The Fox and the Grapes. As with other authors of antiquity, the historical figure of Aesop (probably 6th century BC) is hardly tangible. Accounts of his life appear even as fables, such as his execution for temple theft in Delphi. The 231 stories attributed to him endow natural beings, especially animals, with reason and language. This allows them to become a mirror of humanity, to criticize weaknesses and convey morals and wisdom for life. The fables have been edited (for the first time in German) according to the currently internationally recognized edition by Ben Edwin Perry and are now available in a modern new translation.