Fables are stories, telling of a rather unbelievable situation, often with talking animals taking the lead roles. Aesop is one of the best known writers of fables. A simple example is the fable of the hare and the tortoise. The hare and the tortoise had a race. At first the hare ran fast. Then he took a rest. While he was asleep, the tortoise went past. The tortoise won the race. The hare is a symbol of a quick intelligent person. The tortoise is a symbol of a person of average ability. The moral of the story is that ordinary people can sometimes do better than quick intelligent people if they keep trying.
A parable describes a believable situation, generally involving human beings. Here is an example. One man built his house on sand. The rains came and washed away the house. Another man built his house upon a rock. The rains came but the house stood firm. The house on the sand symbolizes no underlying beliefs and such a person is tempted and overcome by disasters. The house on the rock symbolizes strong beliefs and such a person survives life�s hardships. The moral of the story is that people who have strong beliefs will survive.
The conclusion or moral of this is that things may not be what they seem on the surface. Both fables and parables are useful stories for teaching about principles of moral behavior.
Aesop
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Zen