The frogs asked Zeus for a king — he sent a log, then a stork

The frogs of a large lake lived without a ruler, each doing as it pleased. The lack of order troubled them. They sent a delegation to Zeus and asked him to appoint a king. Zeus, amused by their request, threw a log into the lake. The log landed with a great splash and floated there. The frogs were terrified at first, but soon realised the log did nothing at all. It neither moved nor spoke. They climbed onto it and mocked it.

Dissatisfied, the frogs sent another petition: 'We want a real king — one who rules, not a log that does nothing.' Zeus, growing impatient, sent a stork. The stork arrived, waded into the lake, and began eating the frogs one by one. The frogs screamed for help. Zeus replied: 'You asked for a ruler. Now live under him.'

The fable is one of Aesop's most politically pointed, retold by Phaedrus, La Fontaine and countless others. The frogs' error was demanding external intervention in an internal governance problem without specifying the terms of that intervention. They wanted a solution but refused to consider what a solution with teeth would cost them.