The Woodcutter and the Huma

One day a woodcutter was taking a break from his labours and resting

under a tree. Beside him was his bundle of wood that we have cut to use

as firewood. Chopping wood was a tiring activity and the woodcutter was

exhausted. Feeling he needed a rest before he continued his journey to

the merchant who had ordered the wood, he decided to rest his eyes for

a moment or two.

He fell into a deep sleep and up above him a Huma bird was flying

above. The Huma looked down and saw the woodcutter in his

threadbare clothes and felt a stir of pity for the man. Huma, a kind

hearted bird, wanted to help the man and ease his suffering and so flying

lower, laid one of its golden eggs which fell gently into the man’s bundle

of sticks.

After his short nap, the woodcutter awoke and saw the egg. Thinking

that he would be able to buy his family a lot of food, the man decided to

sell the egg to the merchant. However, the merchant was not an honest

man and told the woodcutter that the golden egg was not worth much

money, but what would be valuable was the bird that laid it. The

merchant was thinking that if he possessed the Huma bird, there would

be an endless supply of golden eggs, which were worth much more

valuable than he had told the woodcutter.

The woodcutter was desperate for money to feed his family and to

provide better clothes and warmth. He did not even own a pair of boots

for trekking through the forest to cut the wood for the merchants.

So, the woodcutter repeated his actions of the previous day, but this time

he was only pretending to be asleep. Huma saw him and was worried

that he had not seen the gift of the golden egg that had been left for him

and so decided to leave him another. As the Huma flew low to lay the

egg, the man jumped up and grabbed the bird.

Huma was frightened and begged for the man to let him go, but the

woodcutter was convinced that the merchant would pay good money for

the bird and did not listen to the Huma who promised rewards it the man

release them.

Huma’s cannot be held captive, and the poor bird died before the

woodcutter reached the merchant. The woodcutter now saw what he

had done. By betraying Huma, he had thrown away the chance of a

better life for the greed of a short-term payment.

If someone sees a Huma, they will receive a lifetime of good luck but

capturing one will end in disaster and all will be lost. However, like the

mighty Pheonix the Huma is capable of rebirth and immortality so we

can only hope that the poor Huma from the story was able to rebirth and

recover from the betrayal.