Section 147
The Escaped Jackdaw explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Man caught a Jackdaw and tied a piece of string to one of its legs, and then gave it to his children for a pet. But the Jackdaw didn't at all like having to live with people; so, after a while, when he seemed to have become fairly tame and they didn't watch him so closely, he...
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Public-domain original
A Man caught a Jackdaw and tied a piece of string to one of its legs,
and then gave it to his children for a pet. But the Jackdaw didn't at
all like having to live with people; so, after a while, when he seemed
to have become fairly tame and they didn't watch him so closely, he
slipped away and flew back to his old haunts. Unfortunately, the
string was still on his leg, and before long it got entangled in the
branches of a tree and the Jackdaw couldn't get free, try as he would.
He saw it was all up with him, and cried in despair, "Alas, in gaining
my freedom I have lost my life."
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A pet jackdaw escapes but cannot survive safely outside.
Why this scene matters
This fable shows that freedom without preparation can become another danger.
Characters in this scene
- Escaped Jackdaw: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A jackdaw escapes his owner and joins wild birds. The marker on him and his tame habits make life difficult.