We know the moral of the tortoise and the hare or the meaning of "sour grapes" because of the enduring legacy of the fables of Aesop told to generation after generation of children. While fables have deep roots in the European tradition, these oral narratives were widespread in the ancient world and have parallels in the Near East, India, and Africa. Most are short stories about anthropomorphized animals that contain morals about life and human nature...