The Golden Ass · Chapter
XXXIV explained
The shepherds stop in a wood to tend their wounds.
What happens
The shepherds stop in a wood to tend their wounds. An old shepherd warns them away, then a second old man tricks them into sending a young man into a thicket, where he is devoured by a dragon. The shepherds flee the cursed place.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
The second old man feigns grief to lure a shepherd into a trap, where a dragon awaits.
Violence and Cruelty
The young shepherd is devoured by a dragon, and the first old shepherd's cryptic warning hints at the region's deadly nature.
Characters to notice
- Lucius
Lucius is present as the ass among the shepherds, witnessing the events in the wood.
Key passages
“Do you look for any meat or drink, or any other refection here? Know you not in what place you be?”
The old shepherd rebukes them for seeking food, implying the place is dangerous.
This warning foreshadows the peril that follows.
“Alas masters I pray you succor me miserable caitiff, and restore my nephew to me again, that by following a sparrow that flew before him, is fallen into a ditch hereby, and verily I think he is in danger of death.”
A second old man begs for help, claiming his nephew has fallen into a ditch while chasing a sparrow.
This is a ruse to lure a shepherd into the dragon's lair.
“they saw a terrible dragon eating and devouring their companion: and as for the old man, he could see him in no place.”
The searcher finds the young shepherd being eaten by a dragon, and the old man has vanished.
The deception is revealed, and the shepherds realize the danger.