The personal history of Phaedrus (15 BC-50 AD), a first century Roman writer, has been lost in the mist of history, but his fables in verse based on those of Aesop will live for countless generations to come.

Fables are one of the oldest forms of storytelling that have come down to us and survived through the ages. They appear in cultures throughout the world, including those of ancient India and the Mediterranean region. The oldest form of storytelling is the myth. One style of myth is referred to an "animism," where every object, human or otherwise, assumes a personality. Animals, rocks, weather phenomenon, as well as man are each given human characteristics. This primitive form held no particular relationship to religion or science, but was told only for its entertainment value.

Although less primitive in style than the animistic tale, the Aesop Fable has its foundation in this...