Avianus
Avianus (or possibly Avienus; c. AD 400) was a pagan writer of fables in Latin. • Illustration — 10th-century manuscript of Avianus' fables: The Frog Physician and The Mischievous Dog The 42 fables which bear his name are dedicated to a certain Theodosius, whose learning is spoken of in most flattering terms. He may possibly be Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, the author of Saturnalia; some think he may be the emperor of that name.
Also recorded as Flavius Avianus
Avianus
10th century manuscript · Public domain
- Born
- 400 · Ancient Rome.
- Died
- 401
- Nationality
- Ancient Rome
- Occupation
- writer · poet · fabulist
- Languages
- Latin
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q185732 · wikipedia · Avianus
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Institutions cited
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Fables
Nearly all the fables are to be found in Babrius, who was probably Avianus's source of inspiration, but as Babrius wrote in Greek, and Avianus speaks of having made an elegiac version from a rough Latin copy, probably a prose paraphrase, he was not indebted to the original. The language and metre are on the whole correct, in spite of deviations from classical usage, chiefly in the management of the pentameter. The fables soon became popular as a school-book. Promythia and epimythia (introductions and morals), paraphrases, and imitations were frequent, such as the Novus Avianus of Alexander Neckam (12th century).
• De nutrice et infanti • De testudine et aquila - noticed under The Tortoise and the Birds • De cancris - noticed under The Snake and the Crab • De vento et sole - The North Wind and the Sun • De asino pelle leonis induto - The Ass in the Lion's Skin • De rana et vulpe - The Frog and the Fox • De cane qui noluit latrare - The Mischievous Dog • De camelo • De duobus sociis et ursa - The Bear and the Travelers • De calvo • De ollis - The Two Pots • De thesauro • De hirco et tauro • De simia • De grue et pavone • De quercu et harundine - The Oak and the Reed • De venatore et tigride • De quattuor iuvencis et leone - The Bulls and the Lion • De abiete ac dumis - The Fir and the Bramble • De piscatore et pisce - The fisherman and the little fish • De luscinia • De cupido et invido • De Baccho - noticed under The Statue of Hermes • De venatore et leone • De fure et parvo • De leone et capella • De cornice et urna - The Crow and the Pitcher • De rustico et iuvenco • De viatore et fauno - The Satyr and the Traveller • De apro et coco • De mure et tauro • De pigro Tyrinthium frustra orante - God helps those who help themselves • De ansere ova aurea pariente - The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs • De cicada et formica - The Ant and the Grasshopper • De simiae gemellis • De vitulo et bove • De leone et cane • De pisce et focis • De milite veterano - noticed under The Trumpeter Taken Captive • De pardo et vulpe • De olla cruda • De lupo et haedo
Documentary record
Avianus appears in the authority records of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek as a writer.
Editions
• Hendrik Cannegieter (1731) • Lachmann (1845) • Wilhelm Fröhner (1862) • Emil Baehrens in Poetae Latini Minores (1879–1883) • Robinson Ellis, The Fables of Avianus (1887) • The Fables of Avianus, translated by David R. Slavitt, Johns Hopkins University Press 1993
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Avianus”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q185732: Avianus
General reference · Wikidata
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Avianus, revision 1287345854 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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