what is the moral of the fir tree and the bramble
The Fir and the Bramble There are several versions of the fable in Greek sources and a late Latin version recorded by Avianus. It concerns a fir tree that boasted to a bramble, 'You are useful for nothing at all; while I am everywhere used for roofs and houses.' Then the Bramble answered: 'You poor creature, if you would only call to mind the axes and saws which are about to hew you down, you would have reason to wish that you had grown up a Bramble, not a Fir-Tree.'[3] The moral of the story is that renown is accompanied by risks of which the humble are free.
Knocking on wood The origin of the custom may be in German folklore, wherein supernatural beings are thought to live in trees, and can be invoked for protection.[1][2]