The Woodman and Mercury by Jean de La Fontaine

A woodman loses the axe on which his livelihood depends and prays to Jove for its return. Mercury comes to test him, first showing him a golden axe and then a silver one, but the man honestly refuses both. When Mercury produces the plain iron, steel, and wooden axe, the woodman gladly identifies it as his own. Rewarding this honesty, the god gives him all three axes. When neighbouring choppers hear of his good fortune, they deliberately lose their own axes and pray to Jupiter, hoping for gold and silver tools. Mercury appears with the valuable axes, and each claimant chooses the richest one. Instead of receiving it, however, each is struck on the head. The fable teaches that contentment with simple truth is safest, while attempts to deceive the good through cunning are foolish because Jove cannot be duped.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Moral Tale, Didactic Literature · 1,120 words

First lines

To M. The Chevalier De Bouillon.[1]

[1]: La Fontaine's dedication is in initials thus: -- "A. M. L. C. D. B. " which are interpreted by some as meaning, "To M. the Chevalier de Bouillon" (as above), and by others as meaning, "To Monseigneur le Cardinal de Bouillon. "

• Open reader

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Genres

• Fable — A brief allegorical narrative in the Aesopic tradition, using a simple incident to demonstrate the moral value of honesty and the folly of greed.
• Moral Tale — The plot explicitly contrasts the honest woodman, who is rewarded, with deceitful imitators, who are punished, delivering a clear ethical lesson.
• Didactic Literature — La Fontaine states that his purpose is to expose vice and teach through pleasure; the narrative instructs readers to be content with truth and avoid fraudulent schemes.
• Verse Narrative — The work tells a complete story through rhymed, metrical verse rather than prose.

Tags

French fable · verse narrative · Aesopian tradition · moral allegory · honesty · contentment · greed · deception · covetousness · divine justice · rewards and punishments · woodman

What this Textopian page supports

The Woodman and Mercury is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Moral Tale, Didactic Literature, Verse Narrative, Allegory
• Length: 1,120 words
• Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Woodman and Mercury by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine