Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox explained
A sick Lion receives visits from all the beasts except the Fox.
What happens
A sick Lion receives visits from all the beasts except the Fox. The Wolf seizes the chance to accuse the Fox of neglect, but the Fox arrives and claims he was seeking a cure. He prescribes flaying a wolf and wearing its warm skin, prompting the Lion to kill the Wolf. The Fox reflects that stirring up ill-will leads to one's own downfall.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Deception
The Fox uses a false cure to trick the Lion into killing the Wolf, demonstrating how cleverness can turn a threat into victory.
Justice and Consequence
The Wolf's attempt to harm the Fox backfires, leading to his own death, illustrating that ill intentions often bring about one's own downfall.
Characters to notice
- The Lion
Infirm with age, lying sick in his den; easily provoked by the Wolf's accusation and quick to act on the Fox's prescription.
- The Wolf
Tries to pay off old scores by accusing the Fox of neglect; ends up killed by the Lion as a result of the Fox's cunning cure.
- The Fox
Absent from the initial gathering; cleverly defends himself by claiming to seek a cure, then manipulates the Lion into killing the Wolf.
Key passages
“The Wolf thought this was a good opportunity for paying off old scores against the Fox, so he called the attention of the Lion to his absence, and said, 'You see, sire, that we have all come to see how you are except the Fox, who hasn’t come near you, and doesn’t care whether you are well or ill.'”
The Wolf saw a chance to settle a grudge by pointing out to the Lion that the Fox had not visited him.
The Wolf's accusation sets the conflict in motion.
“Not one of them cares for you so much as I, sire, for all the time I have been going round to the doctors and trying to find a cure for your illness.”
The Fox claims he cares more than anyone because he has been searching for a remedy.
The Fox's clever excuse deflects blame and builds trust.
“That’s what comes of stirring up ill-will.”
The Fox remarks that causing trouble for others leads to trouble for oneself.
The moral of the fable, emphasizing the consequence of malicious intent.