KOREA FOUNDATION

IN CURATION

Good luck came to the woodcutter who didn’t lie.
The reward for being honest and selfless

“The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe” is a Korean fairy tale with a lesson of hope: good fortune may come to you by leading an honest life. A fairy tale in Indonesia called “The Gift of Dedari” has a similar message. Did the woodcutter find his ax in the Indonesian version of the story?

Indonesian Folk tale, “The Gift of Dedari”

Once upon a time, Rentzod, a good-natured woodcutter, lived with his six children on the edge of a forest. He made a living by selling firewood at the market. But selling wood didn't make enough money for a large house. Because his big family couldn't live in a small house together, they had to live scattered from one another.

One day, the woodcutter went to work by a river. While stretching before he started, he accidentally threw his axe into the river. A fairy named Dedari appeared and said she would help. She went into the river and came out with a golden axe and a silver axe. She asked the woodcutter, “Which axe is yours?” The woodcutter told her honestly that neither was his, and he returned home without finding his axe. Impressed by his honesty and good nature, the fairy left the golden and silver axes as a gift in front of the woodcutter’s house. He could finally live with his children in a large house.

“The Gift of Dedari” teaches us that if you live honestly without being greedy, you may be blessed one day. Though the details about the characters are slightly different, it essentially tells the same story as the Korean story, “The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe.” When you face difficulties in life, it might be tempting to go the wrong way. It’s easy to think, “This wouldn't be too bad,” or, “I'll just do it this one time.”

But just as the woodcutter overcame this temptation and honestly told the fairy that the silver and golden axes weren't his, I hope that children Korea and ASEAN will grow up with integrity and without being greedy over what others might have.