A poor woodcutter dropped his only axe into a deep river. As he wept, a river-spirit rose up holding a shining golden axe. “Is this yours?” “No,” said the honest man. Then a silver one — “No, not that either.”
At last the spirit held up his own plain iron axe. “Yes! That one is mine,” he cried with relief. The spirit, pleased by his honesty, gave him all three axes as a reward.
A greedy neighbour heard this and threw his own axe in on purpose, then claimed the gold one was his. But the spirit, seeing his lie, gave him nothing at all — not even his own axe back.