What is Aesop?
{{Infobox writer | name = Aesop<br/>{{lang|grc|Αἴσωπος}} ({{lang|grc|Aisōpos}}) | image = Aesop pushkin01.jpg | caption = [[Hellenistic art|Hellenistic]] [[statue]] thought to [[Picture|depict]] Aesop, Art Collection of [[Villa Albani]], [[Rome]]. | birth_date = c. 620 BC | death_date = 564 BC (aged c. 56) | death_place = [[Delphi]], [[Greece]] | nationality = [[Greeks|Greek]] | genre = [[Fable]] | notableworks = Number of [[Fable|fables]] now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables'' }} '''Aesop''' or '''Æsop''' ({{lang-grc|Αἴσωπος|Aisōpos}}) is known for his [[Fable|fables]]. He was, by [[Custom|tradition]], a [[slave]] of [[Africa|African]] [[Descendant|descent]] who lived from about 620 BC to 560 BC in [[Ancient Greece]]. ==Life== The tradition is that he was at one point freed from [[slavery]] and that he eventually died at the hands of [[Delphi, Greece|Delphians]]. In fact, the doubt about his life has led some to deny his existence altogether.{{cn|date=January 2025}} ==Aesop's Fables== [[File:Aesopus - Aesopus moralisatus, circa 1485 - 2950804 Scan00010.tif|thumb|''Aesopus moralisatus'', 1485]]''Aesop's Fables'' or ''Aesopica'' refers to a collection of fables credited to Aesop. The ''Aesop's Fables'' has also become a [[blanket term]] for collections of brief fables, usually involving [[Personification|personified]] animals. The most famous fable is a [[parable]] of the [[tortoise]] and the [[hare]]. In this story, a rabbit challenges a tortoise to a race. The rabbit is sure of its victory and as a result, depending on the version of the story, in some way completes the race slower than the turtle. Often, the hare takes a nap or takes too many breaks. The persistent tortoise, despite being slower, wins because it persevered.{{cn|date=January 2025}} No writings by him survive. Tales credited to him were gathered across the [[Century|centuries]] and in [[List of languages|many languages]]. This is a storytelling [[Custom|tradition]] that continues to the present day. Many