One of the most moving stories in the Arindal Echoes is the tale of Xbysl, which highlights honesty, integrity, and the power of truth. This narrative revolves around a hardworking Lootian woodsman who made a living by cutting down trees in the forest. He was equipped with an old, weathered axe that he cherished and sharpened regularly. The woodsman was filled with despair when his axe head fell into the river. At this moment, Ver, the God of Water, appeared and offered help, sensing the genuine honesty in the woodsman’s eyes. Ver dove into the river and emerged with a beautiful silver axe, which the woodsman refused as it was not his own. The following day, Ver returned to find the man still searching, and this time brought him a golden axe, which the woodsman also refused.
Ver returned the axe to the river and came back the next day to find the woodsman still searching for his axe head. Again, Ver dove into the water and emerged with the woodsman’s axe head, and the man was filled with joy. As a gesture of goodwill, Ver retrieved the gold and silver axes from the river and gifted them to the woodsman, who was delighted. When the woodsman returned to town, he shared his story with another woodsman, who subsequently dropped his axe head into the river. Ver once again entered the river and came out with a golden axe, which the woodsman accepted with gratitude. However, Ver soon realized that the golden axe did not belong to the man and decided to punish him for his deceit by sending him to the underworld. There, the man was confined in a cage made of bones and tormented by Norash and Norashi for eternity.
