The earliest recorded version is found in Philopseudes (The Lover of Lies) by Lucian of Samosata. In this dialogue, the character Eucrates describes a magical Egyptian sorcerer and an apprentice who uses a spell to make a pestle fetch water.
The tale of the sorcerer's apprentice is a universal cautionary story about the dangers of seeking power without the wisdom to control it. While most modern audiences associate the story with Mickey Mouse in Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia , the narrative has deep roots spanning nearly two thousand years. Origins and Evolution The Sorcerer's Apprentice
German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe adapted the tale into the 14-stanza poem "Der Zauberlehrling." Goethe introduced the rhyming structure and the iconic imagery of a broom split in two, resulting in two brooms that continue the labor. The earliest recorded version is found in Philopseudes