Storytelling is an ancient tradition that humans have practiced since the beginning.

Almost every aspect of human existence owes gratitude to the stories throughout our history. History, entertainment, and even art, in general, are pursuits that all lead to these stories. You can’t even spell “history” without a story. The word is just built into it.

Storytelling has served as the primary source of entertainment since ancient times. During the medieval era, the court of the king would even hire jesters to entertain guests, which they did through songs, music, and, you guessed it, storytelling. Additionally, stories served as warnings or lessons about how people should behave or how things should be done. Notices are more effective if there is a story behind them. For instance, people were much more inclined to believe that eating a red apple is terrible if there was a story about why it was so.

In terms of serving as warnings and moral lessons, there were two types of stories, the parables, and the fables. These two types of traditional stories have been passed down from generation to generation. Until now, they are still teaching us things. Though they may share some similarities, they share vital differences that make them distinct from each other.

Fables

A fable is commonly an animal story with moral lessons, which can also employ plants and objects to convey such lessons. To discuss broadly, it’s a story that typically stars non-human characters and, at the end of each, tells a moral lesson that can be applied to life in general. The most famous collection of fables, Aesop’s Fables, has existed since time immemorial. They have taught the same lessons to their ancient readers as their readers now. Some famous works from his collection include “The Lion and the Mouse” and “The Turtle and the Hare.”

Parables

Parables are also stories that bring with them moral or religious viewpoints. But unlike fables, these stories focus on human characters. These stories illustrate one or more instructive lessons or principles. The most common place where you can find these stories is in the Holy Bible, such as the Parable of Jesus. Some of the more famous parables include the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Fables vs. Parables

While Parables use the Bible as a leading source of information, fables utilize words of mouth. Fables often feature animals and inanimate objects as their main characters, while parables feature men and women and are more direct in teaching their lessons.

Although fables tend to be found in the wild, they can also appear in most unlikely places. Parables carry heavy lessons that are often spiritual and tell instructions on how to deepen a person’s relationship with God or get into heaven. At the same time, fables focus on teaching moral and ethical solutions to moral problems.

Examples of Fables

The most significant sources of fables are, of course, the collection of the famous Aesop. Another example includes “The Tortoise and the Hare,” where the main lesson was to keep at whatever it was you were doing. Some fables also pop out from the Arabian One Thousand and One Knights (aka the Arabian Nights) and Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury tails. However, looking for more modern examples, one can go for Animal Farm by George Orwell and Easter: McEaster Valley by Walter Hoge. Fables also appear in the contemporary mediums of storytelling—”Cars,” a Disney movie about talking cars that taught values to its viewers.

Examples of Parables

Despite being more religious, there are still secular parables. An example is “The Boy who Cried Wolf,” which, while listed as a fable, is also a parable. Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is another secular parable. However, the more famous parables come from Jesus of Nazareth. His parables are mainly about morality and how to get to the Kingdom of God; examples include “The Good Samaritan,” “The Richman and Lazarus,” and “the Parable of the Mustard Seed.”

These two are just classifications of the stories that we grew up with. It doesn’t change the fact that these stories have been passed on from generation to generation. These stories are steeped in history and will continue to thrive even in the future.