Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Goatherd and the Wild Goats explained
A Goatherd tends his flock and welcomes a group of Wild Goats, feeding them generously while starving his own goats in hopes of keeping the newcomers.
What happens
A Goatherd tends his flock and welcomes a group of Wild Goats, feeding them generously while starving his own goats in hopes of keeping the newcomers. When the Wild Goats escape at the first opportunity, they explain that his preferential treatment warned them he would likely abandon them for any future arrivals.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Deception
The Goatherd's plan to win the Wild Goats' loyalty through excessive feeding backfires, as the Wild Goats see through his strategy.
Wisdom and Foolishness
The Wild Goats demonstrate wisdom by recognizing that the Goatherd's favoritism signals future neglect, while the Goatherd's foolishness costs him both his own goats and the newcomers.
Characters to notice
- The Goatherd
Tends his goats and tries to keep Wild Goats by overfeeding them, but loses them due to his own strategy.
- The Goat
One of the Wild Goats who explains the reason for their escape, highlighting the lesson about preferential treatment.
Key passages
“If you treat newcomers like ourselves so much better than your own flock, it’s more than likely that, if another lot of strange goats joined yours, we should then be neglected in favour of the last comers.”
If you favor strangers over your own, you'll likely abandon them for the next arrivals.
The Wild Goat explains the folly of the Goatherd's strategy, illustrating the theme of wisdom and foolishness.