Family & Reverence

Some stories are about something that happened in real life. Some stories are made up and are just for entertainment. Then there are some stories that are made up to teach a lesson. The story may not be real, but the lesson is.

 

Aesop was a famous Greek storyteller believed to have lived from 620 to 564 Before the Common Era (BCE). He is credited with several stories that taught lessons about different values like being kind, honest, treating others with respect, and more. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is about what happens when you do not tell the truth.

 

‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’

 

A shepherd boy was watching his family’s sheep in a pasture near a dark forest not far from their village. Soon he found life in the pasture very dull. All he could do for fun was talk to his dog or play on his shepherd’s pipe.

 

One day as he sat watching the sheep in the quiet forest, he was thinking about what he would do if he saw a wolf. Wolves attack sheep, and the boy was there to protect the sheep. He was so bored he thought of a plan to play a trick on everyone.

 

His family had told him to call for help should a wolf attack the flock, and the villagers would come running to help drive it away.

 

He had not seen anything that even looked like a wolf but decided it would be fun to run toward the village shouting at the top of his voice, “Wolf! Wolf!”

 

As he expected, the villagers who heard the cry dropped their work and ran in great excitement to the pasture. But when they got there, they found the boy doubled up with laughter at the trick he had played on them.

 

A few days later the shepherd boy again shouted, “Wolf! Wolf!” Again, the villagers ran to help him, only to be laughed at again.

 

Then one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were creeping out over the pasture, a wolf really did spring from the underbrush and start to attack the sheep. In terror, the boy ran toward the village shouting, “Wolf! Wolf!”

 

The villagers heard the cry, but they did not run to help him as they had before. “He cannot fool us again,” they said. The wolf killed a great many of the family’s sheep and then slipped away into the forest.

 

What do you think the lesson of this story is? (Allow Scouts and adults to answer)

 

Liars are not believed, even when they speak the truth.

 

Good job tonight, Scouts. And remember, have fun and do your best!