Something that sets fables apart from other types of storytelling is their morals. They are didactic in their purpose, they aim to teach and instruct, whether implicitly or explicitly. So whilst some of my deeper research took me in the direction of children's stories for their commonalities with fables in its use of anthropomorphism, etc. there is a key story type that excludes some of these aspects, but includes the moral aspect of a fable. I'm talking, of course, about parables.
Parables feature most commonly in religious texts as a teaching tool for followers of a person/god. Whilst I'm aware that parables feature in religions beyond Christianity, as someone who was raised a Christian I am most familiar with the parables that appear in the Bible as part of the teachings of Jesus. I have decided to pick three of the most famous parables and examine the common threads running through them - what makes them different from fables, and what the two story types share.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
The story depicts a man walking the road from Jerusalem to Jericho when he is attacked and stripped by robbers, leaving him half dead on the roadside. Along the road come a priest and a Levite (both parties are accepted by the Jews) but both of them pass him by. Then a Samaritan (a party hated by the Jews) comes by and helps the man, cleans his wounds and takes him to an inn where he cares for him further. The Samaritan pays the innkeeper so the man can stay until he is healed.
Context: This story is told by Jesus when asked by a follower who the "neighbour" refers to in the phrase "love your neighbour as yourself" (meaning to treat your neighbour as you would wish to be treated.)
Moral: everyone, even those you would normally consider an enemy, is your neighbour.
(This is the most popular conclusion of the moral when reading the parable).
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
A father has two sons, and the youngest son asks for his share of the estate, unwilling to wait until his father's death to inherit. The father agrees, and with his new riches the youngest son travels and lives a wasteful, extravagant lifestyle (meaning prodigal). After squandering his money, a famine takes the land he is in, and he ends up working as a swine heard (pigs are considered unclean by the Jews, meaning this is a particularly low point). He plans to return home, remembering his kind father and resigning himself to no longer be called a son but simply another servant.
Whilst he is still a long way from home, his father, who has been waiting for him, is overcome with joy, getting the servants to dress him in a robe, fine sandals and jewellery, and to slaughter the fattened calf to eat for a celebratory feast.
The oldest son, working in the fields, hears of his brother's return and is upset, asking his father why he'd waste the fattened calf on someone who threw away his life when he himself had spent years dutifully working at his father's side.
His father tells him to celebrate, saying "be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found".
Moral: No matter how far you have fallen, you can always be restored and redeemed. (In the context of Christianity, this redemption happens through God.)
The Parable of the Faithful Servant
A master leaves his home and goes to a marriage feast, leaving his servant behind. Jesus tells the listeners to be like the servant, to be ready when the master returns for the doors to immediately open to him. The master is so pleased by the dutifulness of the servant that he dresses himself for bed, and lets the servant relax, and will serve the servant himself. The master continues to be pleased no matter how late at night he returns from the wedding.
Moral: Loyalty will not go unrewarded. (In the context of Christianity, this refers to being rewarded in heaven for being faithful.)
The key difference that separates parables from fables in their respective definitions is protagonists. Fables employ the use of anthropomorphised animals, creatures, objects, etc. to tell their stories, whilst parables focus on people. They often reflect potential real-life scenarios and lack the fantasy aspect of fables.
Something that became clear to me as I was researching these parables further was the "morals" that appear in parables cannot be held in the same light as those in fables. Whilst the morals of fables have a Universal Truth of sorts, the parables that Jesus tells are for a Jewish audience, with experience of other rabbis telling similar tales. These parables are thousands of years old, however, unlike the fables of Aesop, there is still dispute over their true meanings.
What is important to compare is the differences between the types of "morals" that emerge from parables and fables. Fables often have their protagonist learn something - their actions have consequences that enlighten them as a character. The characters in Jesus' parables, however, are more distant. They act, and then their actions are interpreted as a metaphor that the audience can learn from. Perhaps this is down to the difference in audience - these parables were told for grown people, fables are angled towards children. It makes sense that fables have a more fantastical, exciting plot and cast of characters, with morals that refer to simple human situations, considering their audience has less life experience.
Something that was similar about the parables of Jesus and fables, however, was how the story relies heavily on associations. As I've previously explored in my research, often fables employ the use of certain animals to showcase certain behaviours, letting the reader make instant assumptions that aids them in understanding the story in a short amount of time. Similarly, short parables have recurring characters in them - the father and son dynamic, the master and servant, the farmer and his crops. These are metaphorical of God and humans, and allow for instant association that aids in understanding the story through repetition of the stereotypes.
My conclusion in my comparison of Christian parables and fables is that parables fail to promote the universal truths that fables do. The use of human beings boxes the stories into a context that can sometimes make them difficult to interpret later down the road. The difference in morals is also key to note, which I believe comes down to audience, something I will explore in more depth later.
Whilst the Bible includes some beautiful parables that I really enjoy, with some messages that sit comfortably in the cross-section of simplicity and complexity, they lack the elements that define fables - the ones that I'm excited about.