The Hares and the Frogs
- 2 minute read
- Ages 6-10
- Aesop's Fables
The hares had decided that their lives were unbearable.
Everything hunted them. Dogs, foxes, eagles, men with nets. They could not eat without watching, could not sleep properly, could not cross open ground without running. Every noise in the grass meant something.
One evening they gathered on the hillside and talked it through, and they came to a conclusion.
There was no creature on earth more frightened than a hare, and no life more miserable, and it would be better to end it than go on.
Down to the lake
So they set off together, all of them, down the slope towards the lake, having agreed to drown themselves in it.
They came over the last rise and down through the reeds at the water's edge, a great crowd of hares moving fast through the grass.
And the frogs, who had been sitting all along the bank in the evening sun, heard something enormous coming towards them and panicked.
Every frog on that bank went into the water at once, in one great splash, and vanished.
The oldest hare
The hares stopped at the edge.
They stood there looking at the empty bank and the rings spreading across the water.
The oldest hare among them turned round to the others.
"Wait," he said. "Look at that. There is something in the world that is frightened of us."
Nobody said anything for a moment.
"We are not the most miserable creatures alive after all," he said. "We only thought we were, because we had never looked at anyone else."
And they went back up the hill.
Moral of the story
However bad your situation, you are not looking at all of it. There is almost always someone whose position is harder than yours.
Questions and answers
- Why did the hares think their lives were unbearable?
Everything hunted them, so they could never eat, sleep or move about without fear.
- What did the hares decide to do?
To go down to the lake together and drown themselves.
- What happened when they reached the bank?
The frogs sitting there heard them coming, panicked, and all leapt into the water at once.
- What did the oldest hare realise?
That there was a creature in the world frightened of hares, so hares were not the most fearful animals after all.
- What changed the hares' minds?
Seeing their own situation from outside. Nothing about their lives changed; only their comparison did.
Word meanings
- unbearable
- Too difficult or painful to put up with.
- reeds
- Tall thin plants growing at the edge of water.
- panicked
- Became suddenly and uncontrollably frightened.
- miserable
- Very unhappy or uncomfortable.
Questions about The Hares and the Frogs
What is the moral of The Hares and the Frogs?
The moral is that misery often comes from comparison, and that seeing someone worse off can change how your own situation looks without changing the situation itself.
Is this fable suitable for children?
Ages six and above. The hares' plan is stated plainly but nothing happens, and the fable turns immediately into a hopeful one.
Why do the frogs jump in the water?
Frogs escape into water when startled. A large group of hares moving through the reeds would sound like a serious threat.
What is a good discussion question?
Ask whether the hares' lives actually got any better, and whether feeling better about something counts as fixing it.