The Golden Axe – A Russian Folk Tale About Honesty and Greed

Summary

The Golden Axe – A folk tale about honesty, greed, and the rewards of integrity. A man who lost his axe was rewarded for his honesty, while a greedy man lost everything.

The Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, a man went to the forest to gather firewood. He sat down by the lake to rest but accidentally dropped his axe into the water. He began to cry bitterly because the axe was his only working tool.

Suddenly, the devil emerged from the water and asked, “Why are you crying, man?”

The man replied, “I’ve lost my axe in the water, sir!”

The devil dove into the water and soon brought up a silver axe. “Is this your axe?” he asked.

The man looked at the axe and answered, “No, that is not mine.”

The devil dove again and after a while, brought up a golden axe. “Is this your axe?” he asked once more.

The man looked at the golden axe and said, “No, that is not mine.”

For the third time, the devil brought the man his own axe and asked again, “Is this your axe?”

“Yes, yes, this is my axe!” the man replied joyfully.

Then the devil, pleased with the man’s honesty, gave him all three axes: the iron, the silver, and the golden axe.

The man returned home and joyfully told his wife how he had become the owner of three axes thanks to his honesty.

At this time, a wealthy man heard this story and also wanted to get the silver and golden axes. He went to the lake, dropped his axe into the water, and began to mourn.

The devil appeared and asked, “Why are you mourning?”