Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

weak creature able to affect strong creature

weak_creature_able_to_affect_strong_creature

A motif of the Trickster and Boundary Crosser family, within the sub-family Animal Rivalries, Imitation, and Small-over-Large Victories. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

1 occurrences

1 traditions


greek

  • Aesop's Fables; a new translation BY G. K. CHESTERTON / AND ILLUSTRATIONS / BY ARTHUR RACKHAM / INTRODUCTION; lines 175-222 confidence: medium

    The passage lists fable examples: a stream cannot befoul its fountain; a mouse cannot fight a lion but can overcome lion-binding cords; a fox may gain from a flat dish and lose from a deep one; a crow denied song receives cheese; a goat's insult from a mountain-top is attributed to the mountain.

    The mouse is described as unable to fight the lion but able to overcome the cords that hold the lion.

    read in the book