The Mercury and the Woodmen

A Woodman, laboring in a forest to cut wood for his livelihood, dropped his ax into a river. The tool sank to the bottom, and the poor man stood upon the bank, despairing, for he had no other ax and no money to purchase one. Mercury, the god of commerce and journeys, appeared before the Woodman in his divine form. "Why do you stand in such distress?" asked the god. The Woodman explained that he had lost his ax to the river and had no means to replace it. Mercury, moved by compassion, dove into the river and emerged holding an ax of pure gold, radiant and beautiful. "Is this your ax?" he asked. The Woodman, though amazed at such magnificence, shook his head truthfully. "No, my lord. My ax was plain iron. I could never own such a precious thing." Mercury returned to the water and emerged with a silver ax. "Is this your ax?" Again, the Woodman replied honestly, "No, my lord. This too is far finer than my own humble tool." Mercury dived once more and returned with an iron ax identical to the Woodman's original. "Is this your ax?" "Yes!" cried the Woodman with joy. "That is indeed my ax!" Mercury, delighted by the Woodman's honesty and his refusal to claim that which was not rightfully his, demonstrated the magnanimity of the gods by presenting the Woodman not only his own ax, but the silver and golden axes as well. "Because you have shown such integrity and honesty," said Mercury, "and because you were content with your own simple possession, I grant you all three axes. Your magnanimity of spirit—your noble refusal to grasp beyond what was yours—has earned the magnanimity of heaven." The Woodman was transformed from a poor laborer into a man of means, blessed by the gods for his honest and generous heart.