# Pride Goeth Before a Fall explained — Indian Fairy Tales

> Chapter companion for Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.

## What happens

This chapter explores the theme of pride leading to downfall through various folktales, including a story about a crane that deceives fish and is ultimately killed by a crab, and a tale of a talkative tortoise who falls to his death after being carried by ducks. The chapter emphasizes the dangers of arrogance and the consequences of overreaching.

## Themes in this chapter

### Cunning and Wisdom

The crane uses cunning to deceive the fish, but the crab's wisdom leads to the crane's downfall.

### Greed and Its Consequences

The crane's greed for eating all the fish results in its own death.

## Character check-ins

### The Crane Bodhisatta

The crane who deceives and eats the fish, representing cunning and pride.

### Rohu

The Rohu fish who is deceived by the crane.

### The Talkative Tortoise

The tortoise who cannot resist speaking and falls to his death.

## Key lines

> Pride Goeth Before a Fall

Arrogance leads to one's downfall.

_The central moral of the chapter, illustrated by the crane and tortoise stories._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/indian_fairy_tales_se/chapters/xviii-pride-goeth-before-a-fall
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/indian_fairy_tales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/indian_fairy_tales_se/chapters