The Ax of Gold

A Greek Folktale

By: Bill Gordh

Narrated by: Bill Gordh

Length: 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Award-winning storyteller Bill Gordh (Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence winner, National Association of Parenting Periodicals Gold Award winner) presents this folk tale live with no script, accompanied only by his own dynamic banjo playing.

An old farmer was out in the woods chopping wood for his family when his ax slipped from his hands and went flying into the river. The farmer was so upset, he cried out to the river. The river spirit heard him and up out of the river rose a silver ax. "Is this your ax?" asked the River Spirit. The framer would have loved the ax, but he was an honest man and he said, "No." The silver ax went back into the water. Then out of the waters came a gold ax. "Is this your ax?" asked the River Spirit. Again the old man answered, "No." The gold ax went back down into the water. Now the man's old ax came up out of the water. "Is this your ax?" "Yes!" exclaimed the man. "That's it!" and the ax moved across the water into the man's outstretched hands. He thanked the River Spirit and began to leave.

The Spirit asked him to stop and told him that for his honesty, he could have the ax of silver and the ax of gold. The man wept with joy. When he told some people in town about what had happened, one of his neighbors decided that he would do the same thing and get rich. He grabbed his ax and threw it into the river and pretended to cry. The river spirit brought up an ax of gold and the man claimed it as his own. When he reached out for the gold ax, the ax moved back out over the water and the man fell in and floated away.

©2013 Bill Gordh (P)2014 Audible Inc.