The Farmer and the Snake
A farmer warms a frozen snake inside his coat and learns that kindness does not suit everyone.
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It was a very cold winter morning. A farmer went out to his field to gather firewood. In the snow he saw a snake. The snake was frozen stiff with cold and did not move.
The farmer felt sorry for the snake. "Poor thing, it will die like this," he said. He picked up the snake, tucked it inside his coat and walked home. The warmth of his body slowly warmed the snake.
When they reached the house, the snake came back to life. It opened its eyes and flicked out its tongue. The farmer was pleased: "You're better!" But instead of thanking him, the snake hissed and tried to bite the farmer's hand. The farmer pulled his hand away at the last moment and put the snake out through the window, onto the snow.
His wife had seen what happened. "Why did you put it inside your coat?" she said. "It's a snake, don't you know what snakes do?"
The farmer rubbed his hand and thought. "I know," he said. "But I wanted to do a kindness. Was that a mistake?"
His wife shook her head. "Doing a kindness is not a mistake. The mistake is not knowing where to put your kindness. You could have saved the snake, not inside your coat but in a basket, in a warm corner of the barn. It would have lived, and you would not have been bitten."
The farmer never forgot those words. From that day on he never held back his kindness, but he always kept his good sense with him too.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
The Farmer and the Snake is a children's tale from Aesop, suitable for ages 6-11 and about 2 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Aesop's Fables category.
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