Household Tales · Chapter
The Fox and the Horse explained
A peasant abandons his old, faithful horse, telling him he can only stay if he brings back a lion.
What happens
A peasant abandons his old, faithful horse, telling him he can only stay if he brings back a lion. The fox helps the horse trick the lion into being tied to the horse's tail, and the horse drags the lion to his master's door. The master then takes the horse back and treats him well for the rest of his life.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The horse's long service and fidelity are ultimately rewarded when he is taken back, while the master's initial greed and ingratitude are corrected.
Greed and Its Downfall
The lion's greed for an easy meal leads him into a trap, and the master's initial greed in discarding the horse is reversed when he sees the lion.
Characters to notice
- the servant
The horse, a faithful servant who is cast out when old and weak.
- the master
The peasant who drives the horse away but later takes him back after seeing the lion.
- old Mr. Fox
The clever fox who devises the plan to help the horse.
Key passages
“A peasant had a faithful horse which had grown old and could do no more work, so his master would no longer give him anything to eat and said, “I can certainly make no more use of thee, but still I mean well by thee; if thou provest thyself still strong enough to bring me a lion here, I will maintain thee, but now take thyself away out of my stable,””
A farmer owned a loyal horse that was too old to work. The master refused to feed it and said, 'I can't use you anymore, but I'll be fair: if you can bring me a lion, I'll keep you. Otherwise, leave my stable.' Then he drove the horse away.
The master sets an impossible condition, revealing his true intention to get rid of the horse.
“Then the fox met him and said, “Why dost thou hang thy head so, and go about all alone?” “Alas,” replied the horse, “avarice and fidelity do not dwell together in one house. My master has forgotten what services I have performed for him for so many years, and because I can no longer plough well, he will give me no more food, and has driven me out.””
The fox found the horse and asked why he looked so sad and lonely. The horse answered, 'Greed and loyalty cannot live together. My master forgot all my years of service and threw me out because I can no longer plow well.'
The horse articulates the central conflict between loyalty and selfishness.
“But the fox tied the lion’s legs together with the horse’s tail, and twisted and fastened all so well and so strongly that no strength could break it. When he had finished his work, he tapped the horse on the shoulder and said, “Pull, white horse, pull.” Then up sprang the horse at once, and drew the lion away with him.”
The fox bound the lion's legs tightly with the horse's tail, making it impossible to break free. Then he tapped the horse and said, 'Pull, white horse, pull!' The horse immediately jumped up and dragged the lion along.
The fox's clever trick turns the lion into the horse's captive, reversing the power dynamic.