Fables de Fontaine is a Book Collection found in Fontaine.
Location[]
Vol. 1[]
The Maiden and the Sun
The adopted daughter of the fox grew to be of marriageable age, her face as gentle as a beautiful spring.
Delicate and polite was she, and none could name a lady better.
Therefore, the fox said to her daughter,
"My girl, little girl, I am standing in my grave. I may soon no longer be able to care for you as I once did."
"Please, choose a husband for yourself. All would be honored to be the one."
The daughter replied,
"If it shall be so, Mother, please have me wed to the most powerful being in this world."
"Ah, and that would be the sun," the fox said. "My son-in-law you shall be, O sun shining in the sky."
"No," the sun refused. "These clouds are more powerful, for they block my radiance."
"So it is, then. Flowing clouds, those who block the sun's radiance, please marry my daughter."
"Oh, that won't do! The wind blows me away so easily. You're better off entrusting her to the wind!"
But the wind was stopped by a mountain, and so the fox went to it.
And the mountain demurred, citing conflicts with a mouse.
That mouse, when enraged, could bore a tunnel through the mountains,
Thus, it was mightier by far than the mountains, was it not?
The mouse suggested the cat, the cat the dog, and the dog, the wolf.
After having gone through the entire cycle, the Fox found herself facing the sun once more.
As thus did the young beauty marry the sun.
The story tells the truth that one should accept their destiny, instead of making excuses and trying to evade to the end.
No matter how honest, or how cunning, one can never escape the duty one ought to shoulder.
Vol. 2[]
The Crow and the Fox
Once upon a time, a crow perched on a tree, a piece of stolen cheese in its beak.
Seeing the crow, the fox living under the tree looked up and said,
"Listen, my friend."
"The thing in your mouth is no enticing feast,"
"But a source of misfortune that anyone sane would avoid like the plague."
"Look at your throat and then back at the cheese. Are they matched in size?"
"Swallow it, and you might just lose your life."
"The cheesemakers of the city have only let you go,"
"Because they know this — or do you think they've handed it to you for safe-keeping?"
The crow cared little for such words, and continued holding onto the cheese.
Seeing that the crow did not intend to give up yet, the fox spoke up once more:
"My friend,"
"This cheese is not some valuable delicacy!"
"Think! When you glided between mountain and forest, free of heed or care,"
"Did you then hear of something called cheese?"
"If you would listen, I would say that such a thing was never meant for us to enjoy."
"Let it rot in the mountains. Let the wind carry it into the sea."
"Better that than to let it become a shackle that binds you."
The crow fluffed its feathers, but kept its hold on the cheese.
Seeing that the crow still would not give up, the fox sighed.
"Come on, my friend,"
"If you truly must savor the taste of cheese,"
"I, a mere fox and bystander, shall not stop you."
"But surely, you must not know how cheese is best consumed."
"If you were to simply swallow it willy-nilly,"
"It would be a terrible waste of such a rare treasure!"
"Alas, and such a waste it would be, too, of all the recipes I have spent time gleaning from the lands around the world!"
Suddenly curious, the crow could not help but open its mouth.
"And could you teach me such recipes?"
Even as it did so, the cheese fell to the ground,
And the fox snatched it up, before turning tail and burrowing into its nest.
This story tells us how those who seek to discover mysteries that they should not know,
Shall lose all, even that which they already had.
Vol. 3[]
The Tale of the Donkey
Even when dressed to the nines, a Plain Jane will rarely be mistaken for a socialite.
Everyone in this world has strengths and weaknesses that are theirs and theirs alone.
Thus, the only way forward is to know oneself and face one's own flaws.
Don't be like the donkey of this tale, and make an ass of oneself.
Having learned how the fox seized the cheese, the donkey sought to emulate the crafty fox.
"Why is the world like this?"
"The fox is no genius. Why do others always toot her horn?"
"Do I, the donkey, not labor every day? Yet, no one cares to even greet me with a smile."
"Since this is the case, I shall learn from the fox and do the same as she."
"Her little tricks, surely, shall be mine in no time."
Thus, the donkey hid among the trees, and waited for its target to come by.
As the daughter of the cheesemaker passed by, the donkey bounded over,
And imitating the fox, raised a hoof and said with a smug voice,
"Ha! Listen to me! You know nothing about swift travel."
"Just throw all your cheese away. Shall your cart not arrive sooner that way?"
The young lady was shocked, and she immediately replied,
"Oh, you silly donkey! You dare to try to pull my leg?"
"Get me my stick! I'm driving this beast back to the mill!"
Seeing the stick being waved at it, the donkey ceased speaking at once.
This tale explains how trying to be someone else and smothering your own identity,
Is by no means beneficial. Indeed, it only leads to more suffering.
Trivia[]
- The book's cover reads LESFABLES (French: les fables "the fables") in the Fontaine Script.
- The book is a reference to Fables de La Fontaine by Jean de La Fontaine, a 17th-century French fabulist.
- The first fable is a pastiche of The Mouse Turned into a Maid.
- The second fable is a pastiche of The Fox and the Crow.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Fables de Fontaine | French: Fables of Fontaine |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 枫丹动物寓言集 Fēngdān Dòngwù Yùyán-jí | Fontaine Animal Fables |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 楓丹動物寓言集 Fēngdān Dòngwù Yùyán-jí | |
| Japanese | フォンテーヌ動物寓意譚 Fonteenu Doubutsu Guuitan | |
| Korean | 폰타인 동물 우화집 Pontain Dongmul Uhwajip | Fontaine Animal Fables |
| Spanish | Fábulas de Fontaine | Fables of Fontaine |
| French | Fables de Fontaine | — |
| Russian | Притчи о животных Фонтейна Pritchi o zhivotnykh Fonteyna | |
| Thai | รวมนิทานอีสป Fontaine | |
| Vietnamese | Ngụ Ngôn Động Vật Fontaine | |
| German | Fables de Fontaine | — |
| Indonesian | Ensiklopedia Fauna Fontaine | Encyclopedia of the Fauna of Fontaine |
| Portuguese | Fábulas dos Animais de Fontaine | |
| Turkish | Fontaine Masalları | Fontaine Fables |
| Italian | Fiabe di Fontaine | Fontaine's Fairy Tales |
Change History[]
- Updates to item description:
- Old: A storybook containing various lore and tales, most of which were not written by the author but are compiled from ancient poems which have since been lost.
- New: A storybook containing various lore and tales authored by Marie Hericart de La Fontaine, most of which were not written by the author but are compiled from ancient poems which have since been lost.
- Fables de Fontaine was released.
