Lupus et Gruis
Lupus et Gruis ( Latin for wolf and crane ) is the fable 1, 8 from Phaedrus' work Fabulae in five books. Gaius Iulius Phaedrus was a Roman fable poet during the reign of four different emperors. Phaedrus largely adopted the fables of Aesop . He was the first great Roman poet to use animal fables to present universal truths that were intended to stimulate thought. The fables are written in simple and clear language, in iambic senars (six-footed verses).
In the Middle Ages and modern times, his fables were widely read and influenced modern poetry.
The fable
Qui prētium mēriti from īmprobīs desīderāt,
to pēccat: prīmum quōniam indīgnos ādiuvāt,
impūne abīre deīnde quīa iam nōn potēst.
Os dēvorātum fāuce cum haērerēt lupī,
magnō dolōre vīctus coēpit sīngulōs
illīcere prētio, ut īllud ēxtraherēnt malūm.
Tandēm persuāsa est iūre iūrandō gruīs,
gulaēque crēdens cōlli lōngitūdinēm
perīculōsam fēcit mēdicinām lupō.
Pro quō cum pāctum flāgitāret praēmiūm,
'Ingrāta es,' īnquit, 'ōre quaē nostrō capūt
incōlume abstūleris ēt mercēdem pōstulēs.'
Anyone who hopes for a reward for a merit from unworthy people
is wrong twice: first because they help unworthy people ,
and then because they can no longer go away with impunity.
When a tangled bone got stuck in the wolf's throat
, overwhelmed with great pain, he began to lure individuals with a reward,
So that they might draw out that evil.
At last a crane has been convinced by the oath,
And by entrusting the length of the neck to the throat, he
undertook the dangerous cure in the wolf.
When he asked for the agreed reward,
said: "You are ungrateful, you who
pulled your head out of my mouth unharmed and still demand wages."
interpretation
The moral of the fable is revealed right from the start: Anyone who hopes for a reward for a merit from unworthy people is wrong twice: first because they help the unworthy, and then because they can no longer go away with impunity. Simplification: The crane made two mistakes. Firstly, he helped the unworthy wolf and, secondly, he was harmed by helping himself. Another mistake is noticed: the wolf asks him for help and the crane only wants to help him if he receives something in return. So it's not about helping, but about benefiting. Because if you really want to help, you don't ask for a reward.
Thus, the crane has not only helped an unworthy person and suffered damage himself, he also wanted to make a profit from it himself. Hence the situation at the end of the fable serves him well. While the crane's behavior does not improve that of the wolf, the crane should not be perceived as the victim of the fable. His plan was just as insincere as that of the wolf.
Animals and humans tend to follow their instincts, animals in particular can hardly do otherwise. So can the wolf be condemned for that? The wolf needs meat to survive. It is a natural and life sustaining urge to look for and consume food. Therefore the wolf does nothing else than being an animal or wolf and should therefore not be called unworthy.
On the other hand, the crane might need this reward to make a living. The wolf failed because the attempt to persuade another animal. In the animal kingdom he is known as the tyrant and that would make it life-threatening to help. So the reward should be some kind of insurance.
Another point is that since the crane knew that the wolf was an unworthy one, Wolfe demanded a reward for that very reason. Because do the unworthy deserve the right help? Maybe that's why he wanted to profit. That would then contradict our first point.
In conclusion, one can say that the wolf has made himself even more unpopular through his action, has confirmed his nature, the assessment of the other animals and that two main arguments are present.
Example situation
- If Hans helps Peter steal because Peter has promised him a reward of 100.- and they are then arrested, Hans firstly makes the mistake of helping Peter at all and, secondly, takes damage from it.
Linguistic structure
- often, but not necessarily, a moral sentence (first three lines)
- Initial situation (res) → Wolf has bones stuck in his throat, pain
- Action (actio) → seeks help, promises a reward
- often with a counter-act (reaction) (possibly also in conversation form) → Kranich helps
- Outcome or result (eventus) → “Reward” of the crane
→ The laws of the ancient poetics of rules apply
Characterization of the animals
| wolf |
|
| crane |
|
The wolf is clearly the winner by pretending to be a tyrant. He is ruthless and has no pity or genuine gratitude towards the crane.
The crane is a weak personality, falls for the wolf's ruse and tries a deal that is clearly beyond his control. He literally plays with fire.
Animal metaphor background
There are reasons why animal metaphors are used in this fable to convey subtle messages. Animals have always been used to illustrate the moral sentence. On the one hand, because morals often contain a criticism that the author does not quite obviously want to reveal. The use of the animals is thus a kind of protective measure.
On the other hand, because people are very different from one another. The author could not name any specific people, because what applies to one does not necessarily have to apply to the other. In the case of animals, however, each animal can be assigned a certain characteristic, which is then made universally valid.
Web links
GARDENER, Ursula. II. Interpretation: Book 1 In :: Phaedrus: An interpretative commentary on the first book of fables [online]. Munich: CHBeck, 2015 (viewed January 26, 2020). Available online: openedition.org . ISBN 978-2-8218-6723-9 . DOI: 10.4000 / books.chbeck.1583.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Some details about Phaedrus
- ^ PL Schmidt: Art. Phaedrus . In: Der Kleine Pauly, Volume 4 (1972), Col. 686-688.
- ↑ See Peter Hasubek: Art. Fable. In: Historical dictionary of rhetoric, ed. v. Gert Ueding. Vol. 3 (1996), col. 185-198, esp. 185-190.