Section 71
The Swollen Fox explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A hungry Fox found in a hollow tree a quantity of bread and meat, which some shepherds had placed there against their return. Delighted with his find he slipped in through the narrow aperture and greedily devoured it all. But when he tried to get out again he found himself so swollen after his big meal that he...
Read full original text in reading mode
Public-domain original
A hungry Fox found in a hollow tree a quantity of bread and meat,
which some shepherds had placed there against their return. Delighted
with his find he slipped in through the narrow aperture and greedily
devoured it all. But when he tried to get out again he found himself
so swollen after his big meal that he could not squeeze through the
hole, and fell to whining and groaning over his misfortune. Another
Fox, happening to p that way, came and asked him what the matter
was; and, on learning the state of the case, said, "Well, my friend, I
see nothing for it but for you to stay where you are till you shrink
to your former size; you'll get out then easily enough."
Public-domain original text shown for study context. Underlined terms can be tapped for simple reader notes.
What happens here
A hungry fox eats too much in a hollow tree and cannot get back out.
Why this scene matters
This fable warns that greed can trap someone after the pleasure is gone.
Characters in this scene
- Swollen Fox: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A fox squeezes into a tree for food and overeats. He becomes too swollen to escape until he grows thin again.