Hermes and the Two Women
Once upon a time, there was a pretty mountain village that shone in the shade of olive trees. In this village the humble and smiling Ayla and the proud and rich Berna lived side by side. Ayla was a kind hearted woman who shared the little bread in her hand with everyone and whose heart was full of love. Berna, on the other hand, was a proud person who thought only of her own profit and boasted of her showy jewels. One day the god Hermes wanted to test the sincerity of these two women by taking the shape of a mortal. Hermes, in the shape of a tired traveller, first knocked at the door of the magnificent mansion of Berna. When Berna opened the door and saw a dusty stranger before her, she at once made a sour face.
The traveller asked with a sweet voice, “I have come from very far; would you give me a sip of water and a little food?” The rich woman said with pride, “Do not trouble the door of a noble person like me for nothing!” and shut the door hard. Hermes then walked towards the humble wooden hut of Ayla and knocked at her door. When Ayla saw the guest, she smiled with great courtesy and invited him inside. She put the only loaf of bread and the warm soup on the table in front of the stranger without any hesitation. “My table is small but my heart is wide; please fill your stomach,” she said, and welcomed her guest sincerely. After Hermes finished his meal, he suddenly scattered a dazzling light and revealed his true identity.
He felt a deep satisfaction before this heartfelt behaviour of the generous woman. He rewarded the humble hut of Ayla with shining gold and with a plentiful table that never runs out. But when the greedy Berna saw this miraculous event from her window, she rushed outside with regret. However Hermes turned to her and said, “True wealth is not in goods but in a clean and generous heart.” As he went away from there along with a magical wind, Berna was left alone with her pride. The real worth of people is measured not by the wealth they own but by the generosity in their hearts. You reap what you sow.