Aesop the Ugly Slave

Aesop (c. 620–564 BCE) was an Ancient Greek fabulist or story teller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop’s Fables. Although his existence remains uncertain and (if they ever existed) no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Many of the tales are characterized by animals and inanimate objects that speak, solve problems, and generally have human characteristics.

Scattered details of Aesop's life can be found in ancient sources, including Aristotle, Herodotus, and Plutarch. An ancient literary work called The Aesop Romance tells an episodic, probably highly fictional version of his life, including the traditional description of him as a strikingly ugly slave who by his cleverness acquires freedom and becomes an adviser to kings and city-states. Older spellings of his name have included Esop(e) and Isope. A later tradition (dating from the Middle Ages) depicts Aesop as a black Ethiopian. Depictions of Aesop in popular culture over the last 2500 years have included several works of art and his appearance as a character in numerous books, films, plays,
and television programs.

Life　

The name of Aesop is as widely known as any that has come down from Graeco-Roman antiquity [yet] it is far from certain whether a historical Aesop ever existed. in the latter part of the fifth century [BC] something like a coherent Aesop legend appears, and Samos seems to be its home.

—Martin Litchfield West

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop
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A List of Some Fables by Aesop

• The Ant and the Grasshopper
• The Ape and the Fox
• The Ass and his Masters
• The Ass and the Pig
• The Ass Carrying an Image
• The Ass in the Lion’s Skin
• The Astrologer who Fell into a Well
• The Bird-catcher and the Blackbird
• The Bear and the Travelers
• The Beaver
• The Belly and Other Members
• The Bird in Borrowed Feathers
• The Boy Who Cried Wolf
• The Cat and the Mice
• The Cock and the Jewel
• The Cock, the Dog and the Fox
• The Crow and the Pitcher
• The Crow and the Sheep
• The Crow and the Snake
• The Deer without a Heart
• The Dog and its Reflection
• The Dog and the Wolf
• The Dove and the Ant
• The Farmer and the Stork
• The Farmer and the Viper
• The Fir and the Bramble
• The Fisherman and the Little Fish
• The Fowler and the Snake
• The Fox and the Crow
• The Fox and the Grapes
• The Fox and the Mask
• The Fox and the Sick Lion
• The Fox and the Stork
• The Fox and the Weasel
• The Fox and the Woodman
• The Frog and the Mouse
• The Frog and the Ox
• The Frogs and the Sun
• The Frogs Who Desired a King
• The Goat and the Vine
• The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs
• Hercules and the Wagoner
• The Honest Woodcutter
• The Horse and the Donkey
• The Lion and the Fox
• The Lion and the Mouse
• The Lion’s Share
• The Lion, the Bear and the Fox
• The Man with two Mistresses
• The Mischievous Dog
• The Miser and his Gold
• The Mountain in Labour
• The Mouse and the Oyster
• The North Wind and the Sun
• The Oak and the Reed
• The Old Man and Death
• The Old Woman and the Doctor
• The Rose and the Amaranth
• The Satyr and the Traveller
• The Sick Kite
• The Snake and the Crab
• The Snake and the Farmer
• The Snake in the Thorn Bush
• The Tortoise and the Birds
• The Tortoise and the Hare
• Town Mouse and Country Mouse
• The Travellers and the Plane Tree
• The Trees and the Bramble
• The Trumpeter Taken Captive
• The Two Pots
• Venus and the Cat
• The Walnut Tree
• Washing the Ethiopian white
• The Wolf and the Crane
• The Wolf and the Lamb
• The Woodcutter and the Trees
• The Young Man and the Swallow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aesop%27s_Fables#List_of_some_fables_by_Aesop