The Frogs Asking for a King

By Aesop as retold by Rebecca Lunsford

One lovely spring morning in a dense, swampy marsh where the trees grew lowly over the water, in a particular pond many frogs had gathered.  They were saddened that they had no leader so they sent a couple of ambassadors to Jupiter to ask for a king.  

Now Jupiter saw how straightforward the frogs were and threw down a big piece of driftwood into the pond to act as a leader. The splash, however, terrified the frogs causing them to swim deep down through the muddy, murky depths and hide in the vegetation and rocks below the rippling water.  After several minutes the frogs realized there was no danger so they resurfaced and leaned up onto the piece of wood and crouched with disdain.

The frogs were not satisfied with the lifeless object that was their king so they sent more ambassadors to beg Jupiter for another king. Jupiter obliged and sent an eel to rule over the frogs.  And the frogs were happy.

Not too long after this though, the frogs perceived the lazy and carefree spirit of the eel and once again became unsatisfied, so they sent even more ambassadors to Jupiter to pray for yet another king.  But Jupiter had grown annoyed with the frogs’ constant groanings and sent a Marsh Harrier. The Marsh Harrier fed upon and preyed off of the frogs until none were left in that small marsh.