A fable is usually a st______ about a_________.  It is a way of t_________ people what is wr_____ or r______ without being cross or stern.  In a fable, the a________ do g_______ things and w_______ things, c______ things and s________ things.  But these are actually the things that p________ do.

In its strict sense a fable is a s______ story or f______ tale with a m_______ at the end. It often, but not necessarily, makes metaphorical use of an a_______ as its central ch____________.
 
 

Aesop is the supposed a_______ of a collection of G_______ fables, though most probably he n_______ existed.  Aesop was most likely only a n_______ created to provide an author for animal f________, so that "a story of Aesop" became synonymous with "fable."

Aesop was a r_______ person, but not much is known about his l_______. It is thought that he was b______ some time between 620 BC and 500 BC in Sardis, the capital of Lydia; in Samos, a Greek island; or in Thrace. He was probably born a s______ and was owned by two different m________.

Many of his f______ were recorded during his l______, and others were l_______ written down and preserved by various other fable w_________.