The Scorpion and the Frog

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The Scorpion and the Frog is a fable often mis-attributed to Aesop. The story is about a scorpion asking a frog to carry him across a river. The frog is afraid of being stung, but the scorpion reassures him that if it stung the frog, the frog would sink and the scorpion would drown as well. The frog then agrees; nevertheless, in mid-river, the scorpion stings him, dooming the two of them. When asked why, the scorpion explains, "I'm a scorpion; it's my nature."

The story is sometimes told with a turtle or fox in place of the frog.

It is often quoted to illustrate the purportedly insuppressible nature of one's self at its base level.

1 Use in pop culture
2 See also

[edit] Use in pop culture

[edit] In film

This story is also told by Orson Welles in the film Mr. Arkadin (also known as Confidential Report, 1955).
The story is used by Forrest Whitaker in the film The Crying Game (1992).
An altered version of the story, replacing the frog with a woman and the scorpion with a snake, is told by the Shaman character in Natural Born Killers.
It also appears in the 1989 Blake Edwards film Skin Deep.

[edit] In television

The fable's premise is the basis of the plot of the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Scorpion", in which Chakotay describes the fable to Captain Janeway as a warning not to trust the Borg. A fox is substituted for the frog.
It is referenced by James Gandolfini's character during a season 2 episode of The Sopranos.
By John Glover's Lionel Luthor character during a season 2 episode of Smallville
By Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) in Gilmore Girls during season 6.
The fable is referenced multiple times in season two of the Showtime series Weeds (2005-2006) as a metaphor for the relationship between a widowed drug dealer and Drug Enforcement Administration agent.
Told by Walt Braun in the "Burked" episode of CSI.
In the "Bad Blood" episode of The Dresden Files, Bob references the story when talking to Harry Dresden.

[edit] In anime

Several times in Eden's Bowy.

[edit] In music

The Oakland, CA rock band The Matches have made reference to this story in their song "To Build A Mountain" off of their album A Band In Hope (2008).
This fable is also the subject of the song "Scorpion" by the band Megadeth on the album The System has Failed.
This story is also the inspiration for the song "Scorpion Frog" by the Israeli band Infected Mushroom.
The Italian band 883 published a song inspired by this fable, entitled La rana e lo scorpione, on the album Grazie mille.
The jam band WOOKIEFOOT has a song based on the Frog and The Scorpion on the album "Out of the Jar"
Scottish Progressive Rocker Fish bases the song "Manchmal" from the album 13th Star on this fable.

[edit] Other

"The Scorpion and the Frog" was used as a strip title in the popular webcomic PvP. The strip explores Scratch Fury's inability to go against his animal instincts.

"The Scorpion and the Fox" was used by Monet St. Croix aka. M during a fight with Jubilation Lee aka. Jubilee to illustrate her reasons for treating Jubilee as inferior, in the comic book 'Generation X', a spin-off of the popular X-Men series.

An altered version of the fable is told in "Way of the Scorpion", a supplement of the Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game. In this version, the scorpion replies "I can swim", instead of drowning in the river.