The Stag at the Pool
- 2 minute read
- Ages 7-11
- Aesop's Fables
A stag came down to a still pool in the forest to drink, and saw himself in the water.
He stopped drinking and looked.
Antlers and legs
His antlers were magnificent. They came up off his head in a great branching crown, and he turned his head slowly one way and then the other to see them from both sides.
"Look at those," he said. "There is not a finer head in this forest."
Then his eye travelled down to his own legs, and his opinion changed at once.
"And then these," he said. "Thin as sticks. Bony. Ugly. Why should a creature with a crown like mine be standing on legs like these?"
He was still saying it when he heard the dogs.
The chase
They came into the trees behind him and he ran.
And his legs, which he had been ashamed of a moment earlier, took him across the open ground faster than the dogs could follow. He crossed the whole clearing and left the noise far behind him, and he was almost safe.
Then he went into the thicket, where the trees grew close.
His antlers caught in the branches.
He pulled and they held. He twisted and they held harder. He was still fighting to get his head free when the dogs came through the undergrowth behind him.
Moral of the story
We admire what looks good and dismiss what actually serves us. The stag's legs saved him and his crown killed him.
Questions and answers
- What did the stag see in the pool?
His own reflection, including his large branching antlers and his thin legs.
- Which part of himself did he admire?
His antlers, which he thought made him the finest-looking stag in the forest.
- Which part did he dislike?
His legs, which he thought were thin, bony and ugly.
- What saved him from the dogs?
His legs, which carried him faster than the dogs could run.
- What caused his death?
His antlers, which caught in the branches of a thicket and trapped him.
Word meanings
- stag
- A male deer, which has antlers.
- antlers
- The branching horns on a deer's head.
- magnificent
- Very impressive and beautiful.
- thicket
- An area where bushes and small trees grow close together.
Questions about The Stag at the Pool
What is the moral of The Stag at the Pool?
The moral is that we value appearance over usefulness. The stag despised the legs that saved him and admired the antlers that trapped him.
Is the ending shown in detail?
No. The fable stops at the moment the dogs arrive, so nothing violent appears on the page.
Why do stags have antlers if they are dangerous?
In nature antlers are used for fighting rivals and attracting mates. The fable uses them to make a point rather than to describe deer accurately.
What is a good discussion question?
Ask children what quality of their own they find least interesting, and whether it might be the most useful one they have.