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You can read this book at the Internet Archive: A Donkey Reads, adapted from a Turkish folktale by Muriel Mandell with art by André Letria. This is a story about Nasruddin set in the time of the Mongolian ruler Tamerlane, a historical ruler of the 14th century; you can read more about Tamerlane at Wikipedia.

(Heather, I think you will like how this story is set up!)

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A donkey reads : adapted from a Turkish folktale : Mandell, Muriel;Letria, André, illustrator : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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You can watch The People's Judgment at YouTube.

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The People's Judgement - Mullah Nasruddin Stories for Kids | Moral Videos  by Mocomi

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This is a story from the Sufi poet Rumi:

A man came running into a stranger's house.
"Save me!" he shouted. "Save me please!"
"But what's wrong?" asked the homeowner. "What are you running from?"
"The king's agents are gathering donkeys! They're seizing donkeys to do forced labor for the king."
"You're not a donkey! They're not going to take you. What are you worried for?"
"They might make a mistake and think I'm a donkey and take me away. They're taking the donkeys in earnest; the danger is real!"
The homeowner shook his head sadly. "Remember who you are!" he said. "You're not a donkey. Be a man!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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You can read How Many Donkeys? An Arabic Counting Tale at the Internet Archive.

#OnlineBook

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How many donkeys? : an Arabic counting tale : MacDonald, Margaret Read, 1940- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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You can read How Many Donkeys? A Turkish Folktale at the Internet Archive.

#OnlineBook

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How many donkeys? : a Turkish folk tale : Brinkley. Bob : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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Special Scott, Foresman and Co. edition for Teacher's read-aloud library.

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This is a story about the Sufi mystic Rabia of Basra:

Rabia decided to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Then, in the middle of the desert, her donkey died. Her fellow pilgrims offered to let her ride with them, but she said, "Go on without me. I have come this far trusting in God, and I know God will provide."

The caravan moved on, and Rabia prayed. "O God, you invited me to your dwelling, but you have let my donkey die. Is this how the king treats the women of his kingdom?"

Answering Rabia's prayer, God resurrected the donkey, and then the donkey carried Rabia all the way to Mecca.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is an Anansi story from Nevis in the Caribbean:

Anansi and Lion bought supplies in town.

They were almost home when Anansi said, "I forgot molasses! You go back and get it. I'll drive the cart home!"

When Lion was gone, Anansi hid the cart and donkey in the bushes.

Next, he cut off the donkey's tail.

Then he buried the tail sticking straight up out of the ground.

When Lion came back, Anansi shouted, "The donkey ran underground! Grab the tail before he gets away!"

Lion grabbed the tail and pulled.

"Oh no! I pulled the donkey's tail off!" Lion groaned. "Now we'll never get the cart back."

#DonkeyCharacter

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Here's another version of Aesop's donkey-in-the-lion-skin:

A donkey found a lion skin that had fallen off a merchant's cart. Delighted, the donkey put on the skin, and then roamed the woods, terrorizing the other animals. They really thought he was a lion, running away as soon as they saw him. The donkey started to think he actually was a lion!

The fox was terrified when she saw him, but just as she was about to run away, the donkey decided to roar. "Hee haw! Hee haw!"

The fox burst out laughing. "You scared me at first, Donkey!" she said. "But then you opened your big mouth."

#FoolishDonkey

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lion is braying while lion watches from hiding place in bushes

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This is an Aesop's fable:

A lion and a donkey agreed to go hunting in partnership together.
One day they happened upon a pack of wolves. The donkey brayed loudly and raced at the wolves as if he were going to swallow them whole.
"Hee-haw!" he shouted. "Hee-haw!"
The wolves laughed, but when they glimpsed the lion running up behind the donkey, they turned tail and ran away.
"Behold!" said the donkey. "The tremendous sound of my voice has made the wolves run away!"
"I suspect it was the sight of me that did it," replied the lion, "rather than the sound of your voice.

#FoolishDonkey

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one man sits in donkey's shadow; another man is dragging him out

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This is an Aesop's fable:

A merchant hired a donkey and driver to carry his goods from one town to another across the desert.
The day was hot and the journey was long, so they had to stop and rest. There was no shade of any kind, except for the shadow cast by the donkey.
The merchant settled down comfortably in that shade, but the driver protested. "That's my donkey," he said, "so it's my shade!"
"But I'm the one who hired the donkey!" the merchant exclaimed.
"You paid for the donkey, it's true," said the driver, "but you did not pay for his shadow!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a story by the Sufi poet Rumi:

A hunter caught a gazelle and then locked it in the stable with his donkey.

He fed the donkey with straw, and he offered straw to the gazelle also, but the gazelle refused to eat.

The donkey laughed. "You must miss your royal throne, delicate creature that you are!"

"It's true," said the gazelle. "I long to eat sweet meadow-grass and drink from crystal streams. The stench here is suffocating."

"In a strange country, anyone can boast!" scoffed the donkey. "I don't believe a word you say."

The gazelle sighed. "What would a dung-worshipping donkey know of ambergris and musk-oil?"

#FoolishDonkey

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This is a Swahili story from eastern Africa:

A boy found a few coins in the street. “We can buy chickens!” he said.

“Yes!” said his father. “The chickens will lay eggs, and we’ll sell the eggs to buy goats.”

“Yes!” said the son. “The goats will breed, and we’ll sell the kids to buy a donkey, and you’ll give me the donkey to ride.”

“No!” shouted the father. “The donkey is mine!”

“No!” shouted the son. “The donkey is mine!”

“Mine!” shouted the father.

“Mine!” shouted the son.

And then the father hit his son and blinded him in one eye.

All because of a nonexistent donkey.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

One day Nasruddin tied his donkey up outside of the courthouse while he ran some errands.
Meanwhile, the judge had just condemned a man to ride around the town backwards on a donkey as punishment for his crime, so they needed a donkey. They borrowed Nasruddin's donkey, and when Nasruddin found out, he was not happy.
A few days later, someone knocked at Nasruddin's door.
"I've come from the judge. We need to borrow your donkey again. It's the same man again, same punishment."
"Absolutely not!" said Nasruddin. "If the man's a career criminal, let him get his own donkey!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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father walks while son rides on donkey, people scoff

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This is a medieval Aesop's fable:

A man and his son led their donkey to market.
"Someone should ride!" shouted a bystander. So the man put his son on the donkey.
Along the way, another bystander scoffed. "Lazy boy! Why must your father walk?" The son dismounted and the father rode.
They met another critic, who said, "Cruel father, making your son walk!" So both rode.
Then another critic. "Poor donkey, carrying two riders!"
So they tied the donkey to a pole and carried him, but the donkey kicked and struggled, and thus the donkey fell into a river and floated away.
There's no pleasing everyone.

#DonkeyCharacter

(I decided to have the donkey float away, not drown... the donkey usually drowns!)

****

The same story is told about Nasruddin:

Nasruddin was going to town with his son. Nasruddin walked while his son rode their donkey.
Someone saw them and scoffed. "Lazy boy! Why must your father walk?"
So the son got off, and Nasruddin got on.
Farther down the road, someone else saw them and said, "Cruel father, making your son walk!"
So they both rode the donkey.
"Poor donkey, carrying two riders!" said the next person they met.
So then they both got off.
"Idiots!" laughed the next person. "At least one of you should ride the donkey!"
"Take note, my son," Nasruddin said. "There's no pleasing everyone."

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This is a Nasruddin story:

A thief had stolen Nasruddin's donkey, so Nasruddin went to the police station to report the crime, hoping that the police would find the donkey-thief and get his donkey back.
"I want to report a theft!" Nasruddin shouted. "Someone has stolen my donkey. I need your help!"
The police officer took out a piece of paper, ready to write down Nasruddin's account of the events.
"Tell me what happened," he said.
"How can I possibly do that?" Nasruddin exclaimed. "I wasn't there when it happened! If I'd been there, I would have stopped the thief before he took my donkey."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin bought a donkey and was leading it home. On the way, a thief stole the donkey and left his young son in the harness.
When he got home, Nasruddin was surprised to see his donkey had turned into a boy.
"For my bad behavior, my mother cursed me to become a donkey," the boy said. "But I repented, and now I'm human again."
"Make sure you don't misbehave in future!" Nasruddin said, sending the boy home.
The next day Nasruddin saw the same donkey at the market. "You bad boy!" said Nasruddin. "Didn't I tell you to behave yourself?"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin's neighbor asked to borrow his donkey.
This particular neighbor had a bad temper, and Nasruddin was reluctant to refuse him.
"Let me go ask the donkey," he said.
A few moments later, Nasruddin returned.
"My deepest apologies," he said to his neighbor, "but the donkey refuses. He explained his reasoning like this: if I make him work for you, you are likely to beat him, and if you beat him, he will bite you, and after he bites you, you will curse me. So really, it's better for all of us if I do not loan you the donkey."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a story from the Sufi poet Rumi:

A wandering Sufi arrived in a distant town and went to the local Sufi house. They welcomed him there, lodging his donkey in their stable.

To honor their guest, the Sufis wanted to arrange a celebration, but they had no money, so they sold the stranger's donkey to buy the food.

The celebration was magnificent!

As they danced in the circle, the Sufis all sang, "The donkey is gone! The donkey is gone!" The stranger, caught up in the ecstasy, also sang, "The donkey is gone!"

He was dismayed to learn the next morning that his donkey really was gone.

#DonkeyCharacter

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From the Indian Panchatantra:

A farmer allowed his donkey to wander freely at night.
One night the donkey met a jackal and they became friends.
Together, they broke into a cucumber field and ate all the cucumbers they wanted.
Then the donkey decided to sing.
"Don't do that!" hissed the jackal.
But the donkey insisted on singing. "I have a lovely singing voice," he said. "You're just jealous!"
The jackal hid in the bushes and watched. The donkey sang very loudly, and finally the villagers came and cudgeled him to death.
"Music is all well and good," thought the jackal, "but silence is safer."

#FoolishDonkey

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This is a story from the Sufi poet Rumi:

One of the mayor's servants needed to go to the market.

"I need a horse to ride," he said to the mayor.

"You can take that donkey over there," replied the mayor. "I don't have a horse I can spare today."

"But I don't want that donkey!" protested the servant. "I know that donkey. He's obstinate. He bucks and insists on going backwards, not forwards. He follows his rump, not his head."

"Well," said the mayor, "you can point his rump in the direction of the market, and off you go!"

Sometimes you have to turn backward to move forward.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a medieval Aesop's fable:

There was a goat who was a donkey's servant, but the donkey was a gentle master, so the goat decided to take advantage of the donkey's mild temperament.

"I'll show him who's really the boss!" said the goat, and he got up on top of the donkey and tried to ride him like a horse.

This made the donkey angry so he reared up on his hind legs and threw the donkey onto the ground. Then, as he trampled the goat under his hooves, the donkey said, "Even if your master is a donkey, you shouldn't try to ride him."

#WiseDonkey

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donkey carries icon in procession of church officials; people are bowing

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This is an Aesop's fable:

There was a great religious procession, and a donkey was carrying a holy icon on the way to the church.
When the people saw the icon, they all fell to their knees in devotion.
"Behold!" the foolish donkey thought to himself. "The people are all falling to their knees and worshiping me… ME!"
As the donkey hee-hawed happily, the donkey-driver cracked his whip and laughed. "You are nothing more than a donkey. You were a donkey before I put the icon on your back, and you're still a donkey now," he said. "They're worshiping the icon; they're not worshiping you!"

#FoolishDonkey

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This is a Nasruddin story (also told as an Aesop's fable):

Nasruddin was returning home from the market, and his donkey was carrying bags of salt.
On the way, they had to cross a stream. The donkey slipped, and the salt dissolved in the water. When the donkey stood back up, he found his load was lighter, and he trotted happily home.
The next time they came from the market, the donkey was carrying bags of wool. He decided to stumble on purpose but, instead of dissolving, the wool absorbed the water and weighed even more than before.
"You can't expect to get lucky every time!" Nasruddin said to the donkey.

#FoolishDonkey

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man sits, holding decorated donkey on halter

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This is a Seha story from Morocco:

The villagers put all their money together to buy a communal donkey.

Then they sent Seha to the market. "Buy a good donkey," they said.

Seha bought a good donkey.

As he walked beside it going home, passersby scoffed, "Look at that fool walking, not riding!"

So Seha rode the donkey.

"He'll drive that donkey to an early grave!" other passersby remarked.

So Seha picked up the donkey and carried it.

The villagers ran to greet thim. "Look at Seha's compassion for the donkey!" they shouted. "We did well to send Seha to the market; he knew what to do."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin's donkey was lost, but Nasruddin appeared to be happy, not sad. Instead of looking for his donkey, he sat drinking coffee in the coffeehouse.
Everyone was puzzled about this, knowing how much Nasruddin loved his donkey, and his donkey had now been missing for several days.
"I don't understand why you look so happy," someone finally said to him. "How can you smile like that when your donkey is lost?"
"I'm smiling because I'm not on the donkey," explained Nasruddin, taking another sip of his coffee. "Just imagine: if I were on the donkey, I would be lost too!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

"That wretched donkey of mine ran away again," said Nasruddin. "If he ever comes back, I'll sell him for a single copper coin!"
The donkey came back, and Nasruddin regretted his reckless oath.
So, he took the cat, who was the donkey's playmate, and put the cat in the donkey's saddlebag. Then he went to the market.
"Buy this fine donkey for just one copper coin!" Nasruddin shouted. "But you must buy the cat too; the donkey would be heartbroken without him."
"How much for the cat?" someone asked.
"The cat will cost you one hundred silver coins," Nasruddin replied.

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onager watches as man beats heavily laden donkey

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This is an Aesop's fable; an onager is a type of wild donkey:

An onager who had strayed from his herd in search of grass saw a donkey eating a bundle of barley straw.
"That barley straw looks tasty," thought the wild donkey, "and how fat he looks. He must be a lucky donkey indeed!"
Then the wild donkey watched as a man put heavy bundles on the donkey's back. The man shouted at the donkey, and then he threatened the donkey with a whip.
At that, the onager turned and ran. "I was wrong; that donkey is not lucky after all. I would never sell my freedom in exchange for barley straw."

#WiseDonkey

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This is a Nasruddin story:

A neighbor asked to borrow Nasruddin's donkey.
Nasruddin did not want to loan him the donkey, but he also did not want to appear to be ungenerous. So, he made up an excuse.
"I'm sorry, but I must say no," said Nasruddin. "The donkey is not here right now; I loaned him to my brother-in-law, and he still hasn't returned the donkey."
Then, at that very moment, the donkey let out a loud bray from inside the stable.
Before his neighbor could say anything, Nasruddin gave him a hard look. "Who are you going to believe: me, or the donkey?"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This Padlet displays wisdom stories: some stories feature donkeys as the main character (perhaps wise, perhaps foolish, or maybe both!), and some stories have humans as the main characters but involve donkeys in some way. The stories appear at random each time you reload the page.

Hopefully these stories will inspire you to come up with a version of a donkey story to include in our collaborative play: DONKEY WISDOM. You can add your story into that document, or you can write in a separate document and then put a link to your document in Donkey Wisdom.

Each story contains a link to a source; if there is an image, you will find the image information at the source.

#FoolishDonkey stories are marked yellow.

#WiseDonkey stories are marked green (also: wise fools).

#DonkeyCharacter stories are marked blue; these are stories involving donkeys but not as the main character.

#OnlineBook posts are marked purple.

#OnlineVideo posts are marked purple.

I included the foolish donkeys too because who knows: maybe the donkeys have a way of telling the story where it turns out the donkey is not so foolish after all. I did not include stories where the donkey dies. Sadly, there are quite a few stories like that... but as you can see, there were still plenty of stories to include!

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old man dressing a donkey in a lion's skin

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This is a Buddhist jataka story:

There was once a merchant who used a donkey to carry his wares. To avoid having to pay for the donkey's fodder, the merchant put a lion-skin on the donkey and then turned the donkey loose in the fields. The farmers were afraid of this “lion” and thus the donkey was able to eat his fill.
One of the farmers, though, heard the “lion” braying like a donkey. The farmers then beat the donkey and stole the lion-skin.
The merchant later found the donkey's body in the field. “That foolish donkey should have kept his mouth shut!” he said sadly.

#FoolishDonkey

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This is a Nasruddin story:

A famous scholar asked Nasruddin to help him move beyond mere book learning. "Please accept me as your student!" he said.

Nasruddin agreed. "For the first week," he said, "you must go to the marketplace each morning and evening, kiss the ground and then jump up, pulling on your ears and braying like a donkey."

The scholar agreed. Reluctantly.

He came back a week later. "I did what you told me," he said, "and everyone laughed. I felt like a fool, a complete and utter fool!"

"Excellent!" said Nasruddin. "That's a remarkable insight to have gained in just one week."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Sufi parable:

A Sufi dreamed he ascended to heaven.

"Rejoice!" the angels said. "Today is God's birthday!"

Then the Sufi saw a holiday parade. Muhammad rode a white stallion, surrounded by angels and flocks of followers. Then came Krishna on a peacock, also with angels and followers. Next was Jesus. Buddha. Mahavira. So many holy leaders.

Finally there came an old man riding a donkey, all alone.

"Who are you?" the Sufi asked.

"I'm God," he said, "and I'm alone here because my followers follow others."

When he awoke, the Sufi decided to worship God only; he no longer followed any religion.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin's friend saw him throwing money into a pool.

"Nasruddin! What on earth are you doing?" he asked.

Nasruddin smiled. "I'm paying the frogs."

"I don't understand," said his friend.

"Well, I was riding along and my donkey slipped. We were sliding right into the pool! But then the frogs started croaking, and they croaked so loudly that it scared the donkey, so he leaped back up onto solid ground, and we didn't end up in the water. Don't you think the frogs deserve a reward for saving us like that?"

Nasruddin smiled, and kept throwing money into the pool.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin once did a favor for the governor, and the governor announced that he was going to bestow on Nasruddin a great reward. Naturally, Nasruddin was curious what reward the governor would give him.
"Nasruddin," said the governor, "because of your great service to me and to the state, I offer you my eternal friendship."
Nasruddin thought for a moment before he replied. "Thank you, Governor. That is very kind of you," he said. "But if you don't mind, I think I would rather you offered me some gold coins or perhaps a donkey. That would be far more useful."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a medieval folktale:

A certain king put great faith in astrologers and their ability to predict the weather. Once when the king went hunting, he got separated from his hunting party as he chased a stag. Then, it started raining. To escape the downpour, the king sought refuge in a peasant's hut.
"My astrologers are fools!" the king shouted. "They said nothing about this storm."
"The weather never fools me," said the peasant. "My donkey always brays when a storm is coming."
"I will make your donkey my chief astrologer," proclaimed the king, "and I will number my other astrologers among the donkeys."

#WiseDonkey

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This is an Ethiopian folktale:

Two men met on a road, each riding a donkey.

The men greeted each other, and the donkeys also touched noses in greeting.

"I understand why people exchange greetings," one man said, "but why do the donkeys put their heads together?"

"Long ago," the other man replied, "the donkeys sent a messenger to God, imploring him to free the donkeys from their servitude. Now when donkeys meet each other, they ask: has our messenger returned yet? They are always hoping for news that God will grant them their freedom."

The donkeys remind us that every creature longs to be free.

#WiseDonkey

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This is a Sufi story:

Ibrahim ibn-Adham met another seeker, Sahl ibn-Abdullah, on the road. They traveled together, but then Sahl became very ill. Ibrahim sold everything he owned to buy medicine and rent a room for Sahl. He even had to sell Sahl's donkey.
When Sahl finally recovered, Ibrahim explained that he had sold the donkey. "But you can ride me!" he said, urging Sahl to get up on his shoulders.
"I can't do that," Sahl protested.
"I'm no longer weighed down by possessions," Ibrahim explained. "Moreover, I got no pleasure from carrying my old bundle, but to carry you will be a delight."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin once found himself traveling in the company of a wealthy merchant.
"The more wealthy I am, the more wealthy I become," said the merchant proudly. "Look at my fine boots and your shabby sandals, my thoroughbred horse and your broken-down donkey, my elegant garments and your threadbare cloak..."
As the merchant was speaking, robbers suddenly rode up and attacked them, stripping the merchant of his clothes and stealing his horse. Meanwhile, they ignored Nasruddin and his donkey.
"Remarkable!" said Nasruddin, "The more wealthy you were, the more you had to lose, while my circumstances remain the same as before."

#DonkeyCharacter

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statue of Nasruddin riding backwards on his donkey

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin was riding his donkey to the school while his pupils walked behind him. Nasruddin sat backwards, facing the children.
"You look funny riding backwards!" they said.
"If I faced forward, I'd have my back to you," Nasruddin explained, "which wouldn't be nice. If I faced forward and you walked in front, your backs would be towards me, which also wouldn't be nice. If you walked in front facing backwards to see me, you wouldn't see where you're going and you'd probably fall down. So, me riding backwards facing you, just like this," he concluded, "is really the best solution!"

Here's another story about Nasruddin riding backwards:

Nasruddin and his donkey were both well known to the inhabitants of the town. So, when Nasruddin went riding through the town one day sitting backwards on his donkey, someone just had to ask what he was doing.
"Why are you riding backwards like that?" said the man to Nasruddin. "You're facing the rear instead of facing forwards. Riding like that, you can't even see which way you are going!"
"You're mistaken, my friend," Nasruddin replied. "I'm sitting the right way; I know what I'm doing. It's the donkey who's backwards. Donkeys can be very stubborn that way, you know."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

"Our house is so crowded," Nasruddin's neighbor complained. "We can't stand it anymore."
"I can help," Nasruddin said. "Will you obey my advice exactly?"
His neighbor nodded.
"Bring your goats, chickens, and donkey into the house."
A week later, the neighbor told Nasruddin, "That just made things worse!"
"I know," said Nasruddin. "But now, send the donkey outside."
"That's better," said the neighbor a week later.
"Now send the chickens back out."
"That's much better," the neighbor said next time.
"Now the goats."
Nasruddin's neighbor came back smiling. "Thank you, Nasruddin!" he said. "Our house is so much bigger now!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Week after week, Nasruddin would load the saddlebags of a donkey with straw and cross the border.
The tax inspector at the border was baffled. "What's with the straw?" he asked. "Are you some kind of smuggler?" But he never found anything in the straw.
Nasruddin smiled and said nothing.
Years later, the inspector ran into Nasruddin by chance. "From your fine clothes, I can tell you are a rich man," he said. "Maybe you will tell me now what you were smuggling across the border that has won you such wealth."
Nasruddin smiled and said, "I was smuggling donkeys."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

One of the local hooligans threw a rock at Nasruddin's donkey. Nasruddin saw what the boy had done but, instead of yelling at him, he laughed.
"You're a very good shot!" Nasruddin exclaimed. "I'm impressed. But my donkey is not a worthy target for someone of your talent. You deserve a better target!"
Nasruddin then noticed the mayor riding by on his horse.
"Like the mayor, for example," Nasruddin said, pointing.
The boy threw a rock at the horse's rump, and when the horse reared, the mayor tumbled to the ground.
"Arrest that boy!" the mayor shouted.
Nasruddin just smiled.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Everyone in Nasruddin's village was preparing to go on a religious pilgrimage.

Everyone except Nasruddin.

All the other villagers loaded up their carts and wagons, their donkeys and camels, and then they set out down the road to begin their long journey.

Later that same day, Nasruddin came galloping up behind them on his donkey.

"What's wrong, Nasruddin?" they asked him in alarm.

"Where's my donkey?" he shouted. "I'm trying to find my donkey!"

They laughed. "You're riding him," they said. "You don't need to go looking for him."

"Really?" said Nasruddin. "So why do you go looking for God?"

#DonkeyCharacter

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donkeys bring petition to Zeus who is sitting on a throne

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This is an Aesop's fable:

The donkeys were unhappy that they had to carry heavy burdens and perform hard labor. "We're being punished cruelly for no good reason!" they said, and so they decided to send ambassadors to Zeus.
"O great Zeus," said the donkey ambassadors, "please set us free from our labors and burdens!"
"I'll do no such thing," said Zeus. Then he laughed. "Although I might reconsider if you donkeys all piss a river together."
The donkeys took him seriously, and ever since, whenever one donkey sees another donkey's piss, he also starts pissing, hoping to create that river and win Zeus's favor.

#FoolishDonkey #WiseDonkey

(more optimism from the wise fools!)

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This is a Sufi parable:

A couple were sleeping in their tiny hut.

"Help! Let me in!" a man shouted.

"There's no room," said the wife.

"It's pouring rain," said the husband. "We'll make room."

Everybody sat; there wasn't room to lie down.

Moments later, another voice. "Help! Let me in!"

"There's no room," said the first guest.

"We'll make room as we did for you," said the husband.

The four people sat there, squeezed very tight.

Moments later, "Hee-haw!"

"That's my donkey! Stand up and make room," the man said, letting the donkey in. "He's a good donkey, very patient. You'll enjoy his company."

#DonkeyCharacter

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donkey runs away while two men are arguing

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This is an Aesop's fable:

Two friends were traveling through the woods when they found a stray donkey. They each laid hands upon the creature.
"It's mine!" shouted the first man.
"No, it's mine!" shouted the other.
They shouted for a while, and then they began to pummel one another with their fists.
The donkey stood there, watching them, and finally he galloped away deep into the woods.
When the men paused in their fighting, they noticed that the object of their quarrel was gone, but they kept on arguing nonetheless.
"It was mine!" shouted the first man.
"No," shouted the other, "it was mine!"

#WiseDonkey

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin was riding his donkey along the road when a rich man on a fine horse rode up alongside him.
"I've been watching you and your donkey," he said, "and you are a sorry-looking sight. I don't know who looks more pathetic: you or your donkey!"
Nasruddin did not reply.
"I'm talking to you!" shouted the rich man. "Don't you have anything to say?"
"Excuse me," said Nasruddin apologetically. "I was just so surprised that I didn't know what to say."
"What do you mean you were surprised?"
Nasruddin smiled. "I've never actually seen a donkey riding a horse before!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

As Nasruddin was riding past an apple orchard, he was seized by a desire for apples, so he led his donkey up to one of the trees.
Then, standing on the donkey's back, he reached up and grabbed hold of a branch.
Just as he was about to pick an apple, though, the orchard's owner came running up. This startled the donkey, who bolted and left Nasruddin dangling from the branch.
"Get down from there!" the man shouted. "I'm going to have you arrested for stealing my apples!"
"I'm no thief," Nasruddin shouted back. "I just fell off my donkey."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin prayed to God under the stars. "O God, I need money!"
As a joke, his neighbor tossed him some money.
"Praise God!" shouted Nasruddin.
The next day, the neighbor came for his money. "It was a joke!"
Nasruddin refused, so the neighbor took him to court.
Because Nasruddin's donkey was lame, he loaned Nasruddin a donkey. Because Nasruddin's cloak was torn, he loaned Nasruddin a cloak.
"Judge," said Nasruddin, "my neighbor thinks everything that's mine is his."
"Liar!" shouted the neighbor.
"Just ask whose donkey this is," said Nasruddin.
"It's mine!"
"And whose cloak?"
"Mine!"
Nasruddin won the case.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

There was a fortune-teller in the marketplace who resented Nasruddin boasting about how wise he was.
"If you're so wise," he said to Nasruddin, "please tell me: where is the center of the universe?" Then he added by way of emphasis, "The exact center."
Nasruddin stroked his beard, looking thoughtful. He then walked over to his donkey and stared at him intently.
"The exact center of the universe," Nasruddin declared, "is under my donkey's right hind hoof."
"Impossible!" retorted the fortune-teller. "You must prove to me that you're right!"
"No," said Nasruddin, "you must prove to me that I'm wrong."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Here's another similar Nasruddin story:

A philosopher from a distant land came to Tamerlane's court. "I wish to challenge your philosopher!" he said.
"Nasruddin is my philosopher," replied Tamerlane, and he summoned Nasruddin.
"I will ask you a question," said the foreign philosopher.
"Ask me anything," replied Nasruddin.
"What is the number of stars in the sky?"
Nasruddin smiled. "That's an easy one! The number of stars in the sky is exactly equal to the number of the hairs in my donkey's tail."
"Absurd!" replied the foreign philosopher. "How can you prove it?"
"If you don't believe me," Nasruddin replied, "you can count them yourself."

#DonkeyCharacter

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priest preaches, woman weeps; there is braying donkey in background

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This is a medieval Aesop's fable:

As a priest sang the Alleluia, an old woman sitting in the front pew burst into tears. The louder the priest sang, the louder she wept.
He thought to himself, "I had no idea that I could move someone to such devotion with the sound of my voice!"
After the Mass, he spoke to the woman. "I saw that you were deeply moved by today's service," he said.
"Yes, thank you, Father," the woman replied. "Only yesterday, a wolf killed my donkey, and you sounded just like my poor donkey. When I heard you singing, it moved me to tears."

(Compare a similar Nasruddin story).

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin and his wife were arguing about whose turn it was to feed the donkey. Finally they agreed: whoever spoke the next word would have to go feed the donkey.
So, neither one spoke a word all day.
And neither one spoke a word all evening.
In the night, a thief came and broke into their house.
Nasruddin saw him carrying away their clothes, their furniture, everything, but he said nothing at all.
In the morning, his wife saw what had happened and yelled, "We've been robbed!"
Nasruddin laughed in triumph. "And now you have to go feed the donkey!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

"Your donkey sure is looking scrawny these days," said Nasruddin's neighbor.  "Maybe you need to give him some more food."
The donkey, as if he understood what the neighbor was saying, wriggled his ears in agreement.
Nasruddin huffed indignantly. "I'll have you know that the donkey's ration is two bushels of barley every day. Two full bushels!"
"Well, that's strange," said the neighbor. "That's very strange. With a ration like that, your donkey shouldn't be looking so thin. I wonder what the problem is."
"The problem," explained Nasruddin, "is that I now owe him about a month's worth of barley."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin rode through the market on his donkey, looking up and down as if he had lost something.
"Hey, Nasruddin!" one of his friends shouted. "Stop for a minute and have some tea."
"I can't!" replied Nasruddin. "I'm busy. I'm looking for my donkey!"
Nasruddin's friend laughed, thinking the old man was joking.
But it was no joke: Nasruddin's donkey is like our ego. It carries us around, and we don't even realize it. The ego occupies our attention, distracting us from life itself. You need to get down off the donkey, and then you will see things more clearly.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Renaissance fable by Poggio Bracciolini:

There was a peasant who had been plowing all day. By day's end both the peasant and his donkey were exhausted.
The peasant was a good-hearted fellow, so when he saw how tired his donkey was, he took pity on the poor beast. "I need you to carry me home, dear donkey," said the peasant, "but I don't want you to have to carry the plow too."
So, the good-hearted fool picked up the heavy plow, put it on his shoulders, and then mounted the donkey.
"I'll carry the plow," he said to the donkey, "and you can carry me."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

While on a long journey, Nasruddin decided to take a nap. He tied his donkey to a tree and took a drink from the canteen hanging from his donkey's saddle. He then lay down and was soon fast asleep.
While Nasruddin slept, a passer-by stole his canteen.
When he finally awoke, he went to take a drink, but the canteen was gone. "You wretched donkey! What did you do with my canteen?" he shouted.
Nasruddin then took the donkey's saddle and put it on his own back. "I'm not giving you back your saddle until you give me my canteen!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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donkey in fancy clothes with empty purse, donkey in poor clothes with full sack

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This is an Aesop's fable:

Two donkeys were going to town, one carrying bags of oats, and the other, bags of money.
The donkey carrying money was adorned with all sorts of foppish frippery, including bells that went jingle-jangle as he walked.
The other donkey was as plain as the load he was carrying.
Bandits fell upon them, and they attacked the donkey with the money, stripping him of his cargo and his fine adornments, thrashing him cruelly, but they paid no attention to the donkey with the oats.
"What a fine thing it is," thought the humble donkey, "not to have anything worth robbing."

#FoolishDonkey #WiseDonkey

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heavily laden donkey walks beside a man carrying a big stick

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This is an Aesop's fable:

It was Winter, and the donkey longed for Spring, with fresh grass to eat and a bit of warmth.
But when Spring came, bringing fresh grass, there was so much toil and labor that it was worse than Winter.
The donkey longed for Summer, but the labor was even greater then and the weather was even hotter.
He began to long for Fall, but Fall brought harvest loads to carry and provisions to lay in before the snows arrived.
Then it was Winter, and once again the donkey longed for Spring, with some fresh grass and a bit of warmth.

#FoolishDonkey #WiseDonkey

(A characteristic of the wise fool is endless optimism.)

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This is a story about Nasruddin:

Nasruddin had gone into the forest to chop wood.
At day's end, he bundled up the wood but, instead of putting the bundle on the donkey, he put the bundle on his own head. He then clambered up on the donkey and rode into town.
"Nasruddin!" shouted one of his friends. "Why are you carrying that bundle of wood there on your head? Doesn't it hurt?"
"It does hurt," Nasruddin admitted, "but I wanted to help share the load."
"I still don't understand," said Nasruddin's friend, looking puzzled.
"The donkey is carrying me," explained Nasruddin, "but I'm carrying the wood."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a medieval Aesop's fable:

King Lion summoned all the animals. "Where is Donkey?" he asked.

"I saw him nibbling grass in the meadow," said Wolf.

"Go get him!" roared Lion.

Wolf went to the meadow. "Your king summons you!" he said.

"But I have a special dispensation to remain here," said Donkey, "and it is signed with the royal seal. Come read it for yourself, dear Wolf!"

"Show me this special dispensation!" snarled Wolf. "Where is it?"

"I keep it in my back right hoof," said Donkey.

As Wolf bent down to look, Donkey kicked him in the head and then galloped away, laughing.

#WiseDonkey

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This is a fable by the Renaissance writer Abstemius:

A young widow wanted to remarry, but she was afraid people would gossip.
"Don't worry," advised her neighbor. "I'll explain how it works. Do you have a donkey?"
The widow nodded yes.
"So, go paint that donkey green and lead him around town. A green donkey, they'll say the first day. And they'll ooh-and-ahh on the second day, and maybe on the third day. But in four or five days, no one will even notice."
The widow smiled as her neighbor continued, "A remarried widow is like that green donkey: news for a few days, but then no one notices."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is an Egyptian folktale:

A priest visited a parishioner, who offered him some date-liquor.

"Just a little," said the priest.

They drank.

"A toast to my wife!" said the parishioner.

They drank.

"A toast to my son-in-law!"

They drank.

More toasts, more drinking, and when the priest left he was so drunk they had to lift him up onto his donkey.

As he rode home, the donkey fell into a pond. The donkey drank some water.

"A toast to the wife!"

The donkey didn't drink any more.

"To the son-in-law!"

The donkey still refused.

"My donkey is wiser than I am," groaned the priest.

#WiseDonkey

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This is a Nasruddin story:

The town square was crowded for market day.
Then, all of a sudden, Nasruddin came galloping through the square on his donkey. It looked like he was about to fall off, barely holding onto the reins with one hand while struggling to keep his turban on with the other.
Nobody had ever seen Nasruddin or his donkey move this fast!
"Hey there, Nasruddin!" yelled one of his friends as Nasruddin rode by. "Just where are you going in such a hurry?"
Nasruddin shouted a reply as the donkey galloped past. "I honestly don't know! You need to ask the donkey!"

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a Nasruddin story:

Nasruddin was taking the village's donkeys, laden with grain, to the mill. There was Nasruddin's donkey, plus nine more.
Halfway there, Nasruddin counted. Only nine!
Worried, he got down and went looking for the lost donkey.
When he came back, he counted again: ten donkeys.
"Praise God!" he said. "The missing donkey returned."
Nasruddin got back on his donkey and continued the journey.
Later, he counted again. Only nine!
He dismounted, went looking, came back, and counted. Ten donkeys!
"Well, I better walk. When I'm riding, that wayward donkey escapes."
Nasruddin was just forgetting to count the donkey underneath him!

Here is a medieval Aesopic version:

As a farmer rode home from market, he decided to count his donkeys. "One, two, three, four, five," he counted. "Oh no! Where's the sixth?"
The man looked left and right, and then back down the road. "I've lost a donkey!" he cried in despair. "My wife will never forgive me."
He got home, stabled the donkeys, and then went to give his wife the bad news.
"Let's see!" she said. They went to the stables. "One, two, three, four, five, six," she counted. "All's well!"
Her poor foolish husband had forgotten to count the donkey he was riding.

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is a story from the Sufi poet Rumi:

There was a donkey bent double from years of carrying heavy loads.

The king's stable-master took pity on the donkey, and brought him to live in the royal stables with the stallions.

Looking at the fine horses, the donkey sighed. "Am I not also God's creature? Why have I suffered while they live a life of luxury?"

Then war broke out, and the army took the stallions into battle.

Many died, and those who returned were maimed and mutilated.

"I thank God for my humble life!" exclaimed the donkey. "It has kept me safe from the wounds of the world."

#WiseDonkey

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donkey turns aside as horse gallops wildly

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This is an Aesop's fable:

"Get out of my way, stupid donkey!" shouted a horse, and when the donkey did not get out of the way fast enough, the horse kicked the donkey and wounded him badly.
As he did so, though, the horse brought about his own punishment: he dislocated his leg and, overcome by pain, he had to lie down on the ground, groaning in agony.
The donkey then stood over the horse and said, "Look at you there on the ground! I'm still in pain, it's true, but I feel better already, seeing you lying there, the victim of your own wickedness."

#WiseDonkey

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man holds out book to donkey who sticks his nose in the pages

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This is a story about Nasruddin:

"My donkey is so smart I could teach him to read," declared Nasruddin.
The emperor laughed. "Teach him to read, and I'll give you a hundred gold coins."
Nasruddin hurried home, took a book, and put barley between the pages. The donkey turned the pages with his tongue, eating all the barley.
Over time, Nasruddin reduced the amount of barley between the pages. Then, he returned to Tamerlane.
"Behold: the donkey who reads!"
As the donkey turned the pages and didn't find any barley, he started to bray.
"That's not reading!" objected Tamerlane.
Nasruddin laughed. "That's how a donkey reads!"

Here's another story about teaching the donkey:

"Nasruddin," said Tamerlane, "Can you teach this donkey to read and to write?"
"I can," replied Nasruddin, "but it will take about 25 years, and you'll need to pay a ton of wheat each year for tuition."
To Nasruddin's surprise, Tamerlane agreed.
"Have you lost your mind?" asked Nasruddin's friend. "You'll never teach that donkey to read and write!"
"That's true," said Nasruddin. "But in 25 years, the donkey will be dead, or I'll be dead, or the emperor will be dead. And in the meantime, I'll enjoy the use of a donkey plus a ton of wheat every year."

#DonkeyCharacter

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This is an Aesop's fable; an onager is a type of wild donkey.

There was an onager who watched a tame donkey walking along the road, weighed down by a heavy load, while the whip-wielding donkey-driver walked beside him.
"How happy I am to live wild and free!" thought the wild donkey. "I do what I please, and I go where I want."
Meanwhile, a lion crept up quietly. Fearing the donkey-driver, he avoided the tame donkey and instead attacked the unprotected onager, who did not stand a chance against the lion's sharp teeth and claws.
"How happy I am not to be food for a lion!" the tame donkey thought to himself.

#WiseDonkey #FoolishDonkey