It is uncertain whether Aesop had originally written the fables he is famous for. He was a slave from the Island of Samos around the sixth century B.C. Stories from that time were verbally told throughout the centuries long before the stories were written down on paper. It was believed the the fables, stories that teach a lesson, were originally used for political purposes. The reason for this was that, during Aesop's time, making political speeches was considered illegal and was punishable by death.

Jean De La Fontaine was a French poet who lived in the 1600s. He spent twenty-six years rewriting the fables of Aesop and writing his own.

The fables from both Aesop and La Fontaine often refer to mythological gods. One god that appears in both authors fables is Jupiter, who is the father and master of the gods. Another god mentioned is Phoebus...