The Ass and the Pig facts for kids

The Ass and the Pig is a famous story, also known as one of Aesop's Fables (Perry Index 526). These stories often teach a lesson. This particular fable was not very popular in Western countries. However, similar stories are well-known in Eastern cultures. The main idea of this fable is that an easy life or good luck might hide a danger. It suggests that what looks good on the surface might actually lead to trouble.

Different Versions of the Story

Many cultures have their own versions of this fable. They all share a similar message.

Early Western Tales

One of the oldest versions in the West was written by Phaedrus. In his poem, a pig is fed a lot of barley to make it fat. Later, the pig is sacrificed. The leftover barley is offered to an ass. The ass refuses to eat it. It saw what happened to the pig that ate the barley. This story teaches us to think about the future. It warns us not to just take what seems good right now. We should consider where an easy advantage might lead.

Another similar story is about an ox and a bullock. The bullock lives an easy life. It watches the ox work hard in the fields. Soon after, the owner frees the ox from its work. But the bullock is taken away to be sacrificed. The ox then tells the bullock, "You were allowed to be lazy for this very reason." Both of these Western stories show that working animals often survive. Animals that live an easy life might face a quick and bad end.

Stories from the East

An older version of this story comes from India. It is found in Buddhist writings called the Munika-Jataka. In this tale, a young ox complains about how easy the farmyard pig's life is. Soon, the pig is killed for a wedding feast. The ox then feels better about its simple diet. It realizes that a simple life helps it survive. Even though the animals and situations are different, the message is the same. In a changing world, a humble life of hard work can be rewarding.

This Indian story traveled to other places. A similar version appeared in Jewish writings. It also showed up in the famous collection of tales, One Thousand and One Nights. In that story, an ox complains to an ass about its hard life. The ass tells the ox to pretend to be sick. The ox does this, and the ass has to work in its place. To avoid more work, the ass tells the ox it heard their master planning to butcher the ox the next day. This makes the ox quickly stop pretending to be sick.

Later European Versions

A version of this story eventually reached Europe in the 13th century. It was written down by Odo of Cheriton. In this tale, an ass is jealous of a pig's easy life. The ass pretends to be sick. It is given special food and starts to get fat. But when the pig is killed, the ass gets scared. It quickly goes back to working hard.

All these stories share a common lesson. When animals get special food and an easy life, it often means they are being fattened for slaughter. Because of this, the animals learn to give up luxuries. They choose a life of simple security instead. This is similar to the lesson in the fable of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.

Images for kids

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  An illustration from a mediaeval cookbook