The Story of the Frog and the Scorpion
Here and now, I want to tell you a story about trust and nature.
Have you ever heard the tale of the Scorpion and the Frog? Allow me to share it with you.
There are many variations and many stories about these two, and in every place, they are told anew.
And here are several of them.
Eight (8) same but different stories
Listen and read carefully.
This is how it begins.
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The North
Have you ever heard the story of the Scorpion and the Frog?
This is how it goes.
A Frog and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» pleads the Scorpion. «I must cross this river.»
«No! Do not come near me!» cries the Frog. «You'll only end up stinging me to death!»
«I will not,» promises the Scorpion.
«I wish to cross the river. You must believe that I will not sting you — just as I must believe that you will not drown me.»
The Frog thought about it and agreed, and so they set off upon their way.
The Frog swam one quarter of the way across. Then half. Then three quarters.
And then she felt a sharp sting.
«Why did you do that?» murmured the Frog, as she began to drown. «You have killed us both.»
«I cannot help myself,» replied the Scorpion, gasping his last breaths of air. «It is in my nature.»
And so they both drowned.
That is the story. That is how they tell it in the north.
That is the story.
In the west, however, they tell it differently
The West
Have you ever heard the story of the Scorpion and the Frog?
A Frog and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» pleads the Scorpion. «I must cross this river.»
«No! Do not come near me!» cries the Frog, shrinking back.
«You'll only end up stinging me to death!»
«I will not,» promises the Scorpion.
«I wish to cross the river. You must believe that I will not sting you — just as I must believe that you will not drown me.»
The Frog thought about it and agreed, and so they set off upon their way. The Frog felt the heavy weight of the Scorpion on her back. She felt the cool river water all around.
Above, she knew, a fearsome sting hovered.
One quarter of the way was done.
«The Scorpion will kill me,» thought the Frog. «There is nothing to be done. It is in his nature.»
They swam half the way. The shadow of the claw... the Frog could feel it.
At any moment, the strike would come.
At any moment. She saw the Scorpion's reflection in the water. Fearsome and deadly, sitting on her back.
They passed three quarters of the way. Was that a twitch, or was the Frog simply giving in to fear?
She dove, and the Scorpion drowned.
«He would have killed me,» thought the Frog.
«In the end, it is in his nature.»
That is the story. That is how they tell it in the west.
That is the story.
In the south, they tell it differently.
The South
You know this story.
A Frog and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» says the Scorpion. «I must cross this river.»
«Very well,» says the Frog.
«But if you sting me, I will drown you.»
«Agreed,» says the Scorpion, climbs onto the Frog, and a second later...... stings her again and again, right there on the river bank.
«You will never get across,» gasped the Frog, dying.
«Ah, but you will never drown me,» replies the Scorpion.
That is the story. That is how they tell it in the south.
That is the story.
In the east, however, they tell it differently
The East
Have you ever heard the story of the Scorpion and the Turtle?
Oh, yes. It was a Turtle before it became a Frog.
Listen...
A Turtle and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» pleads the Scorpion. «I must cross this river.»
«How can I trust one such as you?» says the Turtle. «Everyone knows how you sting others.»
«I will not,» promises the Scorpion.
«I only wish to cross the river. You must believe that I will not sting you — just as I must believe that you will not drown me.»
The Turtle considered this and agreed, and so they set off upon their way.
The Turtle swam one quarter of the way across. The river spray hit the Scorpion's legs, and he jumped about nervously.
The Turtle was strong, but the water was dark, and the river was wide.
They reached the middle of the way. A wave washed over the Turtle. Panicking, the Scorpion stung.
The Turtle, feeling nothing through her thick shell, continued on her way to the shore.
The Scorpion remained on her back. The Turtle kept swimming.
The Scorpion climbed onto the bank and thanked the Turtle sincerely, and they parted as friends.
That is the story. That is how they tell it in the east, and this is but one story of many.
In the mountains, they tell this story differently.
The Mountains
Have you ever heard the story of the Scorpion and the Frog?
This is the oldest story, and perhaps how it was always meant to be.
A Frog and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» pleads the Scorpion. «I must cross this river.»
«How can I trust one such as you?» says the Frog. «You'll only end up stinging me to death!»
«I will not,» promises the Scorpion.
«I wish to cross the river. You must believe that I will not sting you — just as I must believe that you will not drown me.»
The Frog thought about it and trusted him, and so they set off upon their way.
The Frog swam one quarter of the way. One quarter of the way— the Scorpion draws his sting back into himself, as if into a sheath. Halfway— his legs tremble, but do not grip the Frog's skin too tightly.
The Frog swims through the waves, trying to keep the Scorpion steady on her back and away from the water.
On the shore, the Scorpion climbs off, without leaving a single scratch.
«Why... why did you not sting me?» asks the Frog.
«Because I trusted you, and you trusted me. We are both stronger than our nature,» he replies.
They parted as friends.
That is the story. That is how they tell it in the mountains.
That is the story.
On the islands, however, they tell it differently.
The Islands
Have you ever heard the story of the Scorpion and the Frog?
Of course you have, but this is a different story.
A Frog and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» pleads the Scorpion.
«I must cross this river.»«No! Do not come near me!» cries the Frog. «You'll only end up stinging me to death!»
«I will not,» promises the Scorpion.
«I wish to cross the river. You must believe that I will not sting you — just as I must believe that you will not drown me.»
The Frog thought about it and said: «No, I will not swim with you, but follow me.»
And she hopped off along the river bank.
«I swim in these waters all the time, so I know the path better.»
The Scorpion followed. He needed to cross the river. They walked along the bank for a long time, longer than it would have taken to cross.
And in the end, the Frog led the Scorpion to a bridge.
«Here, you may cross the river safely,» she says.
The Scorpion thanks her and climbs onto the bridge.
The Frog hops along beside him. And so, crossing the river via the bridge, they become friends.
That is the story. That is how they tell it on the islands.
That is the story.
In the forests, they tell it differently
The Forests
You know this story. Who does not.
A Frog and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» says the Scorpion. «I must cross this river.»
«No! Do not come near me!» cries the Frog. «You'll only end up stinging me to death!»
«I will not,» promises the Scorpion.
«I wish to cross the river. You must believe that I will not sting you — just as I must believe that you will not drown me.»
The Frog thought about it and said — «I do not trust you. But you will sit on a branch, and I will push it; that is how you will cross the river.»
The Frog pushes a branch into the water. The Scorpion climbs on. The Frog swims alongside, pushing the log with her feet.
One quarter of the way — the branch spins, but the Scorpion holds on. The Frog keeps pushing.
«Hold on tight!» says the Frog at the halfway point. A wave washes over; he presses himself against the bark. The Scorpion is still on the branch. Three quarters — his sting slides over the wood, leaving scratches, but finding no flesh.
On the shore, the Scorpion climbs off.
«Why did you help me, if you know my nature and do not trust me?» he hisses.
«Because I could help you. That required nothing more,» says the Frog, and swims away.
That is the story. That is how they tell it in the forests.
That is the story.
In the desert, they speak of it differently.
The Desert
In the desert, this story is much shorter.
A Frog and a Scorpion meet on the bank of a river.
«Carry me across with you,» says the Scorpion. «I must cross this river.»
«No,» the Frog says simply — and without a second thought, jumps into the water.
The Scorpion crawls along the bank.
He searches for another way to cross the river.
An hour later, he is still there. A day later — still there.
On the third day, the rain comes. The river swells.
The river carries him away.
That is the story. That is how they tell it in the desert.
That is the story.
There are many more stories yet to be found. And if you know of other tales about these two, please, do tell them to me.
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A Note from the Storyteller:
This collection was inspired by the parable of "The Scorpion and the Frog" from a childhood book of fables.
The author (me) later discovered its many variations across the internet, which led to creating new ones, drawing parallels, and compiling them all together.
Beautiful and careful. Ta-da. Here 8 stories for you.
It is important to note: the places and cultures mentioned are not real. The author has no knowledge of how this parable is truly told in different cultures; the names of the regions (North, West, Islands, etc.) are used purely as a narrative device to reflect a certain meaning and give each variation a name.
Please perceive this as a work of fairy-tale symbolism.
You are free to use, share, and adapt these stories in any way you like.
I use it for my work building fantasy story.
And if you find or dream up your own versions, I would be delighted if you told them to me, too.
♥️🐢🦂🐸🌊✨