Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Owl and the Birds explained
The wise Owl warns the Birds three times about future dangers—an oak sprout that will grow mistletoe for birdlime, flax seed that will become nets, and an archer who will use their own feathers for arrows—but they dismiss her as mad.
What happens
The wise Owl warns the Birds three times about future dangers—an oak sprout that will grow mistletoe for birdlime, flax seed that will become nets, and an archer who will use their own feathers for arrows—but they dismiss her as mad. When her predictions come true, they seek her counsel, but she now refuses to advise them, brooding on their folly.
Themes in this chapter
Wisdom and Foolishness
The Owl's wise warnings are scorned by the Birds, who later realize their foolishness but find the Owl no longer willing to advise.
Pride and Folly
The Birds' pride in dismissing the Owl's counsel leads to their downfall, highlighting the folly of ignoring prudent advice.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“The Owl is a very wise bird; and once, long ago, when the first oak sprouted in the forest, she called all the other Birds together and said to them, 'You see this tiny tree? If you take my advice, you will destroy it now when it is small: for when it grows big, the mistletoe will appear upon it, from which birdlime will be prepared for your destruction.'”
The Owl, known for her wisdom, gathered the Birds when the first oak sprouted and urged them to destroy it immediately, warning that it would eventually produce mistletoe used to make birdlime to trap them.
The Owl's first warning about the oak and mistletoe.
“Again, when the first flax was sown, she said to them, 'Go and eat up that seed, for it is the seed of the flax, out of which men will one day make nets to catch you.'”
When flax was first planted, the Owl advised the Birds to eat the seeds before they could grow into flax used for making nets to capture them.
The Owl's second warning about flax seeds and nets.
“Once more, when she saw the first archer, she warned the Birds that he was their deadly enemy, who would wing his arrows with their own feathers and shoot them.”
Upon seeing the first archer, the Owl cautioned the Birds that he would use their own feathers to fletch arrows and kill them.
The Owl's third warning about the archer and feathered arrows.
“But they took no notice of what she said: in fact, they thought she was rather mad, and laughed at her.”
The Birds ignored her, dismissing her as crazy and mocking her.
The Birds' initial reaction of scorn and laughter.
“When, however, everything turned out as she had foretold, they changed their minds and conceived a great respect for her wisdom.”
After her predictions came true, the Birds reversed their opinion and developed deep respect for her foresight.
The Birds' belated recognition of the Owl's wisdom.
“She, however, gives them advice no longer, but sits moping and pondering on the folly of her kind.”
But the Owl now refuses to offer any more advice, instead brooding silently on the foolishness of the Birds.
The Owl's final withdrawal from advising the Birds.