Honest Woodcutter

A woodcutter once dwelled in a village of profound stillness. Though his hands were calloused and his earnings were meager, his heart was content. He met each day with sincerity, felling trees in the nearby forest and selling the wood to provide for his simple life.

One afternoon, while he worked beside a deep, flowing river, a terrible thing happened. His grip faltered, and his axe—his only tool and livelihood—slipped from his hands and vanished into the dark, deep water.

Helpless, the woodcutter sank to his knees in despair. How would he eat? How would he live? With a heavy heart, he offered a prayer, not for great riches, but for the return of his only means of honest work.

To his astonishment, a divine light shimmered on the water, and a Goddess appeared. “Why do you grieve?” she asked, her voice a soft melody that flowed through the air.

He explained his plight, and the Goddess, moved by his sincerity, dove her hand into the river. She emerged with a gleaming silver axe, a magnificent weapon. “Perhaps this is the one you lost?” she inquired.

The woodcutter shook his head. “That is a fine axe, but it is not mine.”

The Goddess dipped her hand once more and brought forth an even more stunning axe, crafted of solid gold. It glittered in the sun. “Surely this valuable axe is yours?” she asked.

The woodcutter didn’t hesitate. “No, my lady. I could not cut wood with a golden axe. It is beautiful, but it is not the tool I need.”

Pleased with his answer, the Goddess reached into the water a final time and produced a simple, well-worn iron axe. “And what of this one?” she asked.

The woodcutter’s face lit up with relief and joy. “Yes! That is it! That is my axe! Thank you!”

Deeply impressed by his unwavering honesty, the Goddess did not merely return his iron axe. She placed the silver and golden axes into his hands as well. “Your integrity is more precious than silver or gold,” she said. “These are your reward for a truthful heart.”

Moral of the Story:
Integrity is its own reward, and often, it leads to rewards greater than you can imagine.