Section 108
The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Lion and a Bear were fighting for possession of a kid, which they had both seized at the same moment. The battle was long and fierce, and at length both of them were exhausted, and lay upon the ground severely wounded and gasping for breath. A Fox had all the time been prowling round and watching the...
Read full original text in reading mode
Public-domain original
A Lion and a Bear were fighting for possession of a kid, which they
had both seized at the same moment. The battle was long and fierce,
and at length both of them were exhausted, and lay upon the ground
severely wounded and gasping for breath. A Fox had all the time been
prowling round and watching the fight: and when he saw the combatants
lying there too weak to move, he slipped in and seized the kid, and
ran off with it. They looked on helplessly, and one said to the other,
"Here we've been mauling each other all this while, and no one the
better for it except the Fox!"
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A lion and bear fight over prey until a fox takes it.
Why this scene matters
This fable shows how fighting over a prize can let a third party win it.
Characters in this scene
- Lion: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Bear: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Fox: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
The lion and bear exhaust each other in battle. A fox walks away with the food they both wanted.