Section 104

The Ox and the Frog explained simply

Aesop's Fables by Aesop

Original excerpt

Excerpt preview

Two little Frogs were playing about at the edge of a pool when an Ox came down to the water to drink, and by accident trod on one of them and crushed the life out of him. When the old Frog missed him, she asked his brother where he was. "He is dead, mother," said the little Frog;...
Read full original text in reading mode

Public-domain original

Two little Frogs were playing about at the edge of a pool when an Ox came down to the water to drink, and by accident trod on one of them and crushed the life out of him. When the old Frog missed him, she asked his brother where he was. "He is dead, mother," said the little Frog; "an enormous big creature with four legs came to our pool this morning and trampled him down in the mud." "Enormous, was he? Was he as big as this?" said the Frog, puffing herself out to look as big as possible. "Oh! yes, _much_ bigger," was the answer. The Frog puffed herself out still more. "Was he as big as this?" said she. "Oh! yes, yes, mother, _MUCH_ bigger," said the little Frog. And yet again she puffed and puffed herself out till she was almost as round as a ball. "As big as...?" she began--but then she burst.

Public-domain original text shown for study context.

What happens here

A frog tries to swell herself as large as an ox and bursts.

Why this scene matters

This fable warns against destructive envy and impossible comparison.

Characters in this scene

  • Ox: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
  • the Frog: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.

Simple story version

A frog sees an ox and tries to become that large. She keeps swelling until she bursts.