Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Lion, the Fox, and the Stag explained
A sick Lion, unable to hunt, enlists the Fox to trick a Stag into coming to his den.
What happens
A sick Lion, unable to hunt, enlists the Fox to trick a Stag into coming to his den. The Fox flatters the Stag with news of his supposed succession to the throne, luring him to the Lion's den. The Stag narrowly escapes after the Lion's failed attack, but the Fox persuades him to return, claiming the Lion meant no harm. The Stag is killed and devoured, and the Fox steals the brains, remarking that a creature foolish enough to enter a lion's den twice cannot have any.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Deception
The Fox uses flattery and false promises to trick the Stag into the Lion's den, demonstrating how deceit can exploit vanity and trust.
Wisdom and Foolishness
The Stag's repeated gullibility highlights the folly of ignoring clear danger, while the Fox's theft of the brains underscores the lack of wisdom in the victim.
Characters to notice
- The Lion
Lies sick in his den and uses the Fox to trick the Stag into becoming his meal.
- The Fox
Acts as the Lion's cunning agent, twice deceiving the Stag with flattery and false promises, and ultimately steals the Stag's brains.
- The Stag
Foolishly falls for the Fox's flattery twice, first escaping with torn ears, then returning to be killed and eaten.
Key passages
“My good friend, I wish you would go to yonder wood and beguile the big Stag, who lives there, to come to my den: I have a fancy to make my dinner off a stag's heart and brains.”
The Lion asks the Fox to trick the Stag into coming to his den so he can eat its heart and brains.
The Lion's request sets the plot of deception in motion.
“I don't think it's much use your looking for the brains: a creature who twice walked into a Lion's den can't have got any.”
The Fox tells the Lion that searching for the brains is pointless because a creature foolish enough to enter a lion's den twice could not have had any brains to begin with.
The Fox's final remark delivers the moral about the Stag's foolishness.