58. Aesop. (The Master Story Teller)

The stories of this master story teller have been translated into almost all the languages in the world and are known for their interesting content and educative value. Aesop was supposed to be a slave. In these stories he made fun of human folds and weaknesses by using animals as the characters. Most of them have  a moral for the readers. His stories like the “Sour Grapes”, “The line and the rat” are read with interest not only by children but adults as well. Animals have been used in the stories of “Pabchatantra” and “ Hitopadesh” in India. These stories must have reached the western world and Aesop would have adapted them. It I said that his stories fascinated the ruler of Greece, Croesus so much that he freed Aesop.

The personality and period of Aesop is a matter of controversy. Some believe that he was born in a family of slaves in Greece in 620 B. C. Being a slave, he had no education. He had a philosophical bent of mind and spun interesting tales. It is said that his critics accused him of sealing a gold cup from a temple and he was sentenced to death. It is presumed that he died in 560 B.C.



Even after passing of twenty –five centuries, Aesop’s tales are still relevant and acceptable. His stories were collected and preserved for posterity by a monkd name Maximes Planuday.