Section 136
The Wolf and the Crane explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Wolf once got a bone stuck in his throat. So he went to a Crane and begged her to put her long bill down his throat and pull it out. "I'll make it worth your while," he added. The Crane did as she was asked, and got the bone out quite easily. The Wolf thanked her warmly,...
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Public-domain original
A Wolf once got a bone stuck in his throat. So he went to a Crane and
begged her to put her long bill down his throat and pull it out. "I'll
make it worth your while," he added. The Crane did as she was asked,
and got the bone out quite easily. The Wolf thanked her warmly, and
was just turning away, when she cried, "What about that fee of mine?"
"Well, what about it?" snapped the Wolf, baring his teeth as he spoke;
"you can go about boasting that you once put your head into a Wolf's
mouth and didn't get it bitten off. What more do you want?"
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A crane saves a wolf from choking but receives no reward.
Why this scene matters
This fable warns that helping the wicked may bring no gratitude.
Characters in this scene
- Wolf: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Crane: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A crane pulls a bone from a wolf’s throat. The wolf says the crane’s reward is being allowed to live.