Aesop was a legendary  Ancient Greek fabulist or story teller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's Fables.  The life of Aesop is a bit of a mystery. There is even some debate if Aesop was an actual person or just a name used by another writer. Many of the tales are characterized by animals and inanimate objects that speak, solve problems, and generally have human characteristics. Through the use of animal protagonists, Aesop's fables consist of simple tales with moral endings. Universally popular, they still inspire many contemporary stories, plays, and movies.