Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)
562. HERMES AND THE STATUES
Perry 88 (Chambry
108 *)
Hermes wanted to know how much people valued him, so he assumed a human
form and went into a sculptor's workshop. He saw there a statue of Zeus
and he asked how much it cost. The man said that it cost a drachma. Hermes
smiled, and asked how much the statue of Hera would be. The man named
a still higher price. When Hermes saw a statue of himself, he expected
that he would be reckoned at an even higher price, since he delivered
the messages of the gods and brought profit to mankind. But when he asked
how much the statue of Hermes would cost, the sculptor replied, 'If you
buy those other two, I'll throw this one in for free!'
This fable can be used for a conceited man who is not esteemed in any
way by other people.
Note: Hera
is the Greek equivalent of Juno, the wife of Zeus and queen of the gods.
Source:
Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura
Gibbs.
Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New
cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.
|