Section 265
The Horse and the Stag explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
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There was once a Horse who used to graze in a meadow which he had all to himself. But one day a Stag came into the meadow, and said he had as good a right to feed there as the Horse, and moreover chose all the best places for himself. The Horse, wishing to be revenged upon his...
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Public-domain original
There was once a Horse who used to graze in a meadow which he had all
to himself. But one day a Stag came into the meadow, and said he had
as good a right to feed there as the Horse, and moreover chose all the
best places for himself. The Horse, wishing to be revenged upon his
unwelcome visitor, went to a man and asked if he would help him to
turn out the Stag. "Yes," said the man, "I will by all means; but I
can only do so if you let me put a bridle in your mouth and mount on
your back." The Horse agreed to this, and the two together very soon
turned the Stag out of the pasture: but when that was done, the Horse
found to his dismay that in the man he had got a master for good.
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
There was once a Horse who used to graze in a meadow which he had all to himself.
Why this scene matters
This fable matters because it turns a common human habit into a short lesson about judgment and consequences.
Characters in this scene
- The Horse: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
- The Stag: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
Simple story version
There was once a Horse who used to graze in a meadow which he had all to himself. But one day a Stag came into the meadow, and said he had as good a right to feed there as the Horse, and moreover chose all the best places for himself.