Section 113
The Eagle and the Arrow explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
An Eagle sat perched on a lofty rock, keeping a sharp look-out for prey. A huntsman, concealed in a cleft of the mountain and on the watch for game, spied him there and shot an Arrow at him. The shaft struck him full in the breast and pierced him through and through. As he lay in the agonies...
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Public-domain original
An Eagle sat perched on a lofty rock, keeping a sharp look-out for
prey. A huntsman, concealed in a cleft of the mountain and on the
watch for game, spied him there and shot an Arrow at him. The shaft
struck him full in the breast and pierced him through and through. As
he lay in the agonies of death, he turned his eyes upon the Arrow.
"Ah! cruel fate!" he cried, "that I should perish thus: but oh! fate
more cruel still, that the Arrow which kills me should be winged with
an Eagle's feathers!"
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
An eagle is killed by an arrow feathered with eagle feathers.
Why this scene matters
This fable shows the special pain of being harmed by something that came from oneself or one’s own group.
Characters in this scene
- Eagle: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Arrow: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
An eagle sees that the arrow killing him is winged with eagle feathers. His own kind helped make the weapon fly.