Mercury and the Woodsman

Once there was a Woodsman who worked hard every day felling trees at the riverside. His axe accidentally slipped out of his hand and he cried out as it sank in the deep waters of the river. He sat at the water’s edge and thought sadly, "I shall never complete my work now, and will have no bread for my family this day."

At once Mercury appeared at his side. He was sorrowful at the man’s grieving. When the Woodsman told Mercury his troubles, Mercury smiled broadly and offered to help. He dove into the water and surfaced again with an axe made all of shining gold.

"Truly sir, that is a marvelous axe," said the Woodsman. "I must admit, sadly, that it is not my own." So Mercury dove into the water again. This time he brought up an axe shimmering of pure silver. Again the Woodsman shook his head. "I thank you kindly, sir. But I cannot accept that axe, for it is not my own." Mercury dove into the waters one last time. Now he arose with the Woodsman’s own old, weathered axe. The Woodsman jumped up at once and ran gratefully to the water. "Oh, kind sir, thank you! There are no words to describe how grateful I am to you for bringing me my old axe!" Mercury handed the Woodsman his axe and bade him receive both the gold and silver ones as well. "You shall be truly rewarded for your honesty," he said. Mercury then bowed to the Woodsman, and disappeared.

That night the Woodsman returned home to his family. They rejoiced at the sight of the precious axes, for they knew they would never want for bread again. When the villagers heard the story of the Woodsman and his axe, one man grew envious. "I, too, want an axe of gold," he thought. The man picked up his old axe and ran to the river’s edge. There he threw his axe into the deep waters and watched it sink. As it sank, the man falsely cried out, "Woe is me! My axe has sunk in the water. Now my family will surely starve!"

At once, Mercury appeared and agreed to help the poor man. He dove into the water to retrieve the man’s axe. When he rose with the golden axe in his hand, the man greedily reached for it saying, "Yes, that one is mine. Give it to me!" Mercury only smiled and shook his head. "No, you may not have this axe nor your own besides. For you shall be repaid for your dishonesty!" With that, Mercury was gone and the man was left alone by the water’s edge without any axe at all.