Aesop was a storyteller and slave who lived 2,500 years ago in ancient Greece. Because of his humble position in society, Aesop could not speak his thoughts openly. So he told fables, stories in which animals speak and act like people. Aesop could not speak out, but in his fables the animals could talk and comment on human society without rebuke. To this day, Aesop's fables are retold by storytellers the world over.