For those not familiar:

A frog was hopping along the shore of a river looking for a place to cross. He came upon a scorpion sitting on the shore. “Hello, friend frog,” said the scorpion. “It appears you are looking to cross the river. I too want to cross. Would you mind carrying me?”

The frog was taken aback. “Why, if I let you on my back to cross the river, you’d sting me and I would die. I don’t think I’ll do that.”

The scorpion immediately replied, “There is no logic to your concern. If I sting you and you die, I will surely die as well, since I can’t swim. I wouldn’t need a ride if I could swim.”

The frog thought a moment and then said, “Your logic makes sense. Why would you kill me if it would result in your death? Come along and climb on my back and we’ll cross this river.”

The scorpion climbed on the frog’s back and off they went to cross the river.

About halfway across the river, the scorpion raised its tail and stung the frog. The frog was both astounded and disconsolate. “Why did you sting me? Now I will die and you will surely drown and die also.”

The scorpion replied, “I can’t help it. It’s who I am. It’s in my nature.”

  • Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
    63·
    14 hours ago

    My preferred version of the “nature of the Scorpion” tale is a little different. It doesn’t really fit here, but I like to post it whenever this story comes up, because I’m autistic, and it brings me joy to share the story.

    One day, a Monk was walking alongside a stream when he saw a Scorpion struggling in the water. Knowing that scorpions cannot swim, he knelt down to scoop it out of the water.

    Just before setting it down, the Scorpion turned and stung his hand. The Monk withdrew his hand in pain and the Scorpion fell back into the stream.

    When the Monk realized this, he scooped his hands down again to save the Scorpion. And just as before, the Scorpion stung his hand and fell back into the stream. This scene repeated itself several times.

    A little boy who was playing near the stream asked the Monk, “Excuse me. Why do you keep trying to save the Scorpion — Don’t you know it will just sting you every time you try to rescue it?”

    The Monk, picking up a leaf and rescuing the scorpion successfully this time, replied, “Dear boy, just as it is a Scorpion’s nature to sting, and Water’s nature to make things wet, so it is my nature — a Monk’s nature — to save.”

    That’s not the exact version I was told originally, but close enough.

  • BillyClark@piefed.socialEnglish
    831·
    18 hours ago

    What a twist. The guy who owns a boat knows how to swim. I do enjoy the abject stupidity of the elf’s hatred for humans in this comic.

      • drolex@sopuli.xyz
        6·
        8 hours ago

        If you, an obviously barbaric and backwards race, don’t want to be hated by us elves (models of perfection), why are you so comically inferior? That doesn’t make sense.

    • Smaile@lemmy.ca
      37·
      18 hours ago

      yah, it always felt weird. tho to be fair real racism works similarly irl

    • Štěpán@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      13·
      16 hours ago

      I always though it was “common knowledge” that most sailors in the medieval times didn’t know how to swim. It might be an urban legend though.

      • thebestaquaman@lemmy.world
        7·
        7 hours ago

        I’ve heard that it was based on a reasoning that if you end up in the water at sea, you’re going to drown anyway, so it’s better to not be able to swim and just get it over with.

        However, knowing that most sailors came from coastal communities, it’s probably pretty unlikely that learning to swim wasn’t a natural part of growing up. Kids have always enjoyed playing in the water.