By Nicoline Huijbrechts

Everybody knows fables, the little tales about (usually ) animals containing a moral. These fables can be used to teach moral truths to not only children, but also to adults. One of the definitions of the Oxford Englisch Dictionary (2023, Sense 2) is as follows: “A short story devised to convey some useful lesson; esp. one in which animals or inanimate things are the speakers or actors.” This definition is not universal, as fables are defined by Theon and Aphthonius in Antiquity as a fictional story, which is an image or allegory of the truth (Adrados 1999, 23). Furthermore, the genre ‘fable’ is an old one, as the earliest collection we know of, the collection of Demetrius of Phalerum, is dated to the end of the fourth century before Christ (Adrados 1999, 3). Since fables are mainly used nowadays as an educational tool for teaching moral lessons to children, it would be interesting to look at the possible educational purposes of fables in Antiquity. Were they used for educational purposes, and if so, how?

The function of the fable

Quintilian (1^st century AD) gives a strong indication for the use of fables for educational purposes in his Insitution Oratione (1.9.2, Russell): Aesopi fabellas […]narrare sermone puro et nihil se supra modum extollente, deinde eandem gracilitatem stilo exigere condiscant [‘Let them learn to tell Aesop’s fables in pure and unpretentious language; then let them achieve the same slender elegance in a written version’]. In other words, the students learned to paraphrase Aesop’s fables and to write them down elegantly. These fables therefore played an important role in educating the students, not only for teaching moral truths, but they also functioned as writing exercises and as an introduction to the ancient culture (Krümmerling-Meibauer, 2006). As such, fables were used for multiple purposes in Antiquity.

The fable of the donkey

P.Leid.Inst I 5 is an example of a papyrus with a fable that was used for educational purposes. Though the papyrus is broken away on both sides, the words καί ὄνος [‘and (the) donkey’] are clearly legible on the second line. Thus we know that the main characters of the papyrus are a donkey along with another animal, probably a lion. On the fourth line the papyrus reads ἐκ τῆς ἄγρας [‘of the hunt’] from which the conclusion can be drawn that the donkey is participating in a hunt. Furthermore, in lines 7-8 the words δευτ[έραν] and τρίτης  [the ‘second’ and ‘third’ (share)] can be found, which helps us establish that the fable concerns the division of the loot. Through these elements, the fable has been connected to a fable also found in works of Barbius (2^nd century), Phaedrus (1^st century) and Ignatius Diaconus (8^th century). Though these fables are very similar, there are variations between them. Babrius, for example, writes that the lion and the donkey go on a hunt, after which the lion claims the spoils, despite the spoils being divided into three shares (Delagodo 2007, 323). In the version of Phaedrus, however, the donkey is absent. Instead, there are three other animals and the lion is the one without a share, despite the spoils being divided in four shares. Because, as stated by Quintilian, students were instructed to paraphrase the fables, the various versions of this fable may indicate the use of the fable for educational purposes. It is probable, therefore, that is P.Leid.Inst I 5 is such a school papyrus containing a paraphrase of this fable.

Teacher’s comments

A second clue for the use of fables in education is visible on the school papyri themselves, since the way that the papyri were written shows that the fables were used in all years of education (Laes 2006, 899). This can also be seen on P.Leid.Inst I 5. Cribiori (1996, 239) states that the oblique strokes above some of the letters indicate that the fable was used as a reading exercise, since the strokes were used to indicate new words. Also, P.Leid.Inst I 5 starts with the words ἀχαθῇ τύχῃ [’good luck’]. These words can be read as a good luck wish put by the teacher at the top of the papyrus (Daniel 1991, 8). These ‘good luck wishes’ have also been found on other papyri related to education (Cribiori 1996, 239).

Besides P.Leid.Inst I 5, more papyri with fables are found that were probably used in education. One of these is Mper n.s. III xxx. This fable is about a weasel who tries to lure a mouse out of its hidey-hole (Oellacher et al. 1939, 51). This fable is described as an ‘Schulübnung,’ a school exercise in Oellacher’s edition, based on the form of the writing, the language and the content (Oellacher et al. 1939, 51). Clearly multiple fables all with different main characters, were used for educational purposes in antiquity.

Conclusion

In short, fables were used in Antiquity in multiple ways, since they were used as writing, language and reading exercises, as moral truths and as an introduction to cultural practices. This is further supported by P.Leid.Inst I 5, in which reading indications are added to help the student learn to read and write, and the teacher added good luck wish to a student.

Bibliography

Primary sources

P.Leid.Inst. I 5 = Daniel, R. W. 1991. V Fabel. In F. A. J. Hoogendijk, P. van Minnen & W. Clarysse    (eds), Papyri, ostraca, parchments, and waxed tablets in the Leiden Papyrological Institute, Vol. 25. Boston / Leiden.

MPER N.S. III xxx = Oellacher, H., Gerstinger, H. & Sanz, P. 1939. Griechische literarische Papyri (Mitteilungen aus der Papyrussammlung der Nationalbibliothek in Wien/ Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer). Baden bei Wien.

Quintilianus, Institutio Oratione: Russell, D.A. (ed.) 2001 Quintilian: The Orator's Education, Volume 1: Books 1-2. Cambridge, MA / London.

Secondary sources

Adrados, F. R. 1999. History of the Graeco-Latin Fable, Vol 1. Boston / Leiden.

Cribiori, R. 1996. Writing, teachers, and students in Graeco-Roman Egypt. Atalanta, Georgia.

Delgado, J. F. 2007. The Fable in School Papyri. In J. Frösén, T. Purola & E. Salmenkivi (Eds.) Proceedings of the 24th International Congress of Papyrology Helsinki, 1-7 August, 2004, Vol. 1. Helsinki.

Kümmerling-Meibauer, B. 2006. Children's and Young Adults' Literature (CT). In Brill's New Pauly Online. Boston / Leiden. https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1408880

Laes, C. 2006. Children and Fables, Children in Fabels in Helleniscic and Roman Antiquity. In C. Deroux (Ed.) Latomus 65. Brussels.

Oxford  English Dictionary. 2023. Oxford.