Fable · 声匠改编 · 3:56
The Farmer and the Viper
A kind farmer finds a viper frozen in the snow and warms it by his fire. Then it wakes up. Aesop's fable about kindness and trust, gently retold.
Narrator
Farmer Tom
The Viper
Old Crow
Nell, Tom's wifeOther languages · 2 languages
About this story
The Farmer and the Viper is one of Aesop's Fables, the short moral tales handed down from ancient Greece. A farmer finds a viper frozen in the snow and warms it against his chest; as soon as it revives, it bites him. In Aesop the farmer dies of the bite, but this gentle VoiceSmiths retelling lets him fall ill and recover, wiser than before, in a full-cast audio story with a wise old crow and the farmer's wife.
What it teaches
Kindness is good, but be careful whom you trust: some will repay kindness with harm, because that is their nature. Be kind and wise at the same time.
Suits
Ages 5–9
Tips for telling it
- Pause when the crow warns Tom and ask: should he pick up the snake? Why or why not?
- Talk about the difference between being kind and being careless: we can help others without putting ourselves in danger.
- Remind children never to touch a real snake, even one that looks asleep, and to tell a grown-up instead.
Questions people ask
- What is the moral of The Farmer and the Viper?
- Kindness to someone wicked may be repaid with harm. The farmer saves a frozen viper, and it bites him as soon as it is warm, because a viper's nature does not change.
- Does the farmer die in The Farmer and the Viper?
- In Aesop's fable, yes: the farmer dies of the bite, saying he deserved it for pitying a wicked creature. This VoiceSmiths version for children lets him fall ill and then recover.
- What does "nursing a viper in your bosom" mean?
- It means helping or sheltering someone who later turns on you. The saying comes from this fable, in which the farmer warms the viper inside his clothes and is bitten for his trouble.
More Fables
All Fables episodes →The Fox and the Crow
声匠改编
A crow with a piece of cheese, a fox full of compliments, and one proud caw. Aesop's fable about the price of flattery, retold with a wise old owl.
The Fox and the Goat
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A fox stuck at the bottom of a well talks a thirsty goat into jumping in. Then he needs a ladder. Aesop's fable about looking before you leap, retold.
The Fox and the Grapes
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A hungry fox jumps and jumps for grapes he cannot reach, refuses help, then declares them sour. The Aesop fable behind the phrase sour grapes, retold.
The Fox and the Stork
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A sly fox serves a stork soup on a flat plate she can't sip from. So she invites him back, and serves dinner in a tall, narrow jar. Aesop's fable, retold.
The Frog and the Ox
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Mama Frog hears of a giant in the meadow and puffs herself up to prove she is just as big. Bigger, bigger... pop! Aesop's fable about envy, retold.
The Miller, His Son and the Donkey
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A miller and his son take their donkey to market and change plans every time someone grumbles. The fable about trying to please everyone, retold.
