Vulpes et simia – The Fox and the Ape

Animal taleFoxMonkeyDeceptionLesson: flatteryLesson: greedGluttonyPrideFood and drinkFishViolence(Threat of) bodily mutilation

A fox sees a fish lying in the middle of the path. Suspicious, given that there is no water anywhere nearby, nor any obvious reason the fish should be there, the fox carefully skirts it, and carries on his way. The fox soon encounters an ape, whom he greets with great respect and courtesy. The fox, feigning earnest admiration, explains that for too long the animal kingdom had suffered under the tyrany of the lion, and that all the animals wished to install the ape in his place as the king of the beasts. The ape, flattered, agrees, and allows the fox to lead him away. The two soon come to where the fish lies, and the fox explains that this is a gift for the new king. When the ape reaches for the fish, however, his paw is suddenly caught in a trap. Satisfied, the fox sits down to eat the fish in peace, and when the ape complains at this injustice, the fox replies that a king should attend to great matters of state, and that small things such a single fish ought to be beneath his notice.

Note

Nishimura notes the following motifs, analogues, and references:

Motif and Type: TMI K1020: Deception into a disastrous attempt to procure food. ATU35B*: The Fox gets Bait from Trap by luring Wolf into it.

Analogues: Aesop’s Fables, 81 ‘The Ape and the Fox’. Henning, Sogdian Tales (pp. 474f.). Arabian Nights, Night 149, ‘The Tale of the Wolf and the Fox’. La Fontaine, Fables, 6.6 ‘The Fox and the Monkey and the Animals’.

Reference story: Hitopadesha, 1.8 ‘The Elephant and the Jackal’.

Critical Literature

Nishimura (2001), Clouston (1884)

Vulpes et simia appears in the following versions and secondary versions

	Has Language Of Version	Has Branch Of Tradition	Is Adapted From
Persian Sindbadnama	Persian	Book of Sindbad

Vulpes et simia is narrated in the following occurrences

Narrator	Pages
Sindbad	Https://db.seven-sages-of-rome.org/Zahiri al Samarqandi, Sindbadnama, Https://db.seven-sages-of-rome.org/index.php?title=Zahiri al Samarqandi, Sindbadnama&action=formedit, Persian Sindbadnama, Zahiri al Samarqandi, Sindbadnama

Vulpes et simia appears in the following manuscripts

	Has Language	Has Siglum Of The Version Of The Seven Sages	Has Language Group Within Version