The Gnat and the Ox - A Parable

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The Gnat and the Ox - A Parable

Campbell M Gold.com
Published by Campbell M Gold in Reflection · Thursday 24 Oct 2024 ·  1:00
Tags: gnatoxparableinsectanimaljourneyburdenequalitystoryfable
The Gnat and the Ox

This parable features a tiny insect, like a gnat, and a large animal, such as an ox, camel, horse, or elephant. In some versions, the insect apologises for burdening its host while journeying; in others, it claims to have worked alongside the larger creature as an equal.

Regardless of the variation, the host responds by dismissing the entire situation indifferently, saying they didn’t notice the insect’s presence.

My favourite version is:

"Let us plough," said the gnat as it settled on the ear of the ox.

Phaedrus* explains the parable - "He who, while he is of no standing, boasts to be of a lofty one, falls under contempt when he comes to be known."

(*Gaius Julius Phaedrus (c. 15 BC – c. 50 AD) was a 1st-century AD Roman fabulist and the first versifier of a collection of Aesop's fables into Latin.)




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