In The Wolf and the Kid, we see a rare instance in which an animal who is usually played for a fool takes on the role of trickster. When the young goat strays away from his flock, he is caught by the Wolf and faces certain death. However, the Wolf underestimates the Kid, and makes a fool of himself when he grants the Kid's request for the Wolf to play him a tune on the pipe before he eats him. Just as the Kid had planned, the Shepard's dogs hear this tune and recognize it as the Wolf's supper song. They quickly come running and chase the Wolf away.
In some of Aesop's Fables, a character can be a trickster for one animal, but a fool for another. In The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion, this is exactly what happens. In this tale, the Ass and the Fox are seemingly friends; they eat together, travel together, and generally get along. However, when they happen upon the Lion, the Fox offers to trick the Ass into a trap so that the Lion can eat him! After the Fox lures the Ass into a trap, the Lion reveals that he has tricked this trickster and eats the Fox instead.
The Monkey and the Cat provides another example of a trickster and a fool in Aesop's work. In this fable, the Monkey convinces the Cat to pull chestnuts out of a still burning fire by praising his skillfullness and downplaying his own. Although the Monkey promises the Cat that they can split the chestnuts when he gets them out, this trickster gobbles them up one by one as the come out. Their thievery is soon interrupted by their owner, leaving the Cat with burnt paws and no chestnuts, certainly feeling foolish.
(The Monkey and the Cat. Wikimedia)
The Cat is once again made to be a fool in The Cat and the Birds. In this tale, the Cat tries to eat a family of birds by pretending to be a doctor and offering to help their sick. He even puts on glasses and carries a leather bag! In the end, the birds simply laugh him away.
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