The Stag and his reflection – Aesop’s Fables
“The Stag and his reflection” is also called as “The Stag and his antlers” is a part of the Aesop Fables and is hence included into the Perry index. It is the story of how a vain stag is very proud of its antlers and is sad that its legs are thin and spindly.
Story
There was once a Stag who lived in the forest. He had long and beautiful antlers which he was very proud of. They were so tall and handsome that he used to talk about them all the time.
“Look Mr. Bird at my beautiful antlers. Aren’t they the most beautiful things in the world?”
“Look Mrs. Goose at my beautiful antlers. Aren’t they the most wonderful things in the world?”
“Look Mr. Tortoise at my beautiful antlers. Aren’t they the most magnificent things in the world?”
One day the stag was drinking water from a pong and he paused to stare at his reflection. He tilted his head to the left. He tilted his head to the right.
“Mr. Stag. What wonderful and magnificent antlers, you have” he said to himself.
He was very proud of them and kept seeing them all the time! Suddenly he noticed his legs. They were thin and spindly. He was ashamed of his legs.
“How is it that I have the most beautiful antlers but the ugliest of legs?”
Suddenly he got the scent of a panther and he ran at full speed into the forest. But as he ran, his antlers got caught in a low branch and he could not get them off. He moved his antlers left and right but they were firmly stuck. Soon the panther caught up to the helpless Stag.
His legs which he considered as useless were those which would have saved him. His antlers which he was so proud of were useless ornaments in times of crisis.
What is the moral of the story “The Stag and his reflection”?
The moral of the story is “We often make much of the ornamental and despise the useful”. The moral can also be interpreted as “Value the useful”!
Questions and Answers on “The Stag and his reflection“
- What is the plot of the story “The Stag and his reflection”?
- Who are the main characters of the story?
- What happened to the stag when he saw his own reflection?
- Can you explain about the ending of the story?
- What is the moral of the story?
Answers
- The plot of the story is about a stag which sees its reflection in the water and is proud of its antlers and hates its legs which it thinks are long and ugly.
- The main characters of the story is a vain stag with beautiful antlers.
- The stag was proud of how wonderful and magnificent antlers that he had. When he noticed his legs which were thin and spindly, he was ashamed.
- The stag got the scent of a panther and ran at full speed into the forest. But as he ran, his antlers got caught in a low branch and he could not get them off. He moved his antlers left and right but they were firmly stuck. Soon the panther caught up to the helpless Stag.
- The moral of the story is “We often make much of the ornamental and despise the useful”. The moral can also be interpreted as “Value the useful”!
The Stag and his reflection – Aesop’s Fables – PDF
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