The Bat, the Birds and the Beasts
- 2 minute read
- Ages 7-11
- Aesop's Fables
There was a long war between the birds and the beasts, and for months neither side could win it.
The birds attacked from the air. The beasts held the ground. Battles were fought and nothing was settled, and the war dragged on.
Whichever side is winning
The bat did not join either army.
He was a difficult case anyway. He had wings like a bird and fur and teeth like a beast, and he had never quite belonged to either.
So he waited.
When the birds seemed to be winning, he went to the birds.
"Look at me," he said, spreading his wings. "Wings. I am one of you."
And the birds looked at his wings and let him in.
Then the beasts won a battle and the balance shifted, and the bat quietly left the birds and presented himself to the beasts.
"Look at me," he said, showing his teeth. "Fur. Teeth. No feathers anywhere. I am one of you."
And the beasts looked, and agreed, and let him in.
He went back and forth like that for the whole war, always arriving on the winning side a day or two before it became obvious who the winning side was.
Peace
Then the war ended.
The birds and the beasts made peace, and there was a gathering to mark it, and both armies came together in one place for the first time.
And there they compared notes.
The birds described a small furred creature with wings who had joined them and left. The beasts described the same creature arriving with his teeth showing. It did not take long.
The bat was called forward and told he belonged to neither side, and that neither side wanted him, and that he was to leave and not come back.
So he went.
And that is why the bat sleeps through the day, when the birds are about, and comes out only after dark, when the beasts are asleep, and why he lives in caves and hollow trees and belongs nowhere at all.
Moral of the story
Take no side and eventually no side takes you. Loyalty is not something you can put on and take off depending on who is winning.
Questions and answers
- Why did the bat not join either army?
He had wings like a bird and fur and teeth like a beast, so he could claim to belong to either side and waited to see who would win.
- How did the bat convince the birds to accept him?
He spread his wings and pointed out that wings made him one of them.
- How did he convince the beasts?
He showed his fur and teeth and pointed out that he had no feathers.
- What happened when the war ended?
The birds and beasts met together, compared what had happened, and realised the bat had joined both sides repeatedly.
- How does the fable explain the bat's habits?
It says the bat was cast out by both sides, which is why he sleeps by day, flies at night and lives alone in caves and hollow trees.
Word meanings
- beasts
- Animals, especially large four-legged ones.
- balance
- The way strength is shared between two sides.
- presented himself
- Went to someone and offered to join them.
- loyalty
- Staying faithful to a person or group.
Questions about The Bat, the Birds and the Beasts
What is the moral of The Bat, the Birds and the Beasts?
The moral is that people who switch sides for advantage end up trusted by nobody. Being on everyone's side means being on no one's.
Is this fable an origin story?
Yes, partly. Like many fables it explains a natural fact, in this case why bats are nocturnal and live apart from other animals.
Is the bat's behaviour understandable?
Somewhat. He genuinely belonged to neither group, and the fable lets you feel that. What it condemns is choosing a side by who is winning.
What discussion does this fable open?
It is a good way into talking about friendship groups at school and what it means to stay loyal to someone when it is not convenient.