiction" related to allegory (Scholes et al. 25). Fables are "allegorical" in that they describe one thing while reflecting upon another. In other words, they depend on a 'literal' meaning, the plot, and a 'figurative meaning,' the lesson.
Fables as Tools to Entertain and Teach
The Fable's timeless nature and universal popularity arise from its being "unrestricted to a particular time, place, or civilization"(Beer 9). For instance, Aesop's "The Wages of Malice" is a cautionary tale that warns of the consequences of indulging one's "ill-will even at the cost of injury to [himself] (Handford 139). The bees "grudged their honey to men" and prayed Zeus grant "them the power of stinging to death anyone who approached their combs"(139).
Here, bees represent industriousness, but also avarice and cruelty. By denying humans their honey, the bees rob humans of a food source. Their stinger becomes a scourge and torment. Zeus, the archetypal God-Judge, is angered by "their ill-nature". To punish them, he grants the request but condemns them "to forfeit their lives as well"(Handford 139). The fable is a commentary about the nature of evil; its apathy, egocentricity, and recklessness.
The Fable's Connection with Other Genres
All fiction, including fables, are exercises in "unreality" and "falsehood"(Scholes et al. 3) whose purpose is to entertain or reflect. All literature offers an "escape" from the everyday by providing "an imitation of life" or mimesis. Fables inherently share elements of the fantastic, a world of the "imaginary" made real (Ryan and Rossiter 150). The fantasy world--any folklore--involves magical beings and supernatural events, but the primary thematic concern is right versus wrong.
To drive home the moral point, fables utilize the device of anthropomorphism, or the depiction of non-human objects behaving like humans. They include the basic motifs of the fantastic mode including situation motifs, such as quests, hardships, or conflicts, and character motifs to arouse wonder and deepen the comedic effect. For example, the medieval fables of Marie de France have a greater connection to the fantastic in ways that Aesop does not.
Motifs and Archetypes
The Medieval Fable "The Hares and the Frogs" embodies the quest motif on a small scale. Here, the young hares want so badly to believe that they can find a paradise on earth that they "[emigrated] from where they lived / To other territory"(Beer 34). The primary motivation is "their fear of dogs and men," and persecuted, "they wanted to escape"(34). The hares represent the archetypal inexperienced youth who defy the wisdom of the elders.
Despite the elders' warning that it is "folly" to blindly "abandon [everything] they had all known from childhood"(Beer 34), the young hares begin their journey. A variation of the quest motif is the search for paradise. What occurs here is an initiation for the young hares into adulthood. When they arrive in the new field, the hares peered into a pond "and [bring] quick terror to a parliament of frogs"(Beer 34).
The frogs teach the youngsters about life and generational conflict. By frightening the frogs, the youth come to realize that what they really feared was fear itself. The maxim says that "no place is free of fear, toil, or sorrow"(34). The purpose of the journey, to escape fear, is flawed. Fear and danger are part of the human condition. To abandon familiar territory is to invite destruction. Thus, the hares grow appreciative of the haven they have.
Fables, like folklore and myth, are the repository of human understanding. They are as venerable as the oral tradition that birthed Homer and the Beowulf poet.
Works Cited
Beckson, Karl, and Arthur Ganz. Literary Terms: A Dictionary. New York: The Noonday Press, 1993.
Beer, Jeanette. Ed. Introduction. Medieval Fables - Marie de France. Limpsfield: Dragon's World, 1981.
Handford, S.A. Introduction. Fables of Aesop. London: Penguin, 1964. 13-20.
Ryan, D.W.S, and T.P. Rossiter. Literary Modes. St. John's: Jesperson Press, 1983.
Scholes, Robert., et al. Elements of Literature. Toronto: Oxford UP, 1987.
Aesop's Fables rare book cover
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