Fabric of Folklore
Folktales can be strange, mystical, macabre and intriguing. Join us as we explore the stories, culture and people behind the folklore. We go beyond retelling the legends, myths and fairy tales of old. We look at the story behind the lore, behind the songs and traditions to understand more about what they mean, and their importance. These stories, many originating as oral histories, inform us of what it means to be human; what it means to be an integral part of this Earth. Stories of magic and wonder bind us. They connect us through invisible strands, like the gossamer fibers of a spiders web. Folktales have the power to demonstrate how, although we live in drastically different locals, our hearts and minds beat as one human race. We are weaving the fabrics of our past and present stories, to help us better understand ourselves and to awaken us to a more compassionate and caring world community. As we explore the meaning of existence through folklore we hope to inspire future generations to lead with love and understanding.
Fabric of Folklore
The Frogs who Wished for a King: Mini episode, Storytelling Ep1
In this mini storytelling episode, we share and reflect on the classic Aesop fable, "The Frogs Who Wished for a King." The story follows a community of frogs living peacefully in their pond, who become dissatisfied with their simple lives and ask Jupiter, the king of the gods, for a ruler. Their wish is granted—first with a passive king (a log), then with a dangerous one (a crowned crane). In the original tale it was a water snake. In many other versions its a stork. I changed the bird to a crowned crane because I felt his crown was perfect for this story. The tale ends with a powerful moral: be careful what you wish for, as change can bring unintended consequences. Some key themes we see in this story include the dangers of discontent and wishing for change without understanding the consequences, the nature of leadership and power and the relevance of ancient fables to modern times and democracy
Aesop Fables with Dr. Laura Gibbs
[00:09] Introduction
[00:37] Story Introduction the Aesop fable, "The Frogs who Wished for a King," and a brief explanation of fables.
[01:04] Life in the Pond
[01:30] The First Wish: King Log
[02:09] Discontent and Second Wish
[03:06] The Crowned Crane Arrives
[03:36] Consequences
[04:37] The Moral
[05:06] Modern Reflection
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The Frogs who Wished for a King
Hi, I am Vanessa Y. Rogers. I am the hostess of Fabric of Folklore and we're trying something new today. We are trying mini episodes. Some of these will actually be on the podcast and some of these will just be, for YouTube. But I have been really wanting to just share stories and maybe. Sometimes have commentary and sometimes just leave the story for enjoyment or reflection.
So today we're gonna start with a story that has been speaking to me. It's called The Frogs, who Wished for a King, and this is an Aesop fable. Fables are, usually short. Very short stories that, are animal based and they almost always have a moral at the end. the frog, who wished for a king?
It is a story of frogs who live in a beautiful pond. It's a very peaceful pond where nothing much happens. The frogs croak. They eat their mosquitoes and their flies. They sit on logs, and they live peaceful, happy, contented lives. At some point though, they become discontented with their content because they find it boring and they decide that.
They would like a more lively life and they would like, to have more prestige. And so they ask to the king of the gods, the Roman gods. Jupiter please. Jupiter, please bestow us a king so that our lives will be more exciting and that we will have, a modicum of decorum in this pond. Jupiter does not think this is a very good idea, and so he throws down a giant log and it makes a giant splash in the pond, and all of the frogs scatter.
Some hide under the mud, some under lily pads, some behind reeds, once this, the water has settled and all the ripples have gone to a still surface. Once again, the frogs start to peep their heads above water and look to see their new king. They refer to him as king log, and they watch him from a distance and see that king log is not doing anything in particular, and so they creep a little bit closer.
King log doesn't move at all. They tentatively climb on top of the log. The young frogs jump on top of the log and use it as their diving board. Soon, all of the excitement that King Log had, created, has dissipated. And once again, the frogs are living a peaceful, unexciting life and decide that King Log does not fulfill the requirements that they have requested.
So once again, they appeal to the God of God's Jupiter. Please send this down a king so that we may be governed and that our lives will be, lively. Once again, Jupiter frowns upon the foolishness of these frogs, but he decides to bestow their wish and sends them down a crowned crane. Now, if you've ever seen a crown crane, they are beautiful regal creatures.
They're large birds with that are GR with gray feathers, black face. Except for a white cheeks. And they have this beautiful crown atop their head of little feathers that, make a natural crown. They look majestic and the frogs are in awe. They go to the crown to crane, and they bow and they say, oh, thank you crane for coming to be our king.
How may we serve you? And the crane says, I thank you. And takes his giant beak, snaps up the frog and gobbles him down. All of the frogs scatter away from their new king, but it does not deter their new king from one by one systematically. Finding them and eating them. The last ones that are left appeal to Jupiter and say, why or why did you send us this crane?
And the moral of the story says, be sure you can better your condition before you seek change. Other morals in different translations are more in the lines of what we are used to. Be careful what you wish for. Actions have consequences and. One of the reasons I particularly gravitated towards this story is I feel it's very appropriate for our times.
When you ask for a king, make sure that you know what the purpose of a king is, because most kings in the history of the world have not been benevolent. They have not been there for the people. They are there to serve themselves and have others serve them. And so when you. Vote in a king or ask for a king, that is what you're going to get.
your life will not be improved. It will not be better. And I think that this story is a reflection of our times. We're, I'm speaking in the year 2025. And much of our democracy feels like a monarchy or an oligarchy right now. And, so this is a story that I found particularly relevant for today's modern era.
What are your thoughts about this? Aesop Fable. And have you heard of this one before? And did you enjoy it? Did you like it? Or is it not one that you particularly enjoy? Thanks so much. Make sure that you subscribe and let me know what you think about these mini episodes.
Thanks for listening to Fabric of Folklore. Have a wonderful day.
