A poor woodman was cutting down a tree on the bank of a deep river when his axe accidentally slipped from his hand and sank into the water. Distraught at the loss of his only tool, he sat by the shore and wept. Mercury, hearing his cries, appeared and dived into the river. He emerged with an axe of solid gold, but the woodman shook his head, saying it was not his. Mercury dived again and returned with a silver axe; again, the honest man refused it. Finally, Mercury brought up the man’s own iron axe, which the woodman joyfully claimed. Impressed by his integrity, the god gave him all three axes as a reward. When a greedy neighbor heard of this, he intentionally threw his axe into the river and cried for help. Mercury appeared and offered him a golden axe. The greedy man instantly claimed it was his, but the god, disgusted by his lies, refused to give him the gold and would not even retrieve his original iron axe, leaving him with nothing.
Honesty is the best policy, while greed and deceit eventually lead to a person's ruin.
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Questions about this story
What is the moral of Mercury and the Woodman?
The moral is that honesty is rewarded while greed and lying are punished. It emphasizes that integrity has a higher value than material gain obtained through deceit.
Who is Mercury in this fable?
In Roman mythology, Mercury is the messenger of the gods, known for his speed and commerce. In the original Greek version of this Aesop fable, the god is Hermes.
Why did Mercury give the first woodman three axes?
Mercury rewarded the first woodman with the gold, silver, and iron axes because the man proved his absolute honesty by refusing to claim the precious metals as his own.
What happened to the greedy neighbor's axe?
The greedy neighbor lost his original iron axe forever. Mercury refused to retrieve it after the neighbor tried to lie and claim the golden axe was his.
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