What is the origin of the parable?

The Word parable is from Greek parabolē, meaning "comparison, illustration, analogy. The genre of Parable did not originate with Jesus they already appeared in the Greco-Roman world. It was already an established methodology of teaching among the Rabbis and prophets of the Old Testament and other teachers throughout the Mediterranean.

Example of a parable found in the Old Testament:

The parable of the poor man who had raised a single lamb which a wealthy neighbor took to set before a guest (II Sam. xii. 1-4); intended to illustrate the sin which David had committed with Bathsheba, Uriah's wife.