Avianus (or possibly Avienus;Alan Cameron, "Avienus or Avienius?", ''ZPE'' 108 (1995), p. 260 c. AD 400) was a

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

writer of

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

s in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

."Avianus" in ''

Chambers's Encyclopædia ''Chambers's Encyclopaedia'' was founded in 1859Chambers, W. & R"Concluding Notice"in ''Chambers's Encyclopaedia''. London: W. & R. Chambers, 1868, Vol. 10, pp. v–viii. by William and Robert Chambers of Edinburgh and became one of the most ...

''. London:

George Newnes Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 – 9 June 1910) was a British publisher and editor and a founding figure in popular journalism. Newnes also served as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament for two decades. His company, George Newne ...

, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 5. The 42 fables which bear his name are dedicated to a certain Theodosius, whose learning is spoken of in most flattering terms. He may possibly be

Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

, the author of ''Saturnalia''; some think he may be the emperor of that name. Nearly all the fables are to be found in

Babrius Babrius (, ''Bábrios''; ), "Babrius" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 21. also known as Babrias () or Gabrias (), was the author of a collection of Greek fables, many of which are known today as Aesop's F ...

, who was probably Avianus's source of inspiration, but as Babrius wrote in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, and Avianus speaks of having made an elegiac version from a rough

copy, probably a

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

paraphrase, he was not indebted to the original. The language and metre are on the whole correct, in spite of deviations from classical usage, chiefly in the management of the

pentameter Pentameter (, 'measuring five ( feet)') is a term describing the meter of a poem. A poem is said to be written in a particular pentameter when the lines of the poem have the length of five metrical feet. A metrical foot is, in classical poetry, ...

. The fables soon became popular as a school-book. ''Promythia and epimythia'' (introductions and morals), paraphrases, and imitations were frequent, such as the ''Novus Avianus'' of

Alexander Neckam Alexander Neckam (8 September 115731 March 1217) was an English poet, theologian, and writer. He was an abbot of Cirencester Abbey from 1213 until his death. Early life Born on 8 September 1157 in St Albans, Alexander shared his birthday with ...

(12th century).

Fables

#De nutrice et infanti #De testudine et aquila - noticed under

The Tortoise and the Birds The Tortoise and the Birds is a fable of probable folk origin, early versions of which are found in both India and Greece. There are also African variants. The moral lessons to be learned from these differ and depend on the context in which they ...

#De cancris - noticed under The Snake and the Crab #De vento et sole - The North Wind and the Sun #De asino pelle leonis induto - The Ass in the Lion's Skin #De rana et vulpe - The Frog and the Fox #De cane qui noluit latrare - The Mischievous Dog #De camelo #De duobus sociis et ursa - The Bear and the Travelers #De calvo #De ollis -

The Two Pots The Two Pots is one of Aesop's Fables and numbered 378 in the Perry Index. The fable may stem from proverbial sources. The Fable There is a short Greek version of the fable and a longer, more circumstantial late Latin poem by Avianus. It concerns ...

#De thesauro #De hirco et tauro #De simia #De grue et pavone #De quercu et harundine -

The Oak and the Reed The Oak and the Reed is one of Aesop's Fables and is numbered 70 in the Perry Index. It appears in many versions: in some it is with many reeds that the oak converses and in a late rewritten version it disputes with a willow. The story and its va ...

#De venatore et tigride #De quattuor iuvencis et leone - The Bulls and the Lion #De abiete ac dumis - The Fir and the Bramble #De piscatore et pisce - The fisherman and the little fish #De luscinia #De cupido et invido #De Baccho - noticed under The Statue of Hermes #De venatore et leone #De fure et parvo #De leone et capella #De cornice et urna -

The Crow and the Pitcher ''The Crow and the Pitcher'' is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 390 in the Perry Index. It relates ancient observation of corvid behaviour that recent scientific studies have confirmed is goal-directed and indicative of causal knowledge rather ...

#De rustico et iuvenco #De viatore et fauno - The Satyr and the Traveller #De apro et coco #De mure et tauro # -

God helps those who help themselves The phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is a motto that emphasizes the importance of self-initiative and Agency (philosophy), agency. The phrase originated in ancient Greece as "the gods help those who help themselves" and may originally ...

#De ansere ova aurea pariente - The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs #De cicada et formica -

The Ant and the Grasshopper The Ant and the Grasshopper, alternatively titled The Grasshopper and the Ant (or Ants), is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 373 in the Perry Index. The fable describes how a hungry grasshopper begs for food from an ant when winter comes and is ...

#De simiae gemellis #De vitulo et bove #De leone et cane #De pisce et focis #De milite veterano - noticed under The Trumpeter Taken Captive #De pardo et vulpe #De olla cruda #De lupo et haedo

Editions

* Hendrik Cannegieter (1731) * Lachmann (1845) * Wilhelm Fröhner (1862) *

Emil Baehrens Paul Heinrich Emil Baehrens (24 September 1848, in Bayenthal – 26 September 1888, in Groningen) was a German classical scholar. After completing his studies he became ''Privatdozent'' at Jena. In 1877 he was appointed ordinary professor at the U ...

in ''Poetae Latini Minores'' (1879–1883) * Robinson Ellis, ''The Fables of Avianus'' (1887) * The Fables of Avianus, translated by David R. Slavitt, Johns Hopkins University Press 1993

References

* Latin Wikisource

Fables

Editions

See also

References

Further reading