The Lion And The Ass (2nd Fable) Flashcards
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Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Lion And The Ass (2nd Fable)
What is the moral of "The Lion and the Ass"?
The moral is: "The loud-mouthed boaster does not impress nor frighten those who know him." Aesop teaches that making a lot of noise about your accomplishments does not earn genuine respect from people who understand your true abilities.
What is the plot of the fable?
A Lion and an Ass agree to hunt together. They find Wild Goats hiding in a cave. The Ass enters the cave and makes a tremendous racket with kicking and braying to drive the Goats out, while the Lion waits at the entrance and catches them. Afterward, the Ass boasts about frightening the Goats, but the Lion dismisses him, saying he too would have run—if he hadn't already known what an Ass sounds like.
What does the Ass represent in the fable?
The Ass represents people who overestimate their own importance and boast about contributions that are less impressive than they believe. He played a real role in the hunt, but his mistake was inflating that role and seeking praise for being fearsome when he was merely loud.
What does the Lion represent?
The Lion represents true strength and quiet competence. He does the dangerous work of actually catching the prey but feels no need to boast about it. His composed response to the Ass shows that genuine power does not need to advertise itself.
What is the Perry Index number for this fable?
This fable is classified as Perry Index 151, titled "The Ass and the Lion Hunting" in Ben Edwin Perry's standard index of Aesopic fables. It has been retold by fabulists including Samuel Croxall, Thomas Bewick, and Milo Winter.
How is this fable relevant today?
The fable remains deeply relevant in any setting where people confuse volume with value—workplaces where self-promoters take credit for team efforts, social media where noise often overshadows substance, and politics where bold claims substitute for real accomplishment. Aesop's message is timeless: those who know you will judge you by your actions, not your announcements.
What is the difference between the two "Lion and the Ass" fables?
Aesop told two distinct Lion-and-Ass fables. In the first (Perry Index 481), a Lion simply ignores an Ass's insult, teaching that wise people do not engage with fools. In this second version (Perry Index 151), the Lion and Ass hunt together, and the Ass's boasting afterward reveals that noisy self-promotion does not impress those who see through it.
What other Aesop fables explore similar themes of boasting and false bravery?
Several Aesop fables share the theme of boasting versus genuine strength. <a href="/author/aesop/short-story/the-lion-in-love/" class="al-title">The Lion in Love</a> shows how even true power can be undone by foolishness. <a href="/author/aesop/short-story/the-lion-and-the-statue/" class="al-title">The Lion and the Statue</a> questions whose perspective shapes the story of strength. <a href="/author/aesop/short-story/androcles-and-the-lion/" class="al-title">Androcles and the Lion</a> reveals that real courage comes from compassion, not noise. And <a href="/author/aesop/short-story/the-trumpeter-taken-prisoner/" class="al-title">The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner</a> directly echoes this fable's lesson—that making a lot of noise does not make you brave.