Aesop's Fable: The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Plus, NEW CHALLENGE and a Resource Hub!!
Well hellooo! How are you? Are you also shocked it’s nearly the end of May? WOOF! Anyway, this month I have our usual Aesopian fable plus a food-themed summer challenge and a new resource hub (woo-hoo)! Let’s get into it!
The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
Translated by George Fyler Townsend, via Project Gutenberg.
ONCE UPON A TIME a Wolf resolved to disguise his appearance in order to secure food more easily. Encased in the skin of a sheep, he pastured with the flock deceiving the shepherd by his costume. In the evening he was shut up by the shepherd in the fold; the gate was closed, and the entrance made thoroughly secure. But the shepherd, returning to the fold during the night to obtain meat for the next day, mistakenly caught up the Wolf instead of a sheep, and killed him instantly.
Harm seek, harm find.
So, according to Scholarly Journal Wikipedia (ahem…), we see the earliest recorded use of “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” as an analogy in the Gospel of Matthew, dating to the 1st century AD. In this biblical context, Jesus uses it to warn against deception: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The longer fable with the twist in the wolf’s fate comes about 1,100 years later in the writings of Greek rhetorician Nikephoros Basilakis. So, although this story follows the Aesopian style, it certainly wasn’t written by Aesop (though, tbd on if he was real anyway). More on this in the Epilogue!
Saucy & Spicy Summer Art Challenge
This is a pretty laid back challenge in that there are no specific prompts within the challenge month, and you can post as often or as seldom as you’d like!
How to participate:
Share a piece of art (illustration, lettering piece, pattern, etc) you created on Instagram based on your interpretation of saucy and spicy summer vibes
Use the hashtag #saucyandspicysummer and be sure to tag the hosts in your IG post so we can see and share your work! Hosts: @lizvolpi @daysfullof @jojowangdesigns @palindromeart @jag.ink @eveandersondraws
Challenge runs from June 1 - 30, feel free to create as many pieces as you’d like for the month!
Feeling stumped? Here are some prompt ideas to get started!
Summer Nights & Street Food
Cool Cocktails & Spicy Sips
Summer Snacks
Juicy Fruits
Red Hot Flames & Flavors
Can’t wait to see and share your amazing art!!!
NEW: Creative Resource Hub!
I’m super excited to announce the launch of my Creative Resource Hub! This is a collection of all my free resources—swatches, guides, videos, etc.—saved in a convenient little webpage for you to easily access. This hub is exclusive to all my newsletter subscribers so, much like a secret club, you need a password to get in! Go to lizvolpi.com/resourcehub and use the password iampastatoo to gain entry.
I’ll be creating more resources to add, so be sure to fill out this request submission form if there is a particular topic, guide, etc. that you’d like to see. I hope you like it!
PASSWORD: iampastatoo
Freebie Zone!
I’m taking a design out of the vault for this month’s freebie, a downloadable bookmark! Initially I shared this in an email last year but I love it so much that I wanted to make sure new subscribers got access to it! Tap the link below to grab it :)
Epilogue
SO, how did you like that fable?! Prior to reading it, I only knew “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” as a phrase referencing the biblical context, so I thoroughly enjoyed this story with the lil’ twist at the end! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did :) As always, feel free to drop me a line if you want to say hi, have any questions, etc. Otherwise, see you next time!
Arrivederci,
-Liz