Fable fables, which are attributed to the legendary Aesop, supposed to have been a slave in ancient Greece around 550 BCE. When Babrius set down fables from the "Aesopica" in verse for a Hellenistic Prince "Alexander," he expressly stated at the head of Book II that this type of "myth" that Aesop had introduced to the "sons of the Hellenes" had been an invention of "Syrians" from the time of "Ninos" (personifying Nineveh to Greeks) and Belos ("ruler"). Epicharmus of Kos and Phormis are reported as having been among the first to invent comic fables. Many familiar fables of Aesop include
The Sandman: Fables & Reflections is structured as a story within a story (this is a theme to which Gaiman will return in the "" arc). "Convergence" appeared between the "A Game of You" and "Brief Lives" story arcs. The collection also includes the "Sandman Special", retelling the Greek myth of Orpheus, and a brief piece from a Vertigo promotional comic. Because "Fables & Reflections" partakes of so many elements, some believe it lacks the thematic or artistic consistency that is present even in the other short story collections. Perhaps in an effort to make these differences less apparent, DC has shuffled the issues in