fables

Fables are short, didactic narratives that aim to teach a moral or practical lesson. They typically feature anthropomorphized animals or, less commonly, inanimate objects that act and speak like humans, placing characters in situations that reveal patterns of conduct. Fables often conclude with an explicit moral or maxim.

The form has ancient roots. The best-known early collection is Aesop's Fables from ancient Greece, dating to the 6th century BCE. Similar traditions appeared in India with the Panchatantra and Hitopadesha, and Buddhist literature with the Jataka tales. Other cultures developed their own fables, and the genre was widely adapted in medieval and early modern Europe, becoming a staple of children's literature.

Typical plots are compact and revolve around a conflict and its consequence, with animal characters serving as allegorical stand-ins for human traits such as pride, deceit, or generosity. Many fables reach a verdict in a single scene or a closing line introducing the moral.

Fables are distinct from parables, which usually involve human protagonists and often a religious or ethical aim, and from fairy tales, which foreground magical elements and adventure. Today they persist in education, literature, and media as tools for illustrating ethical and social lessons.