You may have heard it before. There was once a scorpion that intended to traverse a river, though it could not swim. It asked a turtle to bear it, threatening to sting it dead, if it did not accept. Though fearing for its life, the turtle reassured itself that the scorpion would not kill it in their travels — for, to do so, the scorpion itself would perish drowned. So, the turtle took on its passenger.

They swam halfway to the river. The scorpion stung the turtle in the soft fat of its neck, condemning them both. As they sank, the turtle asked the scorpion why it would do such a thing, knowing the cost. The scorpion said, 'I could not help it. It is my nature.'