Mercury and the Sculptor

Mercury, the messenger of the gods, was known for his speed and cleverness, but he was also quite vain about his importance. One day, curious about how much mortals valued him, he decided to visit Earth in disguise to find out.

Transforming himself to look like an ordinary traveler, Mercury entered the workshop of a skilled sculptor who was famous for creating beautiful statues of the gods.

The workshop was filled with magnificent marble statues - some finished, others still being carved. Mercury looked around with great interest, pretending to be a potential customer.

“Good day, master sculptor,” Mercury said politely. “I am traveling through your city and have heard wonderful things about your work. I’m particularly interested in statues of the gods. Might you show me what you have?”

The sculptor, pleased to have a customer, eagerly began showing Mercury around his workshop.

“Here,” said the sculptor proudly, “is my latest statue of mighty Jupiter, king of all the gods. See how I’ve captured his noble bearing and powerful presence.”

Mercury examined the statue and nodded approvingly. “Very impressive indeed. What would be the price for such a magnificent work?”

“For Jupiter, the king of gods? One hundred gold pieces,” replied the sculptor.

Mercury was pleased that the statue of the king of gods commanded such a high price. He continued browsing and soon spotted a beautiful statue of Juno, Jupiter’s wife.

“And this lovely statue of the goddess Juno?” he inquired.

“Ah, the queen of the heavens! That would be eighty gold pieces,” said the sculptor.

Mercury nodded, thinking these were respectable prices for such important deities. Then, trying to appear casual, he began looking around for a statue of himself.

“Do you happen to have any statues of Mercury, the messenger god?” he asked, barely able to contain his curiosity about his own worth.

“Oh yes, indeed I do!” said the sculptor, leading him to a smaller statue in the corner. “Here is Mercury, with his winged sandals and caduceus.”

Mercury examined his own likeness with satisfaction. The sculptor had captured his features quite well, he thought. Now for the important question.

“And the price for this one?” Mercury asked, expecting to hear a figure that reflected his importance as a messenger of the gods and conductor of souls to the underworld.

The sculptor looked at the statue thoughtfully. “Well, Mercury is certainly important, but he’s not quite as sought after as Jupiter or Juno. I could let you have it for… let’s say twenty gold pieces.”

Mercury was somewhat disappointed but tried to hide it. “Twenty gold pieces seems reasonable,” he said. “But perhaps you could offer a better deal if I were to purchase multiple statues?”

“Oh, absolutely!” said the sculptor eagerly. “If you buy the Jupiter and Juno statues, I’ll throw in the Mercury for free!”

Mercury was stunned. Free? His statue given away as a mere bonus?

The sculptor, noticing his customer’s surprised expression, explained, “You see, Mercury statues are nice to have, but they don’t sell nearly as well as the major gods. People prefer Jupiter’s power or Juno’s majesty. Mercury is more of a… how shall I put it… a useful addition to a collection.”

Mercury left the workshop in silence, his vanity thoroughly deflated. He had learned that others didn’t value him nearly as highly as he valued himself.

Moral: Our opinion of our own importance is often much higher than others’ opinion of us. True worth comes not from our own estimation, but from how we actually serve others.