SH Archive Aesop's Fables and the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel

[Nostradennis]

G.K. Chesterton Introduction - Fables of Aesop

ORIGINS​

"The origins of the fables pre-date the Greeks. Sumerian proverbs, written some 1,500 years before Christ, share similar characteristics and structure as the later Greek fables. The Sumerian proverbs included an animal character and often contained some practical piece of advice for living (“You should not boast; then your words will be trusted”). The writing style of both the earlier proverbs and the later fables were simple and direct. Neither contains many words. The situations re-counted in the stories begin with some type of incident and conclude with a punch line which would transform into the oft-recognized moral of the tale. It is much later that writers would begin to include the moral either at the beginning of the story (designed to tell the reader the purpose of the tale upfront) or was added to the end (to instruct the reader what the story was supposed to teach). Ultimately, the fables are designed to highlight both desired and undesirable human behaviors: what to do or what not to do."

"Politically, the fables emerged in a time period of Greek history when authoritarian rule often made free and open speech dangerous for the speaker. The fables served as a means by which criticisms against the government could be expressed without fear of punishment. In effect, the stories served as a code by which the weak and powerless could speak out against the strong and powerful." Aesop's Fables

Nostradennis​

Could something other than wisdom nuggets been coded into Aesop's fables? Is there hidden history in Aesop's fables that's now ready for a closer scrutiny? Could these fables be traced back to the northern ten tribes of Israel in which nuggets of scriptural knowledge were surreptitiously handed down both during and after their Assyrian captivity? There is knowledge of biblical wisdom here to be sure. Could ancient Old Testament wisdom, prophecy and history been coded into Aesop's fables? Was ancient Hebrew wisdom sifted from the proverbs and canticles of Solomon or gleaned from revered prophetical books and transcribed into Aesop's Fables? A lot of questions for sure so let's take a closer look.

The Kingdom of the Lion (Aesop)

• "The beasts of the field and forest had a lion as their king. He was neither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but he was just and gentle as a king could be. He made during his reign a royal proclamation for a general assembly of all the birds and beasts, and drew up conditions for a universal league, in which the wolf and the lamb, the panther and the kid, the tiger and the stag, the dog and the hare, should live together in perfect peace and amity. The hare said; "Oh, how I have longed to see this day, in which the weak shall take their place without fear by the side of the strong."

When I first read Aesop's 'The Kingdom of the Lion' I couldn't help but think that I was reading something familiar in scripture and something similar from the book of (Isaiah LVI. 9) where "All ye beasts of the field come to devour, all ye beasts of the forest" looks an awful like "beasts of the field and forest" from Aesop. Could this similarity been an intentional veiled reference of how Hebrew scripture, wisdom and history was to be relayed to the Israelite captives and grab their attention like a "hear ye, hear ye" or "illy beany chilly beany the spirits are about to speak"?

Then there is this "a lion as their king" which sounds a lot like Revelation's "lion of the tribe of Juda" where all these 'ancients' (re: Israelites of old) were aware of a "lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David" who is to come.

"And one of the ancients said to me: Weep not: behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof" (Revelation v. 5)

"Juda is a lion's whelp: to the prey, my son, thou art gone up: resting thou hast couched as a lion, and as a lioness, who shall rouse him? The sceptre shall not be taken away from Juda, nor a ruler from his thigh, till he come that is to be sent, and he shall be the expectation of nations" (Genesis XLIX. 9-10)

Onto "a general assembly of all the birds and beasts" could possibly convey a structured worship service known in the Temple at that time where "birds and beasts" (re: angels and men) would gather together or even the last judgement for that matter.

Next there's this "drew up conditions for a universal league" could be a loose reference to an adherence of the Mosaic Decalogue as the cornerstone for a moral society. A how to live correctly manual if you will.

And "in which the wolf and the lamb, the panther and the kid, the tiger and the stag, the dog and the hare, should live together in perfect peace and amity" parallels Isaiah's "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the sheep shall abide together" (compare with Isaiah passage below)

Finally there's the "Oh, how I have longed to see this day, in which the weak shall take their place without fear by the side of the strong" where I see a semblance in Isaiah's "but he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity the meek of the earth...and justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins". (compare with Isaiah passage below)

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord, He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. But he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity the meek of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. And justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them. The calf and the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on other hole of the asp: and the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk. They shall not hurt, nor shall they kill in all my holy mountain, for the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of the people, him the Gentiles shall beseech, and his sepulchre shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand the second time to possess the remnant of his people, which shall be left from the Assyrians, and from Egypt, and from Phetros, and from Ethiopia, and from Elam, and from Sennaar, and from Emath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up a standard unto the nations, and shall assemble the fugitives of Israel, and shall gather together the dispersed of Juda from the four quarters of the earth." (Isaiah XI. 1-12)

Throughout this fable passage, there seems to be an underlying message of hope. Hope of a future royal king who will bring peace to both predator and prey alike. The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel would certainly have need of this hope. These same Lost Ten Tribes of Israel would eventually become the white Christian nations of Europe. Scythia and The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel

Unfortunately, not only did these Lost Ten Tribes of Israel lose their homeland but they also lost their identity as well and sort of became the ten lost Hekawi tribes of Europe.

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"Aesop was a Greek storyteller born in approximately 620 BCE. Tradition says he was born as a slave, but developed a real talent for fables that were used to teach truths in a simple, understandable way." Aesop's Fables - Timeless Stories with a Moral

Nostradennis​

What does the phrase "born as a slave" mean? Well, it could mean born or raised in captivity. And what does "to teach truths" or "real talent" mean? And who's truths? Could this "to teach truths" been a covert system of concealment? Could this have been a cold war communication of sacred 'truths' transmitted through fables while in captivity? Instead of a message in a bottle Aesop would use a message in a fable. Was Aesop a 'real talent' cold war Hebrew prophet? Was this the reason why he was hurled over a high precipice at Delphi and killed? G.K. Chesterton remarks from his introduction that "it is for those who read the Fables to judge whether he was really thrown over the cliff for being ugly and offensive, or rather for being highly moral and correct".

The timeline of the historical Aesop also coincides with the very time of the Assyrian captivity and the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel's exile into Armenia and the Caucasus Mountains. This Lost Ten Tribes method for retaining past cultural history is what we might call mythology today. This stong sense of preservation produced a collective state of mind which Eusebius coined Praeparatio evangelica - Wikipedia . Eusebius offers a lengthy argument for the wisdom of the ancient Hebrews becoming a preparation for Greek philosophy. For Eusebius, the Greeks stole any truths they possessed from the more ancient Hebrews. Maybe because they were also of a common stock.
"It is found in writing concerning the Spartans, and the Jews, that they are brethren, and that they are of the stock of Abraham"
(1 Maccabees XII. 21) Maybe the reason why Jesus the Good Shepherd taught in parables was because His Lost Sheep were being prepared by fables?

Here are some other Aesop Fables with either Old Testament similarities or New Testament Praeparatio evangelica.

The Lamb and the Wolf (Aesop)

• "A lamb pursued by a wolf took refuge in a temple. Upon this the wolf called out to him and said that the priest would slay him if he caught him. "Be it so," said the lamb, "it is better to be sacrificed to God, than to be devoured by you."

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; the lion and the ox shall eat straw; and dust shall be the serpent's food: they shall not hurt nor kill in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord" (Isaiah LXV. 25)

Compare with: (Praeparatio evangelica)

• "And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put Jesus to death: but they feared the people" (Luke xxii. 2)

The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Aesop)

• "A wolf, once upon a time, resolved to disguise himself, thinking that he should thus gain an easier livelihood. Having, therefore, clothed himself in a sheep's skin, he contrived to get among a flock of sheep and feed along with them, so that even the shepherd was deceived by the imposture."

Compare with: (Praeparatio evangelica)

• "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew vii. 15)

The Wolves and the Sheep (Aesop)

• "Once upon a time, the wolves sent an embassy to the sheep, desiring that there might be peace between them for the time to come. "Why," said they, "should we be forever waging this deadly strife? Those wicked dogs are the cause of all; they are incessantly barking at us and provoking us. Send them away, and there will be no longer any obstacle to our eternal friendship and peace." The silly sheep listened, the dogs were dismissed, and the flock, thus deprived of their best protectors, became an easy prey to their treacherous enemy."

Compare with: (Praeparatio evangelica)

• "But the hireling and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth: and the wolf casteth and scattereth the sheep" (John x. 12)

The Vine and the Goat (Aesop)

• "There was a vine teeming with ripe fruit and tender shoots, when a wanton goat came up and gnawed the bark and browsed upon the young leaves. "I will revenge myself on you," said the vine, "for this insult; for when in a few days you are brought as a victim to the altar, the juice of my grapes shall be the dew of death upon your forehead." Retribution, though late, comes at last.

Compare with: (Praeparatio evangelica)

• "I am the vine: you the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing" (John xv. 5)

The Travelers and the Plane Tree (Aesop)

• Some travelers, on a hot day in summer, oppressed with the noontide sun, perceiving a plane tree near at hand, made straight for it. Throwing themselves on the ground, they rested under its shade. Looking up towards the tree, they said one to another, "What a useless tree to man is this barren plane!" But the plane tree answered them, "Ungrateful creatures! At the very moment that you are enjoying benefit from me, you rail at me as being good for nothing." Ingratitude is as blind as it is base.

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "And all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness" (Exodus XVI. 2)

The Trees and the Axe (Aesop)

• "A woodman came into a forest to ask the trees to give him a handle for his axe. It seemed so modest a request that the principal trees at once agreed to it, and it was settled among them that a plain, homely ash tree should furnish what was wanted. No sooner had the woodman fitted the wood to his purpose, than he began laying about him on all sides, felling the noblest trees in the wood. The oak, now seeing the whole matter too late, whispered to the cedar, "The first concession has lost all. If we had not sacrificed our humble neighbor, we might have yet stood for age ourselves."

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "Howl, thou fir tree, for the cedar is fallen, for the mighty are laid waste: howl, ye oaks of Basan, because the fenced forest is cut down" (Zacharias XI. 2)

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "Yet I cast out the Amorrhite before their face: whose height was like the height of cedars, and who was strong as an oak: and I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots beneath" (Amos II. 9)

OAK: (Quercus spp.)

• The Oak is one of the sacred Druidic three: 'Oak, Ash & Thorn'. In general, Oak is associated with spells for protection, strength, success and stability, healing, fertility, health, money, potency, and good luck. Oak has been considered sacred by just about every culture that has encountered the tree, but it was held in particular esteem by the Norse and Celts because of its size, longevity, and nutritious acorns. The oak is frequently associated with Gods of thunder and lightening such as Zeus, Thor, and the Lithuanian God Perkunas. This association may be due to the oak's habit of being hit by lightening during storms. Specific oak trees have also been associated with the 'Wild Hunt', which is led by Herne in England and by Wodin in Germany. Oak galls, known as Serpent Eggs, were used in magical charms. Acorns gathered at night held the greatest fertility powers. The Druids and Priestesses listened to the rustling oak leaves and the wrens in the trees for divinatory messages. Burning oak leaves purifies the atmosphere. In general, oak can be used in spells for protection, strength, success and stability; the different varieties will lend their own special 'flavour' to the magic. -Ancient Wisdom Web

The Olive Tree and the Fig Tree (Aesop)

• "The olive tree ridiculed the fig tree because, while she was green all the year round, the fig tree changed its leaves with the seasons. A shower of snow fell upon them and, finding the olive full of foliage, it settled upon its branches. At length the olive tree's branches broke with the snow's weight, at once despoiling it of its beauty and killing the tree. Finding the fig tree without leaves, the snow fell through the branches to the ground and did not injure it at all."

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "His branches shall spread, and his glory shall be as the olive tree: and his smell as that of Libanus" (Osee XIV. 7)

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "For the fig tree shall not blossom: and there shall be no spring in the vines. The labour of the olive tree shall fail: and the fields shall yield no food: the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls" (Habacuc III. 17)

The Pomegranate, the Apple, and the Bramble (Aesop)

• "The pomegranate and the apple had a contest on the score of beauty. When words ran high and the strife waxed dangerous, a bramble, thrusting his head from a neighboring bush, cried out, "We have disputed long enough; let there be no more rivalry betwixt us."
• The most insignificant are generally the most presuming.

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "A land of wheat, and barley, and vineyards, wherein fig trees and pomegranates, and oliveyards grow: a land of oil and honey" (Deuteronomy VIII. 8)

The Fir Tree and the Bramble (Aesop)

• A fir tree was one day boasting itself to a bramble. "You are of no use at all, but how could barns and houses be built without me?" "Good sir," said the bramble, "when the woodmen come here with their axes and saws, what would you give to be a bramble and not a fir?" A humble lot in security is better than the dangers that encompass the high and haughty.

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "And the trees said to the fig tree: Come thou and reign over us. And it answered them: Can I leave my sweetness, and my delicious fruits, and go to be promoted among the other trees? And the trees said to the vine: Come thou and reign over us. And it answered them: Can I forsake my wine, that cheereth God and men, and be promoted among the other trees? And all the trees said to the bramble: Come thou and reign over us" (Judges IX. 10-14)

FIR (Abies spp.)

• Fir is a very tall slender tree that grows in mountainous regions on the upper slopes. Fir cones respond to rain by closing andthe sun by opening. Fir can see over great distance to the far horizon beyond and below. Fir indicates high views and long sights with clear vision of what is beyond and yet to come. Also known as the Birth Tree. The needles are burned at childbirth to bless and protect the mother and baby. -Ancient Wisdom Web

Sacred Groves

• A sacred grove is a grove of trees of special religious importance to a particular culture. Sacred groves were most prominent in the Ancient Near East and prehistoric Europe, but feature in various cultures throughout the world. They were important features of the mythological landscape and cult practice of Celtic, Baltic, Germanic, ancient Greek, Near Eastern, Roman, and Slavic polytheism, and were also used in India, Japan, and West Africa. Examples of sacred groves include the Greco-Roman temenos, the Norse h�rgr, and the Celtic nemeton, which was largely but not exclusively associated with Druidic practice. During the Northern Crusades, there was a common practice of building churches on the sites of sacred groves. -Ancient Wisdom Web

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "And Abimelech and Phicol, the general of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Palestines. But Abraham planted a grove in Bersabee, and there called upon the name of the Lord God eternal" (Genesis XXI. 33)

Compare with: (Old Testament)

• "And the Lord God shall strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water: and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river: because they have made to themselves groves, to provoke the Lord" (3 Kings XIV. 15)

The are 56 verses about trees in Scripture. Different trees have different metaphorical meanings.

Tree Lore: (Sacred Trees)

• Tree lore is a suspected ancient school of knowledge with roots stretching back into our earliest symbolic imaginations. The Tree is a common universal, archetypal symbol that can be found in many different traditions around the ancient world. Trees are symbols of physical and spiritual nourishment, transformation and liberation, sustenance, spiritual growth, union and fertility. The tree is a spiritual motif and framework, a map of conception and consciousness that brings together the temporal worlds of time, space and consciousness. Trees are the places of birth and death; they are used as sacred shrines and places of spiritual pilgrimage, ritual, ceremony and celebration. Sacred trees are found in the Shamanic, Hindu, Egyptian, Sumerian, Toltec, Mayan, Norse, Celtic and Christian traditions. -Ancient Wisdom Web

SUMMARY

• Aesop's fables pre-dates the Greeks by 1500 years
• Aesop's fables similar to Sumerian proverbs in structure
• the Greeks are the origin of Aesop's Fables
• the Hebrws are the origin of Greek Mythology
• shared ancestry between Hebrews and Greeks
• commonality of moral themes and parallel motifs
• commonality of tree symbolism
• Aesop's fables contain veiled Hebrew history
• Aesop's fables contain veiled Hebrew scriptures
• an unbeknownst unifying motive of Praeparatio evangelica is in play, ie, Prepare Ye The Way
• Ten Lost Tribes of Israel > the expectation of nations > white Christian nations of Europe

REFERENCES

• The Hebrew Origin of Greek Legends
• Ancient-Wisdom Web Link
• Latin Vulgate Bible with Douay-Rheims and King James Version Side-by-Side+Complete Sayings of Jesus Christ

Bonus Link: Aesop and Son:
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P.S. Re-read the "INTRODUCTION ON AESOP'S FABLES BY G. K. CHESTERTON" in its entirety. A second read through may give a deeper unifying clarity of the whole. G.K. Chesterton Introduction - Fables of Aesop

Note: This OP was recovered from the Wayback Archive.

Note: Archived SH.org replies to this OP: Aesop's Fables and the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel

 

[Collapseinrealtime]

Great breakdown of the material. Love the way you compare the verses directly with the fables. A compelling case I hope you can develop further to help us along this most peculiarly verboten topic. Thanks for laying out this groundwork!

 

[Coulness]

Tree lore is a suspected ancient school of knowledge with roots stretching back into our earliest symbolic imaginations. The Tree is a common universal, archetypal symbol that can be found in many different traditions around the ancient world. Trees are symbols of physical and spiritual nourishment, transformation and liberation, sustenance, spiritual growth, union and fertility. The tree is a spiritual motif and framework, a map of conception and consciousness that brings together the temporal worlds of time, space and consciousness. Trees are the places of birth and death; they are used as sacred shrines and places of spiritual pilgrimage, ritual, ceremony and celebration. Sacred trees are found in the Shamanic, Hindu, Egyptian, Sumerian, Toltec, Mayan, Norse, Celtic and Christian traditions. -Ancient Wisdom Web

Great post, very interesting. Lots to think about, but this bit in particular made me think about the link between the Gaelic alphabet and trees

Do other alphabets have this link?