The Honest Woodcutter
“The Golden Axe” comes from Aesop's Fables of ancient Greece: an honest woodcutter refuses to be greedy, and after testing him, the river god gives him the golden axe, the silver axe, and his own iron axe. For over two thousand years, its lesson — honesty brings good fortune — has travelled the world; in China, children learn this story from their school textbooks.
Tom lived in a small house by the forest. He was a kind woodcutter with an old iron axe.
One day Tom was cutting wood by the river. Slip! His axe fell into the deep water.
Tom sat by the river and cried. 'My old axe is gone! How will I work now?'
Suddenly the river god rose from the water with a shiny golden axe. 'Is this your axe?' he asked.
'No,' said Tom. 'My axe is old and made of iron, not gold.'
The god came back with a shiny silver axe. 'No, that is not mine,' said Tom.
At last the god brought up Tom's old iron axe, and gave him all three axes for his honesty. Tom went home happy, singing all the way.
