Tolstoy

Tale of the king and the seed the size of a hen’s egg

August 8th 2024
Do you know this tale written by Tolstoy? One day a king picked up a seed that was the size of a hen’s egg. He called upon the knowledge of all the sages at his court, but none could tell him where the seed came from. However, he was told of a very old man who lived in his kingdom, who might be able to help. The king sent for the man who arrived supported by two crutches and was nearly blind. The old man examined the seed for a long time and finally said, ‘Your Majesty, I do not know what this giant seed is, but if you will allow me, I shall fetch my father who may remember having seen a similar one.’ The father arrived, leaning on a single crutch. He was not able to identify the seed either, but he in turn suggested calling upon his own father. The latter soon arrived; he looked like a young man, strong and in good spirits. He took hold of the seed and exclaimed, ‘But this is a grain of wheat that used to grow when I was a child. In those days, wheat had very large grains, but since people started to harm each other, steal from each other and massacre each other, the grains of wheat have become smaller and smaller. And if I look so strong and younger than my son and grandson, it is because I continue to live by the rules of honesty and goodness that prevailed during my childhood.’*
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