Misadventures in the Land of Fables #25
To eat a tortoise you must first break its protective shell. Chances are, you hadn’t given this particular challenge much thought up to now, but it seems to have been the prompt for two Aesopic fables, two which over the years have undergone a number of transformations.
The key action, as it impacts the victim, is this: a tortoise is seized by an eagle, the eagle drops the tortoise and breaks its shell, the tortoise is eaten.
In one version, ‘The Tortoise and the Eagle,’ [Perry 230], it becomes a cautionary tale of what happens if you aspire to things beyond your scope. In the other, ‘The Tortoise and the Birds‘ [Perr 290], a crow advises the eagle to drop the tortoise and we witness an example of what can be achieved through collaboration, or in some versions, of how cunning gains the spoils.
In both, my sympathies tend toward the victim, the tortoise. Who could not pity the poor creature as it plummets to its death? Or look on with horror as the two birds have themselves “a hearty meal?” The version published by Joseph Jacobs features expressive illustrations which reveal an ambivalence about the fate of the foolish victim:
And yet, though the tortoise has my sympathies, it is the eagle who intrigues me.
The Eagle has Fallen
It agrees to transport the tortoise from one place to another, moonlighting from its natural role as predator. This is a refreshing change and though it is promised a reward for the gig, you feel it is has made a rare connection with a fellow creature. Then the crow comes along, suggests it drop the tortoise on the rocks, because it will make a good meal. And the eagle does it. It’s a stunning betrayal and not the kind of taxi service you would hope for. No wonder the fable tunes out any protests from the victim.
Shouldn’t the eagle resist the temptation offered by the crow? Shoudn’t it keep its word? And if it should do that, but fails, isn’t this where conscience enters the world? Conscience and regret. Shame at what it has done to the victim and to its own sense of honour. Who could eat with relish in such circumstances?
In the land of fable, animals must be emblematic of certain qualities, in order for the meaning to be readily comprehensible. The cunning fox, for example. It seems to me the eagle would be understood as one of the noble creatures. Majestic. Deadly. But with great power come great responsibility. And thus, for me, this is a fable of a fall from grace.
You can read my version here: ‘The Eagle and the Crow‘
And if you are enjoying these adventures in the Land of Fables, remember, you can buy me a coffee to keep me fuelled up on the journey.