| The Honest Woodcutter | |
|---|---|
 Grandville's illustration to La Fontaine's fable | |
| Folk tale | |
| Name | The Honest Woodcutter |
| Also known as | Mercury and the Woodman; The Golden Axe |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 729 (The Axe falls into the Stream)[1] |
| Region | Greece; Worldwide |
The Honest Woodcutter, also known as Mercury and the Woodman and The Golden Axe, is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 173 in the Perry Index. It serves as a cautionary tale on the need for cultivating honesty, even at the price of self-interest. It is also classified as Aarne-Thompson 729: The Axe falls into the Stream.[2]
- ^ The Book of Greek and Roman Folktales, Legends, and Myths. Edited, translated and introduced by William Hansen. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press. 2019. p. 446. ISBN 978-0-691-19592-6
- ^ Lesebuchgeschichten: Erzählstoffe in Schullesebüchern, 1770–1920. Ingrid Tomkowiak. Berlin: De Gruyter. 1993. p. 256