Section 111
The Man and the Satyr explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Man and a became friends, and determined to live together. All went well for a while, until one day in winter-time the Satyr saw the Man blowing on his hands. "Why do you do that?" he asked. "To warm my hands," said the Man. That same day, when they sat down to supper together, they each...
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Public-domain original
A Man and a became friends, and determined to live together. All
went well for a while, until one day in winter-time the Satyr saw the
Man blowing on his hands. "Why do you do that?" he asked. "To warm
my hands," said the Man. That same day, when they sat down to supper
together, they each had a steaming hot bowl of porridge, and the Man
raised his bowl to his mouth and blew on it. "Why do you do that?"
asked the Satyr. "To cool my porridge," said the Man. The Satyr got up
from the table. "Good-bye," said he, "I'm going: I can't be friends
with a man who blows hot and cold with the same breath."
Public-domain original text shown for study context. Underlined terms can be tapped for simple reader notes.
What happens here
A satyr distrusts a man who uses the same breath to warm and cool.
Why this scene matters
This fable warns against trusting people whose actions seem contradictory or double-sided.
Characters in this scene
- Man: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Satyr: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A man blows on his hands to warm them and on food to cool it. The satyr decides he cannot trust one mouth used in opposite ways.