The Crow and the Snake

Long ago, a crow and his wife lived in a strong nest high in a tall tree. They loved their leafy home and looked forward to raising a family there.

Each year, the mother crow laid eggs in the nest. But a cruel snake lived in a hollow near the roots of the same tree. Whenever the crows flew away to search for food, the snake climbed the trunk and ate their eggs.

When the crows returned to an empty nest, they were heartbroken. They tried watching from nearby branches, calling for help, and building the nest higher, but the snake always found a way to reach it.

At last, the crows went to their wise friend, the fox.

“We are not strong enough to fight the snake,” said the father crow. “What can we do?”

The fox thought quietly. Then she said, “Do not fight strength with strength. Use intelligence. Make someone more powerful than the snake come to its hollow.”

She whispered a plan, and the crows listened carefully.

The next morning, the father crow flew to the king's garden. Beside a clear bathing pool, the queen's attendants had placed a beautiful gold necklace on a cloth while they remained nearby.

The crow swooped down, lifted the necklace in his beak, and flew away. The palace guards immediately followed him.

The crow flew slowly enough for them to keep him in sight. He led them out of the garden, across the fields, and straight to his tall tree. Then he dropped the necklace into the snake's hollow.

The guards reached the tree and looked into the hollow. They saw the necklace—and the snake beside it. To recover the queen's treasure, they dealt with the snake and carried the necklace safely back to the palace.

The crow and his wife were safe at last. In time, new eggs hatched in their nest. Their chicks grew beneath the sheltering leaves, and the parents no longer had to leave in fear.

The crows never forgot the fox's advice. They had defeated a dangerous enemy without trying to become stronger than it. Careful thought had shown them another way.