Aesop and Joseph Jacobs - Four fables on Peace - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Photo  by Disha Sheta of India on Pexels

Sometimes the news goes against everything that seems right. 

Before giving a story and wishing holiday greetings, I want to extend condolences to my friends and readers in Australia. I celebrate Christmas, but dozens of my friends celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanza and I wish only the best for all of them.

If ever there seemed to be a time when Peace is needed, but missing, it seems to be now. 

Perhaps it is time we look at some of the world's attempts at wisdom concerning Peace since we so desperately need it. Many of these efforts can be found in fables.  

Joseph Jacobs, in his book, The Fables of Aesop, admits that many attribute fables to "Aesop", but  as a result he "felt at liberty to retell the fables in such a way as would interest children, and have adopted from the various versions that which seemed most suitable in each case, telling the fable anew in my own way." 

We are in good hands with his efforts, so I went there for a few brief stories on Peace. His versions follow the older, more traditional idea of including the moral after the story.  Fables nowadays usually take the view of letting the audience form their own conclusion. How you tell it is up to you as a storyteller or teacher. As a reader you may feel free to skip to the next fable or read what Jacobs says is the lesson the story tells.

The Dog and the Shadow

It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more.

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.  

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this cousin, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were all he had to offer, but he offered them freely. The Town Mouse rather turned up his long nose at this country fare, and said: “I cannot understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the country; come you with me and I will show you how to live. When you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever have stood a country life.” No sooner said than done: the two mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse’s residence late at night. “You will want some refreshment after our long journey,” said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend into the grand dining-room. There they found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice. Suddenly they heard growling and barking. “What is that?” said the Country Mouse. “It is only the dogs of the house,” answered the other. “Only!” said the Country Mouse. “I do not like that music at my dinner.” Just at that moment the door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to scamper down and run off. “Good-bye, Cousin,” said the Country Mouse. “What! going so soon?” said the other. “Yes,” he replied;

“Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear.”  

The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts

A great conflict was about to come off between the Birds and the Beasts. When the two armies were collected together the Bat hesitated which to join. The Birds that passed his perch said: “Come with us”; but he said: “I am a Beast.” Later on, some Beasts who were passing underneath him looked up and said: “Come with us”; but he said: “I am a Bird.” Luckily at the last moment peace was made, and no battle took place, so the Bat came to the Birds and wished to join in the rejoicings, but they all turned against him and he had to fly away. He then went to the Beasts, but soon had to beat a retreat, or else they would have torn him to pieces. “Ah,” said the Bat, “I see now,

“He that is neither one thing nor the other has no friends.” 

The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog

One moonlight night a Fox was prowling about a farmer’s hen-coop, and saw a Cock roosting high up beyond his reach. “Good news, good news!” he cried.

“Why, what is that?” said the Cock.

“King Lion has declared a universal truce. No beast may hurt a bird henceforth, but all shall dwell together in brotherly friendship.”

“Why, that is good news,” said the Cock; “and there I see some one coming, with whom we can share the good tidings.” And so saying he craned his neck forward and looked afar off.

“What is it you see?” said the Fox.

“It is only my master’s Dog that is coming towards us. What, going so soon?” he continued, as the Fox began to turn away as soon as he had heard the news. “Will you not stop and congratulate the Dog on the reign of universal peace?”

“I would gladly do so,” said the Fox, “but I fear he may not have heard of King Lion’s decree.”

Cunning often outwits itself. 

***

Personally I look to the book of John, chapter 14, verse 27 when Jesus said,“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

However you celebrate, may you enjoy the season and have a good rest of 2025 and may 2026 be the best yet. 

******** 

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, “Keeping the Public in Public Domain.” The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated. I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20^th century. My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them. I hope you enjoy discovering them.

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

See the sidebar for other Public Domain story resources I recommend on the page “Public Domain Story Resources."

Vernon Jones/Aesop - The Bat and the Weasels - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Another bit  of popular culture invades the calendar as DC Comics has declared September 20 Batman Day. https://comicbookclublive.com/2025/09/16/dc-comics-announces-batman-day-2025-festivities/ can fill you in on what that involves if it interests you. It made me look at real bats and what stories might go with them.

Bats bring many benefits, even though people misunderstand them. "What will understanding bat social behavior and reproductive strategies do to protect bat populations?" is the latest of many articles giving their value. My neighbors had to have bats removed from inside the siding of their old farmhouse. At the same time our neighborhood has bat houses and I hope those bats catch many insects. 

Aesop fables offer two batty stories, "The Bat, Birds and Beasts" and today's story of "The Bat and the Weasels." Essentially they are the same tale with the dual nature of the bat being the point of the story. A few week's ago I used the Vernon Jones version of  an Aesop tale and found I liked his version of "The Bat and the Weasels." That includes his interpretation of the story's moral. 

Nowadays most storytellers don't include telling their opinion of the moral, letting the audience form their own. In prowling for the right bat story from the many versions of Aesop, I found I wanted to include the moral he gives. I suggest telling the story without the moral, then possibly, after allowing a bit of time for the audience to form their own moral, give his. It seems particularly appropriate both in today's divided political climate and in the discussion of whether a moral should be stated or not.

THE BAT AND THE WEASELS

A Bat fell to the ground and was caught by a Weasel, and was just going to be killed and eaten when it begged to be let go. The Weasel said he couldn't do that because he was an enemy of all birds on principle. "Oh, but," said the Bat, "I'm not a bird at all: I'm a mouse." "So you are," said the Weasel, "now I come to look at you"; and he let it go. Some time after this the Bat was caught in just the same way by another Weasel, and, as before, begged for its life. "No," said the Weasel, "I never let a mouse go by any chance." "But I'm not a mouse," said the Bat; "I'm a bird." "Why, so you are," said the Weasel; and he too let the Bat go.

*** 

Look and see which way the wind blows before you commit yourself.

********

May the wind always blow the wisdom found in ancient fables your way. May you also not have any "bats in your belfry", just stories. At the same time may bats continue doing what they do best for the environment!

********************************** 

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, “Keeping the Public in Public Domain.” The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated. I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20^th century. My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them. I hope you enjoy discovering them.

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

See the sidebar for other Public Domain story resources I recommend on the page “Public Domain Story Resources."

 

Vernon Jones/Aesop - The Father and His Daughters - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

It's Labor Day Weekend with surprisingly good weather predicted. This past week thus predicteth the Old Farmers' Almanac for 2025-26:

The Farmers' Almanac's 2025-26 Winter Outlook calls for "chill, snow, repeat" across the country.Farmers' Almanac 

Here in the Great Lakes region - including Michigan - and other areas of the Midwest we “are set for a classic winter wonderland.” The weather is expected to be very cold and snowy.

RELATED: Michigan winter outlook: NOAA predicts wetter, whiter conditions for southern regions

Winter officially begins with the solstice on Dec. 21, but snow could arrive as early as September in some areas of the country. Nationwide, the coldest times, as usual, are expected in mid-January and mid-February, saying a " significant cold snap in mid-January will keep most shivering. Winter’s wrath continues with another pronounced cold spell predicted for mid-February." As for snow: The Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and North Central states are set for a classic winter wonderland.

The Almanac's long-range forecasts began over 200 years ago using a formula "set forth back in 1818, but also accounts for fluctuations in the environment on Earth, as well as solar activity (sunspots), the motion of the Moon, and other proprietary factors." They also do an annual review of accuracy and was fairly accurate even if La Niña did make last winter wetter.

All of this made me wonder what story might be appropriate. Aesop, once again, has a short bit of  wisdom. There are many editions, but Aesop's Fables; A New Translation by V.S. Vernon Jones does an easy look at weather and maybe a bit more.

THE FATHER AND HIS DAUGHTERS

A Man had two Daughters, one of whom he gave in marriage to a gardener, and the other to a potter. After a time he thought he would go and see how they were getting on; and first he went to the gardener's wife. He asked her how she was, and how things were going with herself and her husband. She replied that on the whole they were doing very well: "But," she continued, "I do wish we could have some good heavy rain: the garden wants it badly." Then he went on to the potter's wife and made the same inquiries of her. She replied that she and her husband had nothing to complain of: "But," she went on, "I do wish we could have some nice dry weather, to dry the pottery." Her Father looked at her with a humorous expression on his face. "You want dry weather," he said, "and your sister wants rain. I was going to ask in my prayers that your wishes should be granted; but now it strikes me I had better not refer to the subject."

***

If you want to know a bit more, V.S. stands for Vernon Stanley Vernon-Jones and talking about Aesop's Fables Wikipedia states: 

Notable early 20th century editions include V.S. Vernon Jones' new translation of the fables accompanied by the pictures of Arthur Rackham (London, 1912)^[97] and in the US Aesop for Children (Chicago, 1919), illustrated by Milo Winter.^[98]

This story doesn't  receive an illustration by Rackham, but the general opinion from the time of the book's publication is his translation is highly regarded for preserving the timeless moral clarity of the fables. Rackham's illustrations have kept it popular.

May your storytelling weather be fine!

************** 

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, “Keeping the Public in Public Domain.” The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated. I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20^th century. My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them. I hope you enjoy discovering them.

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

See the sidebar for other Public Domain story resources I recommend on the page “Public Domain Story Resources."

Aesop - The Man and the Satyr - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

As the 4th of July fast approaches most of the country is sweating its way through an early summer heat wave. It's understandably a common conversation topic. Aesop put in fable form something I recently talked about from a scientific point of view without knowing it.

Searching Aesop in Project Gutenberg produces 39 volumes. I wanted something with an illustration for the story and chose Aesop's Fables: A New Revised Version From Original Sources with Upwards of 200 Illustrations by Harrison Weir, John Tenniel, Ernest Griset and Others.

Like most Aesop fables, how you tell the story is always open to the storyteller. Modern storytelling omits the moral, expecting the listener to form their own conclusion. That's not usually the case with the older versions available in Public Domain. If you want a one sentence moral, this is a fairly basic telling of both the fable and the moral. While the moral has nothing to do with the heat we're experiencing, it is interesting that our breath not only carries heat and cold, but stories, too!

The Man and the Satyr.

A Man and a Satyr once formed a bond of alliance. One very cold wintry day, as they talked together, the Man put his fingers to his mouth and blew on them. On the Satyr inquiring the reason, he told him that he did it to warm his hands. Later on in the day they sat down to eat, the food prepared being quite scalding. The Man raised one of his dishes towards his mouth and blew in it. On the Satyr again inquiring the reason, he said that he did it to cool the meat. "I can no longer consider you as a friend," said the Satyr; "a fellow who with the same breath blows hot and cold I could never trust."

A man who talks for both sides is not to be trusted by either.

**********

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, “Keeping the Public in Public Domain.” The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated. I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20^th century. My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them. I hope you enjoy discovering them.

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

See the sidebar for other Public Domain story resources I recommend on the page “Public Domain Story Resources."

Aesop - Father and Sons - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

A search of Project Gutenberg for Aesop produces 38 books. How to tell Aesop, with or without the moral is sometimes debated, but the fables are always easily retold -- or 38 volumes (and many more!) wouldn't exist. Father's Day calls for a bit of paternal wisdom and today's story is a brief and easy way to do so.

While it comes from V.S. Vernon Jones with illustrations by Arthur Rackham, Rackham didn't illustrate this story. After it another book with illustrations by the author, Thomas Bewick, does match the story.

 

FATHER AND SONS

A certain man had several Sons who were always quarrelling with one another, and, try as he might, he could not get them to live together in harmony. So he determined to convince them of their folly by the following means. Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks, he invited each in turn to break it across his knee. All tried and all failed: and then he undid the bundle, and handed them the sticks one by one, when they had no difficulty at all in breaking them. "There, my boys," said he, "united you will be more than a match for your enemies: but if you quarrel and separate, your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack you."

Union is strength. 

Illustration by Thomas Bewick for his "The Old Man and His Sons" in The Fables of Aesop and Others

May families have reason to celebrate Father's Day with this little story or the other two longer classic tales of Fathers here given by Andersen and Asbjornsen. Hmmmmm both Danish, but Aesop shows Fathers have long desrved recognition.

*****************************************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, “Keeping the Public in Public Domain.” The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated. I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20^th century. My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them. I hope you enjoy discovering them.

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

See the sidebar for other Public Domain story resources I recommend on the page “Public Domain Story Resources."

 

Aesop - Buried Treasure - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

London-based storyteller, Olivia Armstrong - Storyteller @Oliviasstories, on X(formerly Twitter) for MythologyMonday said: 

Even calling upon the correct god during farming was a task for Roman farmers! 

There was Sterculinus, who fertilised the earth, Vervactor who cleared the land for planting,   Redarator did the digging, Sator sowed and Occator harrowed ...  #Mythology Monday

Photo by Sheila Terry - Science Photo Library

Olivia graciously let me reprint her "tweet."  When I asked to identify that mosaic, she sent me to Science Photo Library where there is even more information.  I was especially interested in its talk of soil exhaustion and erosion.  The more marginal land was converted to olive groves and vines and many forms of today's story are set in vineyards.  I prefer placing the story over an entire farm.

This month I decided to give here some of the stories related to Thanksgiving or Gratitude Month.  At the same time I realize how easy it is to be the overlooked part of what is being called HalloThanksMas.

(found at https://imgflip.com/i/5todyw)

One of my favorite stories is an Aesop tale.  This fable I first discovered as a picture book called Buried Treasure, so that is the way I think of it.  Aesop's short teaching stories have been translated innumerable times, telling this story with varying details just as the facts about Aesop vary.  Still the stories date back to the Graeco-Roman times, so the opening information about Roman farmers is appropriate 

I chose The Aesop for Children; with pictures by Milo Winter.  (No mention of an author, beyond Aesop is given.)  Why a children's version when Aesop also fits adults?  It tends to give a slightly fuller view of the brief story.  I also must comment on giving "the moral of the story."  Nowadays such morals are never or rarely given, although it may sometimes be woven into the final action.  Why is it now omitted?  Besides making these teaching tales "preachy", it is entirely possible the listeners may each have appropriate but different conclusions.  The Aesop for Children was published in 1919 and gives a moral at its conclusion.  I will give it, but try to avoid reading it first and think of your own conclusion.  It may be quite different.

THE FARMER AND HIS SONS

A rich old farmer, who felt that he had not many more days to live, called his sons to his bedside.

"My sons," he said, "heed what I have to say to you. Do not on any account part with the estate that has belonged to our family for so many generations. Somewhere on it is hidden a rich treasure. I do not know the exact spot, but it is there, and you will surely find it. Spare no energy and leave no spot unturned in your search."

The father died, and no sooner was he in his grave than the sons set to work digging with all their might, turning up every foot of ground with their spades, and going over the whole farm two or three times.

No hidden gold did they find; but at harvest time when they had settled their accounts and had pocketed a rich profit far greater than that of any of their neighbors, they understood that the treasure their father had told them about was the wealth of a bountiful crop, and that in their industry had they found the treasure.

Industry is itself a treasure.

***

Have a great, thankful part of Hallowthanksmas!

(from theodysseyonline.com)

********************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

Other Public Domain story resources I recommend-

• There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, maybe none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I have long recommended it and continue to do so.  He has loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so you can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression you like by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

• You may have noticed I'm no longer certain Dr. Perez has the largest database, although his offering the Motif Index certainly qualifies for those of us seeking specific types of stories.  There's another site, FairyTalez claiming to be the largest, with "over 2000 fairy tales, folktales, and fables" and they are "fully optimized for phones, tablets, and PCs", free and presented without ads.
  Between those two sites, there is much for story-lovers, but as they say in infomercials, "Wait, there's more!"

The email list for storytellers, Storytell, discussed Online Story Sources and came up with these additional suggestions:        

         - David K. Brown - http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html

         - Karen Chace - http://karenchace.blogspot.com/search?q=public+domain

         - Richard Martin - http://www.tellatale.eu/tales_page.html

         - Spirit of Trees - http://spiritoftrees.org/featured-folktales

         - Story-Lovers - http://www.story-lovers.com/ is now only accessible through the Wayback Machine, described below, but the late Jackie Baldwin's wonderful site lives on there, fully searchable manually (the Google search doesn't work), at https://archive.org/ .  It's not easy, but go to Story-lovers.com snapshot for December 22 2016  and you can click on SOS: Searching Out Stories to scroll down through the many story topics and click on the story topic that interests you.

       - Tim Sheppard - http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html

       - World of Tales - http://www.worldoftales.com/ 

 
           - Zalka Csenge Virag - http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com doesn't give the actual stories, but her recommendations, working her way through each country on a continent, give excellent ideas for finding new books and stories to love and tell.

     
You're going to find many of the links on these sites have gone down, BUT go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to find some of these old links.  Tim's site, for example, is so huge probably updating it would be a full-time job.  In the case of Story-Lovers, it's great that Jackie Baldwin set it up to stay online as long as it did after she could no longer maintain it.  Possibly searches maintained it.  Unfortunately Storytell list member, Papa Joe is on both Tim Sheppard's site and Story-Lovers, but he no longer maintains his old Papa Joe's Traveling Storytelling Show website and his Library (something you want to see!) is now only on the Wayback Machine.  It took some patience working back through claims of snapshots but finally in December of 2006 it appears!

Somebody as of this writing whose stories can still be found by his website is the late Chuck Larkin - http://chucklarkin.com/stories.html.  I prefer to list these sites by their complete address so they can be found by the Wayback Machine, a.k.a. Archive.org, when that becomes the only way to find them.

You can see why I recommend these to you. 

Have fun discovering even more stories

Aesop - Three Tradesmen - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

 

from imgflip.com

The meme gives a bit of a warning as does the source of today's very short story. 
This isn't the best known of Aesop's fables and I'm going to put it together from three sources.  This story needs an introduction found in Aesop's Fables with Illustrations by John Tenniel.  (He didn't illustrate this fable.)

The Three Tradesmen

There was a city in expectation of being besieged, and a council was called accordingly to discuss the best means of fortifying it.

(The rest of the story:)

The citizens of a certain city were debating about the best material to use in the fortifications which were about to be erected for the greater security of the town. A Carpenter got up and advised the use of wood, which he said was readily procurable and easily worked. A Stone-mason objected to wood on the ground that it was so inflammable, and recommended stones instead. Then a Tanner got on his legs and said, "In my opinion there's nothing like leather."

Every man for himself.

****

That was from the 1912 volume and again a famous illustrator (Arthur Rackham) didn't illustrate it, letting you picture it in your mind. 

The text by V. S. Vernon Jones includes his idea of the moral.  Aesop's Fables with Drawings by Fritz Kredel is still under copyright, but I prefer his moral and believe just stating that little bit is Fair Use.

Application: It is difficult to see beyond one's own nose.

****

So what am I combining three versions of the great teacher, Aesop, to say on my soapbox?

Covid has been ridiculously politicized and it has become a case of "Every man for himself."  It would be all fine if we weren't dealing with both a highly contagious situation and helpless children unable to be vaccinated and dependent upon the safety and responsibility of adults around them.

Whether masked or unmasked (pull it over your nose, PLEASE!) consider how you may be sickening or even killing children.  I repeat: Application: It is difficult to see beyond one's own nose.

I'll step off my soapbox now, but please, if you go to hug me, first warn me if you're unvaccinated.

*****************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

Other Public Domain story resources I recommend-

• There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, maybe none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I have long recommended it and continue to do so.  He has loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so you can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression you like by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

• You may have noticed I'm no longer certain Dr. Perez has the largest database, although his offering the Motif Index certainly qualifies for those of us seeking specific types of stories.  There's another site, FairyTalez claiming to be the largest, with "over 2000 fairy tales, folktales, and fables" and they are "fully optimized for phones, tablets, and PCs", free and presented without ads.
  
  Between those two sites, there is much for story-lovers, but as they say in infomercials, "Wait, there's more!"

The email list for storytellers, Storytell, discussed Online Story Sources and came up with these additional suggestions:            

         - David K. Brown - http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html

         - Karen Chace - http://karenchace.blogspot.com/search?q=public+domain

         - Richard Martin - http://www.tellatale.eu/tales_page.html

         - Spirit of Trees - http://spiritoftrees.org/featured-folktales

         - Story-Lovers - http://www.story-lovers.com/ is now only accessible through the Wayback Machine, described below, but the late Jackie Baldwin's wonderful site lives on there, fully searchable manually (the Google search doesn't work), at https://archive.org/ .  It's not easy, but go to Story-lovers.com snapshot for October 22 2016  and you can click on SOS: Searching Out Stories to scroll down through the many story topics and click on the story topic that interests you.

       - Tim Sheppard - http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html

       - World of Tales - http://www.worldoftales.com/ 
           - Zalka Csenge Virag - http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com doesn't give the actual stories, but her recommendations, working her way through each country on a continent, give excellent ideas for finding new books and stories to love and tell.

     
You're going to find many of the links on these sites have gone down, BUT go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to find some of these old links.  Tim's site, for example, is so huge probably updating it would be a full-time job.  In the case of Story-Lovers, it's great that Jackie Baldwin set it up to stay online as long as it did after she could no longer maintain it.  Possibly searches maintained it.  Unfortunately Storytell list member, Papa Joe is on both Tim Sheppard's site and Story-Lovers, but he no longer maintains his old Papa Joe's Traveling Storytelling Show website and his Library (something you want to see!) is now only on the Wayback Machine.  It took some patience working back through claims of snapshots but finally in December of 2006 it appears!

Somebody as of this writing whose stories can still be found by his website is the late Chuck Larkin - http://chucklarkin.com/stories.html.  I prefer to list these sites by their complete address so they can be found by the Wayback Machine, a.k.a. Archive.org, when that becomes the only way to find them.

You can see why I recommend these to you. Have fun discovering even more stories!

Aesop - The Actor and the Pig (Jacobs - The Buffoon and the Countryman) - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

Here's a bit of a visual update:

Note the foot under that blanket...Mrs.Kirby doesn't!

and then

As mentioned last week the theatre has had my attention this week performing in the delightful comedy, You Can't Take It With You, with Pontiac Theatre IV.  (I have greatly enjoyed being the drunken actress, Gay Wellington, and made Mock Rumballs for the AfterGlow for our opening night.)  Because of that I went hunting for a theatre-related story and found it right away as an Aesop fable.

Aesop has been retold by many people over the centuries and people often think fables are always about animals.  There's an animal in this story, but the people take the center stage.  Those re-tellings use different names for the Actor: Buffoon, Mimic, Clown, Mountebank, but clearly it's an entertainer taking the stage.  (As Gay Wellington likes to claim, "I've played everything!")  Similarly the challenger in this story is sometimes a Countryman or a Peasant, but through it all the Pig remains a Pig.

Then comes the question of stating the moral or not.  Most of the time, as a storyteller, I prefer to let the audience draw its own conclusions.  In this case while looking at various versions, I saw some strange ways of putting it BUT really liked the way Joseph Jacobs put it in his compact book of The Fables of Aesop.  While some of the versions do a good job of setting up the location of the story, he keeps it simple.  Similarly his version kept to the basics.

My only change to the book's presentation is saving the illustration by Richard Heighway until the end. (It precedes the story in the book.) That link is to an article on The Victorian Web by Simon Cooke which points out Heighway "was one of the lesser known illustrators of the nineteenth century."  While only three books are verified as being his work, even the binding designed by Heighway is described as "a small masterpiece."  I love the little book and, while this particular story omits the decorative title head and tailpiece used for many of the stories, I agree with Doctor Cooke's statement that it is "a faithful treatment of the original text, preserving and extending the sense of fun as the moral lessons are contemplated."

So however you choose to tell the many fables of Aesop, it will be your way and that's "the real thing."
***********************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

Other Public Domain story resources I recommend-

• There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, maybe none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I have long recommended it and continue to do so.  He has loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so you can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression you like by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

• You may have noticed I'm no longer certain Dr. Perez has the largest database, although his offering the Motif Index certainly qualifies for those of us seeking specific types of stories.  There's another site, FairyTalez claiming to be the largest, with "over 2000 fairy tales, folktales, and fables" and they are "fully optimized for phones, tablets, and PCs", free and presented without ads.
  
  Between those two sites, there is much for story-lovers, but as they say in infomercials, "Wait, there's more!"

The email list for storytellers, Storytell, discussed Online Story Sources and came up with these additional suggestions:            

         - David K. Brown - http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html

         - Karen Chace - http://karenchace.blogspot.com/search?q=public+domain

         - Richard Martin - http://www.tellatale.eu/tales_page.html

         - Spirit of Trees - http://spiritoftrees.org/featured-folktales

         - Story-Lovers - http://www.story-lovers.com/ is now only accessible through the Wayback Machine, described below, but Jackie Baldwin's wonderful site lives on there, fully searchable manually (the Google search doesn't work), at https://archive.org/ .  It's not easy, but go to Story-lovers.com snapshot for October 22 2016  and you can click on SOS: Searching Out Stories to scroll down through the many story topics and click on the story topic that interests you.

       - Tim Sheppard - http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html

       - World of Tales - http://www.worldoftales.com/ 
           - Zalka Csenge Virag - http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com doesn't give the actual stories, but her recommendations, working her way through each country on a continent, give excellent ideas for finding new books and stories to love and tell.

     
You're going to find many of the links on these sites have gone down, BUT go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to find some of these old links.  Tim's site, for example, is so huge probably updating it would be a full-time job.  In the case of Story-Lovers, it's great that Jackie Baldwin set it up to stay online as long as it did after she could no longer maintain it.  Possibly searches maintained it.  Unfortunately Storytell list member, Papa Joe is on both Tim Sheppard's site and Story-Lovers, but he no longer maintains his old Papa Joe's Traveling Storytelling Show website and his Library (something you want to see!) is now only on the Wayback Machine.  It took some patience working back through claims of snapshots but finally in December of 2006 it appears!

Somebody as of this writing whose stories can still be found by his website is the late Chuck Larkin - http://chucklarkin.com/stories.html.  I prefer to list these sites by their complete address so they can be found by the Wayback Machine, a.k.a. Archive.org, when that becomes the only way to find them.

You can see why I recommend these to you. Have fun discovering even more stories!

The Iditarod and Aesop - Dog fable - Keeping the Public in Public Domain

This wolf in the lobby of the Potawatomi Inn looks like my Malamutt

 This has been a winter only a sled dog and maybe a musher could love!

This is also the Chinese Year of the Dog and I confess I'm a huge lover of "sled dogs", both malamutes and huskies.  They are the closest to their wolf ancestor.  My current dog is both breeds so I call him a Malamutt, but know he really has the best of both dog breeds.  I get many compliments about him, but when people talk about always wanting to have one, I warn they are not a first dog!  They don't fit everybody and if you made a "sled dog" your first dog it might just be your last.

For those of us who love them, however, no other dog comes close.

Right now the Iditarod is still running and the controversies that pop up every year are running yet again.  Frankly most mushers love their dogs too much to do anything to jeopardize their dogs.  These are dogs who also live to do exactly this and must agree it is indeed up to their humans to recognize when they need to stop.  The Iditarod story began with the 1925 serum run to Nome.  Although Iditarod.com's History page reminds us the current Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race wanted also to prevent the mass abandonment of dog teams and preserve the mushing lore endangered by the "iron dog", the snowmobile.  Because the race is so closely watched for animal safety both by animal rights groups and the Iditarod Trail Committee, the treatment of the dogs is especially monitored and mushers who might dope or mistreat their dogs are unlikely to succeed.

To go into the world of the musher, I recommend Iditarod sled dog racer and three times Newbery Honor Winning author, Gary Paulsen, and his very brief, but thoroughly enjoyable book about how he lives with his dogs in Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers.  The subtitle tells even more: Reflections on Being Raised by a Pack of Sled Dogs.  While looking for a cover to show of the book I discovered he had earlier written Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod.  Nothing like going to the source.  Puppies... is officially a children's book, but it would have fit well in issues of a magazine for adults.  As the cover quote by the New York Times Book Review on the paperback says: Nonstop action.  Winterdance was written for adults.  Hmmm.  If I have time between walks with my own four-pawed trail buddy, I may hunt that book up.  I remember well the madness described in the other book and believe both subtitles.


So how would a wolf perceive all of this?  Aesop, who some say was a Greek slave, has a short, but very different view.  There are so many versions of Aesop and Joseph Jacobs, who was an excellent anthologist and put stories in tellable forms has the version I present here.  It's a compact little book unlike Jacobs' better known works.  Jacobs was also a folklorist and concludes with notes about the "Pedigree of Aesop" with special attention to the Indian fables of Bidpai and the European, especially the Greek and Hebrew, forms.  He would also remind us they were first oral tales written down only centuries later, just as Wikipedia notes of the fables, be they of Aesop or his contemporary, the Buddha, source of the Jatakas.

  For all of us owned by our dogs, may we do our best to give them good lives.

****************************

This is part of a series of postings of stories under the category, "Keeping the Public in Public Domain."  The idea behind Public Domain was to preserve our cultural heritage after the authors and their immediate heirs were compensated.  I feel strongly current copyright law delays this intent on works of the 20th century.  My own library of folklore includes so many books within the Public Domain I decided to share stories from them.  I hope you enjoy discovering new stories.  

At the same time, my own involvement in storytelling regularly creates projects requiring research as part of my sharing stories with an audience.  Whenever that research needs to be shown here, the publishing of Public Domain stories will not occur that week.  This is a return to my regular posting of a research project here.  (Don't worry, this isn't dry research, my research is always geared towards future storytelling to an audience.)  Response has convinced me that "Keeping the Public in Public Domain" should continue along with my other postings as often as I can manage it.

Other Public Domain story resources I recommend-

• There are many online resources for Public Domain stories, maybe none for folklore is as ambitious as fellow storyteller, Yoel Perez's database, Yashpeh, the International Folktales Collection.  I have long recommended it and continue to do so.  He has loaded Stith Thompson's Motif Index into his server as a database so you can search the whole 6 volumes for whatever word or expression you like by pressing one key. http://folkmasa.org/motiv/motif.htm

• You may have noticed I'm no longer certain Dr. Perez has the largest database, although his offering the Motif Index certainly qualifies for those of us seeking specific types of stories.  There's another site, FairyTalez claiming to be the largest, with "over 2000 fairy tales, folktales, and fables" and they are "fully optimized for phones, tablets, and PCs", free and presented without ads.
  
  Between those two sites, there is much for story-lovers, but as they say in infomercials, "Wait, there's more!"

The email list for storytellers, Storytell, discussed Online Story Sources and came up with these additional suggestions:            

         - David K. Brown - http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html

         - Karen Chace - http://karenchace.blogspot.com/search?q=public+domain

         - Richard Martin - http://www.tellatale.eu/tales_page.html

         - Spirit of Trees - http://spiritoftrees.org/featured-folktales

         - Story-Lovers - http://www.story-lovers.com/ is now only accessible through the Wayback Machine, described below, but Jackie Baldwin's wonderful site lives on there, fully searchable manually (the Google search doesn't work), at https://archive.org/ .  It's not easy, but go to Story-lovers.com snapshot for October 22 2016  and you can click on SOS: Searching Out Stories to scroll down through the many story topics and click on the story topic that interests you.

       - Tim Sheppard - http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/storylinks.html

       - World of Tales - http://www.worldoftales.com/ 

     
You're going to find many of the links on these sites have gone down, BUT go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to find some of these old links.  Tim's site, for example, is so huge probably updating it would be a full-time job.  In the case of Story-Lovers, it's great that Jackie Baldwin set it up to stay online as long as it did after she could no longer maintain it.  Possibly searches maintained it.  Unfortunately Storytell list member, Papa Joe is on both Tim Sheppard's site and Story-Lovers, but he no longer maintains his old Papa Joe's Traveling Storytelling Show website and his Library (something you want to see!) is now only on the Wayback Machine.  It took some patience working back through claims of snapshots but finally in December of 2006 it appears!

Somebody as of this writing whose stories can still be found by his website is the late Chuck Larkin - http://chucklarkin.com/stories.html.  I prefer to list these sites by their complete address so they can be found by the Wayback Machine, a.k.a. Archive.org, when that becomes the only way to find them.

You can see why I recommend these to you. Have fun discovering even more stories!