The scorpion and the frog

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The fable of the scorpion and the frog has been around since 1950.

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A scorpion comes to a river that it wants to cross. The scorpion asks the frog to carry it across the river on its back. The frog refuses to do this because it fears that it will be killed by the scorpion. The scorpion convinces the frog by pointing out that he himself has no interest in dying because he cannot swim. The frog agrees. The scorpion stings anyway in the middle of the river. The frog, dying, looks for an explanation. The Scorpio refers to his character, which leaves him no choice but to sting.

Attempt at interpretation

In contrast to the fairy tale , the characteristic trait of which is that good wins, the Persian fable shows a loser-loser situation: the frog and the scorpion die. The message of the fable aims at the unchangeable instinctual properties associated with the essence of an animal species. Although the scorpion recognizes the consequences of a sting for himself and the frog, he still stings and thus destroys himself and his livelihood, namely the frog that carries him. The animal nature of the animal wins against all reason. The Scorpio cannot be blamed for a lack of foresight or foresighted thinking, because he has clearly shown to the frog that an action directed against the frog would also be negative for him. The possible loser-loser situation was clear to both of them. Obviously there is a third force, namely the nature of the animal, which has a more decisive effect and which the frog and scorpion did not talk about before crossing the river.

Although the Scorpio realized he was going to die, his animal nature remains stronger. Even the questioning words of the dying frog cause neither insight nor rethinking in the Scorpio. That's how he is and that's how he stays. The nature of the Scorpio was stronger than reason. The frog would not have taken the scorpion with it if it had been aware of its nature beforehand.

For the person in the role of the Scorpio, the fable thus poses the question of whether he can act smarter and more sensible than the Scorpio in the fable. Do people recognize that they can deviate from seemingly immutable character traits? Does humans (in contrast to animals) have an advantage with this ability in the struggle for survival? For people in the role of the frog, the question arises whether they can trust the intellectual and far-sighted arguments of a fellow human being, or whether, despite the negative consequences for both, negative traits such as envy and resentment can ultimately prevail?

Film and internet

• In the film Papillon , Louis Dega replies to Papi's (llon) question whether he wants to go on the run with reference to the fable that he doesn't want to be the frog.
• Michael Köhlmeier tells the story in BR-alpha .
• In the 13th episode of the 5th season of the US series Brooklyn Nine-Nine , Rosa Diaz compares the scorpion-frog fable with a hostage-taking.
• In the film Drive , the scorpion-frog fable serves as a leitmotif and is quoted in a scene in the film.