Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow explained
An Eagle nests at the top of a tree, a Cat lives in a hollow in the trunk, and a Wild Sow resides at the foot.
What happens
An Eagle nests at the top of a tree, a Cat lives in a hollow in the trunk, and a Wild Sow resides at the foot. The Cat, using cunning and deception, convinces the Eagle that the Sow plans to uproot the tree, and then tells the Sow that the Eagle intends to steal her piglets. Both become too terrified to leave their homes, and they and their families starve, providing food for the Cat and her kittens.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Deception
The Cat uses lies to manipulate both the Eagle and the Sow, leading to their downfall.
Appearance vs. Reality
The Cat feigns fear and hides by day, while secretly thriving at night, contrasting her harmless appearance with her destructive actions.
Characters to notice
- The Eagle
Nests at the top of the tree; falls prey to the Cat's lies and starves.
- The Cat
The cunning instigator who deceives both the Eagle and the Sow for her own gain.
- The Wild Sow
Lives at the foot of the tree; tricked by the Cat into fearing the Eagle.
Key passages
“They might have got on very well as neighbours had it not been for the evil cunning of the Cat.”
The three families could have lived peacefully together if the Cat had not used her wicked cleverness to cause trouble.
Highlights the Cat's role as the source of conflict.
“Having thus driven the Eagle almost out of her senses with terror, the Cat climbed down the tree, and said to the Sow, 'I must warn you against that dreadful bird, the Eagle.'”
After terrifying the Eagle, the Cat went to the Sow and falsely warned her about the Eagle's intentions.
Shows the Cat's method of spreading fear through lies.
“Only by night did she creep out unseen to procure food for her kittens.”
The Cat only left her hiding place at night, secretly gathering food for her young.
Emphasizes the Cat's deceptive behavior and hidden actions.