Mercury and the Woodman

A woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river when his axe glanced off the trunk, flew out of his hands, and fell into the water. As he stood by the water’s edge lamenting his loss, Mercury, the god, appeared and asked him the reason for his grief.

Learning what had happened, Mercury dove into the river and brought up a golden axe, asking if it was the one he had lost. The woodman replied that it was not, and Mercury then dove a second time. Bringing up a silver axe, he asked the woodman if it was his. “No, that is not mine either,” said the woodman.

Once more, Mercury dove into the river and brought up the missing axe. The woodman was overjoyed at recovering his property and thanked his benefactor warmly. Mercury was so pleased with his honesty that he gave the woodman the other two axes.

When the woodman told the story to his companions, one friend was filled with envy of his good fortune and was determined to try his luck for himself. So he went and began to fell a tree at the edge of the river and soon let his axe drop into the water.

Mercury appeared as before, and upon learning that his axe had fallen in, he dove in and brought up a golden axe. Without waiting to be asked whether or not it was his, the fellow cried, “That’s mine, that’s mine!” He stretched out his hand eagerly for the prize. Disgusted at his dishonesty, Mercury declined to give the fellow the golden axe. Mercury also refused to recover the one that had fallen into the river.