The Scorpion and the Frog

The following is the fable or parable of The Scorpion and the Frog. This story has been told countless times, and though the exact wording vary from source to source, the idea’s the same: A man’s nature is more powerful than logic.

One day a scorpion arrived at the bank of a river he wanted to cross, but there was no bridge. He asked a frog that was sitting nearby if he would take him across the river on his back. The frog refused and said, “I will not, because you will sting me.”

The scorpion replied, “It would be foolish for me to sting you because then we would both drown.”

The frog saw the logic in the scorpion’s words, and agreed to carry the the scorpion across. But when they were halfway across the river the scorpion stung the frog. The stunned frog asked, “Why did you sting me? Now we will both die!”

The scorpion replied, “Because I’m a scorpion… and that’s what scorpions do.”

The Scorpion and the Frog, another version

The following was adapted from International War Veteran’s Poetry Archives.

A Scorpion approached the river and asked the Frog to carry him across, as he could not swim. The Frog answered that he was afraid of being stung by the Scorpion.

The Scorpion said, “I need you to carry me and will do you no harm!”

The good-natured Frog agreed to carry the Scorpion across the river, but as they reached the far shore, the Scorpion stung the Frog. The dying Frog asked, “Why did you betray me?”

The Scorpion laughed, and said, “This is SE Asia my friend!”