Battle of the Frogs and Mice

an ancient Greek mock-epic. It is known by its Greek name, Batrachomyomachia bat-ra-ko-mi-o-ma'ki-a. Its authorship is unknown. The plot is witty. A mouse, having escaped from a cat, is urged by a frog to visit his home. At the first sign of danger the frog plumps into a pool. The deserted mouse soliloquizes after the manner of an epic hero and dies. The mice hear of the affair and wage war on the frogs. The battle is a parody on Homer's Iliad. The gods are brought in, the deliberations of Zeus and Athena being very clever. The mice win the victory but are put to flight by an army of crabs, who appear to aid the frogs.