In a village lived a man and his wife. The wife was so idle that she never finished her spinning. The yarn she did spin remained tangled in a heap.
When her husband scolded her, she retorted, "How can I wind it without a reel? Go to the forest and get me one."
"If that's all," said the man, "I'll go get wood to make a reel."
The wife, fearing she'd have to work if he made a reel, followed him secretly into the forest. As he climbed a tree to cut wood, she hid in a thicket below and cried out:
"He who cuts wood for reels shall die,
And he who winds, shall perish."
The man paused, puzzled, but resumed cutting. The cry came again. He stopped, alarmed, but soon tried a third time. Upon hearing the warning once more, he lost all heart, hastily climbed down, and went home.
The wife ran back first. When he arrived, she innocently asked, "Did you bring wood for a reel?"
"No," he replied. "I see winding is not meant to be." He told her of the forest omen and left her in peace.
Later, the man complained again about the tangled yarn.
"Since we have no reel," the wife suggested, "you go to the loft. I'll stand below. We'll throw the yarn up and down to make a skein."
They did so. Afterwards, the man said, "Now the skein must be boiled."
"Yes, early tomorrow," the wife agreed, but she was already plotting.
At dawn, she lit a fire, put a kettle on, but boiled a lump of tow instead of the yarn. She then woke her husband: "I must go out. You watch the yarn boiling in the kettle. Be quick! If the cock crows and you're not watching, the yarn will turn to tow."
The man hurried to the kitchen. Peeking into the kettle, he saw, to his horror, only a lump of tow. Believing he had failed and was to blame, he stayed silent, never mentioning yarn or spinning again.
But you must admit, she was an odious woman!