There was once a poor woodcutter who spent his days cutting wood near a quiet river to earn a living for his family. One afternoon, while working hard by the riverbank, his axe suddenly slipped from his hands and fell into the deep water.
The woodcutter sat down and began to cry, knowing that without his axe he would not be able to work or take care of his family. Hearing his cries, the river goddess appeared from the water and gently asked him what was wrong.
The woodcutter respectfully explained what had happened. Feeling sorry for him, the river goddess decided to help. She told him she would try to find his axe and then disappeared beneath the water.
Moments later, she emerged holding a golden axe and asked the woodcutter if it belonged to him. The woodcutter looked at it and truthfully replied that it was not his.
The goddess went back into the river and soon returned with a silver axe. Once again, she asked if it was his. The woodcutter answered honestly that it was not.
Finally, the river goddess appeared holding the woodcutter’s old iron axe. The woodcutter exclaimed with joy that it was indeed his axe.
The river goddess smiled, for she had been testing the woodcutter’s honesty. Because he had spoken the truth every time, she rewarded him by giving him all three axes—the gold, the silver, and the iron one.
From that day on, the woodcutter never forgot that honesty is always rewarded, and he continued to work hard and care for his family with gratitude and pride.