The tortoise did not always carry his home on his back. Legend goes, that the tortoise had refused to attend Jupiter’s wedding since he preferred solitude. As a result, Jupiter had cursed him by making sure he always carried his home on his back and could not get rid of it even if he wanted to.
But now the tortoise wished he had attended the wedding. He wished to see the world and look at all the incredible sights it had to offer. One day, a pair of ducks met the tortoise and he told them his sad story. “We can show you the world” they suggested.
And so, the ducks held a stick between their beaks and the tortoise firmly bit onto it with his teeth. The ducks soon took flight, carrying the tortoise with them.
A crow flying nearby saw the strange sight and approached them. “You must be the kind of the tortoise,” he asked.
The tortoise opened his mouth to foolishly say that he was when his grip on the stick loosened and he fell to the ground, crashing to his death.
His false vanity brought him misfortune.
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