Avianus (or possibly Avienus;Alan Cameron, "Avienus or Avienius?", ''ZPE'' 108 (1995), p. 260 c. AD 400) a

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

writer of

fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular mo ...

s,"Avianus" in ''

Chambers's Encyclopædia ''Chambers's Encyclopaedia'' was founded in 1859Chambers, W. & R"Concluding Notice"in ''Chambers's Encyclopaedia''. London: W. & R. Chambers, 1868, Vol. 10, pp. v–viii. by William Chambers (publisher), William and Robert Chambers (publisher ...

''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 5. identified as a

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

. The 42 fables which bear his name are dedicated to a certain Theodosius, whose learning is spoken of in most flattering terms. He may possibly be Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, the author of ''Saturnalia''; some think he may be the emperor of that name. Nearly all the fables are to be found in Babrius, who was probably Avianus's source of inspiration, but as Babrius wrote in Greek, and Avianus speaks of having made an elegiac version from a rough

copy, probably a

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...

paraphrase, he was not indebted to the original. The language and metre are on the whole correct, in spite of deviations from classical usage, chiefly in the management of the pentameter. The fables soon became popular as a school-book. ''Promythia and epimythia'' (introductions and morals), paraphrases, and imitations were frequent, such as the ''Novus Avianus'' of Alexander Neckam (12th century).

Fables

#De nutrice et infanti #De testudine et aquila - noticed under

The Tortoise and the Birds The Tortoise and the Birds is a fable of probable folk origin, early versions of which are found in both India and Greece. There are also African variants. The moral lessons to be learned from these differ and depend on the context in which they ...

#De cancris - noticed under

The Snake and the Crab Speaking of The Snake and the Crab in Ancient Greece was the equivalent of the modern idiom, ' Pot calling the kettle black'. A fable attributed to Aesop was eventually created about the two creatures and later still yet another fable concerning a ...

#De vento et sole - The North Wind and the Sun #De asino pelle leonis induto -

The Ass in the Lion's Skin The Ass in the Lion's Skin is one of Aesop's Fables, of which there are two distinct versions. There are also several Eastern variants, and the story's interpretation varies accordingly. Fables Of the two Greek versions of this story, the one ca ...

#De rana et vulpe -

The Frog and the Fox The Frog and the Fox is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 289 in the Perry Index. It takes the form of a humorous anecdote told against quack doctors. Physician, heal thyself A frog leaves his native swamp and proclaims himself a wonder-work ...

#De cane qui noluit latrare -

The Mischievous Dog The Mischievous Dog is one of Aesop's Fables, of which there is a Greek version by Babrius and a Latin version by Avianus. It is numbered 332 in the Perry Index. The story concerns a dog that bites the legs of others. Its master therefore ties a ...

#De camelo #De duobus sociis et ursa -

The Bear and the Travelers The Bear and the Travelers is a fable attributed to Aesop and is number 65 in the Perry Index. It was expanded and given a new meaning in mediaeval times. The Classical Fable First recorded in Latin verse by Avianus, the tale is one that educator ...

#De calvo #De ollis -

The Two Pots The Two Pots is one of Aesop's Fables and numbered 378 in the Perry Index. The fable may stem from proverbial sources. The Fable There is a short Greek version of the fable and a longer, more circumstantial late Latin poem by Avianus. It concerns ...

#De thesauro #De hirco et tauro #De simia #De grue et pavone #De quercu et harundine -

The Oak and the Reed The Oak and the Reed is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 70 in the Perry Index. It appears in many versions: in some it is with many reeds that the oak converses and in a late rewritten version it disputes with a willow. The story and its va ...

#De venatore et tigride #De quattuor iuvencis et leone -

The Bulls and the Lion The bulls and the lion is counted as one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 372 in the Perry Index. Originally it illustrated the theme of friendship, which was later extended to cover political relations as well. The fable A lion keeps watch on a ...

#De abiete ac dumis -

The Fir and the Bramble The Fir and the Bramble is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 304 in the Perry Index. It is one of a group in which trees and plants debate together, which also includes The Trees and the Bramble and The Oak and the Reed. The contenders in thi ...

#De piscatore et pisce -

The fisherman and the little fish The Fisherman and the Little Fish is one of Aesop's fables. It is numbered 18 in the Perry Index. Babrius records it in Greek and Avianus in Latin. The story concerns a small fry caught by a fisherman (or "angler") that begs for its life on acc ...

#De luscinia #De cupido et invido #De Baccho - noticed under

The Statue of Hermes There are five fables of ancient Greek origin that deal with the statue of Hermes. All have been classed as burlesques that show disrespect to the god involved and some scepticism concerning the efficacy of religious statues as objects of worship. ...

#De venatore et leone #De fure et parvo #De leone et capella #De cornice et urna -

The Crow and the Pitcher ''The Crow and the Pitcher'' is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 390 in the Perry Index. It relates ancient observation of corvid behaviour that recent scientific studies have confirmed is goal-directed and indicative of causal knowledge rather th ...

#De rustico et iuvenco #De viatore et fauno - The Satyr and the Traveller #De apro et coco #De mure et tauro # - God helps those who help themselves #De ansere ova aurea pariente - The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs #De cicada et formica - The Ant and the Grasshopper #De simiae gemellis #De vitulo et bove #De leone et cane #De pisce et focis #De milite veterano - noticed under

The Trumpeter Taken Captive The Trumpeter Taken Captive is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 370 in the Perry Index. One of the rare tales in which only human beings figure, it teaches that association with wrongdoers makes one equally culpable. Sharing the guilt The fa ...

#De pardo et vulpe #De olla cruda #De lupo et haedo

Editions

Hendrik Cannegieter Hendrik may refer to: * Hendrik (given name) * Hans Hendrik, Greenlandic Arctic traveller and interpreter * Hendrik Island, an island in Greenland * Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, a municipality in the Netherlands * A character from ''Dragon Quest XI'' See ...

(1731) * Lachmann (1845) *

Wilhelm Fröhner Wilhelm Fröhner or Guillaume Frœhner (17 August 1834 – 22 May 1925) was a curator at the Musée du Louvre, an archaeological researcher and collector of antiquities in Paris. As a historian, he publicly rejected Gustave Flaubert's depiction of i ...

(1862) *

Emil Baehrens Paul Heinrich Emil Baehrens (24 September 1848, in Bayenthal – 26 September 1888, in Groningen) was a German classical scholar. After completing his studies he became ''Privatdozent'' at Jena. In 1877 he was appointed ordinary professor at the Un ...

in ''Poetae Latini Minores'' (1879–1883) * Robinson Ellis, ''The Fables of Avianus'' (1887) * The Fables of Avianus, translated by David R. Slavitt, Johns Hopkins University Press 1993

References

* Latin Wikisource

Fables

Editions

See also

References

Further reading