Why the Sea is Salty

“Why the Sea is Salty” is a fable about a greedy younger brother who steals a magical hand mill from his kind older brother. The mill can grind anything when commanded, but the greedy brother forgets the crucial command to stop. He sails out to sea and commands the mill to grind salt, intending to become rich. However, his greed makes him forget to say “stop,” and the mill grinds so much salt that it sinks his boat and him to the bottom of the ocean. To this day, the mill is still grinding salt, which is why the sea is salty. The story teaches that greed can lead to ruin.

Why the Sea is Salty

Long, long ago, when the world was much younger, the sea was not salty at all. It was fresh and sweet, and people would drink from it as they pleased. In a small, poor village by the shore lived two brothers: a kind and generous older brother who always shared what little he had, and a greedy, selfish younger brother.

The older brother worked hard as a fisherman, but his catches were often small, and he struggled to provide for his family. The younger brother, on the other hand, was always looking for shortcuts and ways to get rich without effort.

The Magical Fish and the Mill

One day, the older brother was out fishing when he accidentally caught a magical fish. As he was about to put it in his basket, the fish spoke, “Please, kind fisherman, let me go! If you do, I will grant you a wish.”

The older brother, being kind-hearted, released the fish. “I wish,” he said, “for a mill that grinds whatever I ask for.”

Suddenly, a small, ordinary-looking hand mill appeared on his boat. The fish explained, “This mill will grind anything you wish, but remember this above all else: you must always tell it when to start and when to stop.”

Overjoyed, the older brother rushed home. “Grind fish!” he commanded the mill, and it began to grind out fresh, delicious fish. “Stop!” he said when he had enough. His family had a wonderful meal that night.

The Greedy Brother’s Theft

The younger brother, seeing his older brother’s sudden prosperity, grew suspicious. He spied on him and soon discovered the magical mill. Filled with envy, he waited until his brother was away, then sneaked into the house and stole the mill.

“This is my chance to be rich!” he cackled. He decided to sail far out to sea, thinking he could grind treasures without anyone knowing. Once on his boat, far from shore, he commanded, “Grind salt! I want to be the richest man in the world!”

The mill immediately began to grind out pure, white salt. Piles upon piles rapidly cascaded into his boat, rising higher and higher. The greedy brother watched, eyes wide with delight, as his boat groaned under the increasing weight, sinking lower and lower into the waves. He envisioned mountains of wealth, blinding him to the danger.

The Unstoppable Mill

But in his excitement and greed, he completely forgot the fish’s crucial instruction: he forgot to tell the mill to stop!

The mill kept grinding, and grinding, and grinding salt. The boat began to sink lower and lower into the water. Panic seized the younger brother. The boat was dangerously low, water lapping at the gunwales. ‘Stop! Stop, you foolish mill!’ he shrieked, his voice hoarse with terror, but the magic words, the crucial command to cease, eluded his frantic mind. The mill had only been told to start, not to stop.

The boat filled with salt, then sank beneath the waves, taking the greedy younger brother and the magical mill with it.

And to this very day, the mill is still grinding salt at the bottom of the sea, which is why the ocean is so salty.

Moral of the Story: Greed, unchecked, leads only to downfall. True wisdom lies in knowing when enough is enough, and appreciating what you possess.