The Compassionate Woodcutter

Fr. R. Kreutzwald’s fairy tale The Compassionate Woodcutter reflects our people’s love of nature. This trait was also characteristic of Kreutzwald himself.

Once upon a time, a man complained:

“I picked up an axe in the morning, went to the forest, and wanted to chop down some timber to take home, but lo and behold! Suddenly, I found all the woods alive — every tree with a mind in its head and a tongue in its mouth, able to beg for mercy. There is not a drop of blood in my heart that can resist their plea. Whatever happens to me, I dare not go and kill living trees.”

And so birches, oaks, ashes, maples, alders, aspens, bird cherries, rowans, pines, spruces, and junipers were left to grow...

Do you notice any of these trees in the park?

— Fairy tale by Fr. R. Kreutzwald, The Compassionate Woodcutter