One woodcutter was chopping wood on the river bank and dropped his ax. The current carried him away, and the woodcutter sat down on the shore and began to cry. Hermes took pity on him, appeared and found out from him why he was crying.
Hermes dived into the water, brought out a golden ax to the woodcutter and asked if it was his? The woodcutter replied that it was not his. Hermes dived for the second time, brought out a silver ax and again asked if it was the one that was lost? And the woodcutter refused this. Then for the third time Hermes brought him his real axe, a wooden one. The woodcutter recognized him, and then Hermes, as a reward for his honesty, gave the woodcutter all three axes.
The woodcutter took the gift, went to his comrades and told everything how it happened. And one of them became envious, and he wanted to do the same. He took an ax, went to the same river, began to chop down trees and deliberately let the ax fall into the water, and he sat down and began to cry. Hermes appeared and asked him what happened? And he replied that the ax was missing. Hermes brought him a golden ax and asked if it was the one that was missing? The man was overcome by greed, and he exclaimed that this was the one. But for this, God not only did not give him a gift, but also did not return his own ax.
Truly, as much as the gods help the honest, they are just as hostile to the dishonest.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru