M39a4b1. A foolish woman throws away her yarn. .17.27.-.30.

A foolish woman throws yarn (into the water, into the bushes), believing that someone will turn it into fabric.

Arabs of Iraq, Macedonians, Slovaks, Georgians, Turks, Persians (Jews of Isfahan, Kerman).

Western Asia. Arabs of Iraq [a shoemaker has a shepherd friend who gives him two sheepskins; the husband tells his foolish wife to find someone who will spin the wool to make clothes; she hears the croaking of frogs, calls them relatives, throws the sheepskins into the water, promises to come for yarn in a month; the husband goes with her, sees rotten sheepskins in the water, beats his wife, leaves her in the street for the night; a cat and a dog come; the woman thinks that her husband has sent them for her, refuses to go; a camel comes, she agrees; but the husband just took pity on his wife and let her in with the camel; it is loaded with gold; when the wife fell asleep, the husband killed and buried the camel, cooked some meat, hid the gold; when the wife went out and then returned, the husband threw the cooked meat at her and she believed that the meat was falling from the sky like rain; the husband at this time pretended to be asleep; the sultan sends to look for the lost treasure; the wife said they had the camel; the husband was summoned to the sultan; as he left, he told his wife to keep an eye on the door; when the sultan accused him of stealing the treasure, the husband asked for his wife; she came carrying the door on her back; the wife said it all happened when meat was falling from the sky, and the husband sent Pussy, Woof-Woof, and Hump for her; the couple was released; the shoemaker divorced his wife, dug up the treasure, went to another city, and lived well]: Stevens 2006, no. 1: 1–6.

Balkans. Macedonians [the wife was a fool; the husband bought her yarn, told her to weave cloth; she asked the frogs if they could do it; took their croaking for an affirmative answer and threw the yarn into a swamp; the husband rushed to the swamp and tried to get the yarn, but instead pulled out a jug of gold; told his wife that there were lice in the jug; when the husband left, a potter came; the wife gave him the old jug with lice (i.e. with gold) and asked for a new one in exchange; the potter quickly left, leaving the woman with all the pots; the husband returned, the wife told about the successful exchange; the husband ran after the potter; it was night, he saw a camel with a load of gold; he brought it, took the gold, drove the camel away, put his wife in a pit, covering it with a lid: today God sends birds to peck out people's eyes; he scattered grain on the lid and let the hens out; At that time he hid the tangi; in the morning they began to look for the loss; the woman announced that her husband had taken the gold; this was when the birds began to peck at people's eyes; seeing the one-eyed man, she cried out: here is one of the victims; the man was released, the gold remained with him]: Mazon 1936, No. 67: 243-245.

Central Europe. Slovaks [a wife went to take yarn to a weaver; she hung it on a rose bush; when she went to get the linen, she found a cauldron of money under the rose bush; she blabbed to everyone; her husband put her in a hole, covered it with a door, scattered grain on top and let the hens in; then he said that there was a war between the hens and the geese – let her tell when they asked her about the treasure; having heard this nonsense, they threw the woman out, and the husband kept the money]: Gašparíková 1993, no. 238: 167-168.

Caucasus - Asia Minor. Lucky [a daughter eats 6 chureks before sweeping a room; once there were only three, she began to cry, the mother to the merchant: she weaves five cloths before sweeping the room, and the wool was only enough for three; the merchant took the girl as his wife; left her the wool and left; the wife sits, plucks the wool, dips her fingers in butter and honey, the shaitans laugh; they brought the son of the padishah, who had an abscess in his throat; the young man burst out laughing, the abscess burst, the padishah ordered to give the woman cloth; the husband is happy, bought more wool; she threw it all into the pond and ordered the lake princesses (i.e. frogs) to weave; the husband drained the pond, found a jug of gold; the wife exchanged a bale of cloth for two rag dolls, the husband drove her away; she came to the cemetery, a camel came there with the treasury of the padishah; She brought him to her husband; he told his wife that today women are put to bed because a green sun will rise and a red rain will fall, and then halva hail; the people of Pachakh are looking for a camel, the woman tells everything; she talks about the cradle, the rain and the hail, she was considered crazy, the jewels went to the merchant; the old woman promises the Pachakh to find a camel; he tells the woman that she needs camel meat to cure her son; the merchant pushed the old woman into a pit where there was camel meat; he locked the crazy wife and married another]: Ganieva 2011, No. 75: 609-614; Georgians [a stupid wife offers frogs to knit her socks; they croak; she takes this for consent, throws yarn into the pond; when she came for the socks, she found a golden reel in the pond; explains that the frogs did not knit her socks and she took the gold from them; exchanged the reel for several dolls and one slipper; her husband beat her and drove her away; she sees a dog, a rooster, thinks that her husband sent them for her, decides not to go; when the camel arrived with the baggage, she went, bringing the camel; the husband sees that the camel is loaded with jewelry; he puts his wife in a tone, covers it with skins, sprinkles grain on top and lets the geese in; she thinks that hail is coming; the husband killed the camel, hid the baggage and meat; the wife says that she brought the camel, the husband is seized, he tells the king that he knows nothing; the wife says that she brought the camel when there was hail and knocked out the king's eye (it was crooked); the king drove her away]: Kurdovanidze 1988, No. 146: 290-292; Turks[a foolish shepherd's wife orders the frogs to weave her cloth; they croak, the wife thinks that the frogs agree, throws them expensive yarn; she came to get the cloth and pay for the work; the frogs jumped into the water; the woman decided to destroy their homes, began to pick with a stick, found a jug of gold; paid the potter to take his goods to her home; broke the pots to decorate the house; her husband drove her away; she tells the cat that she will not go home; seeing a camel, decides to go and brings the camel with her; it is the padishah's camel, loaded with gold; the husband hides the gold, invites his wife to play newlyweds; it is customary to sprinkle roasted peas (leblebi) on them, he sprinkles it on his wife; the camel is searched for, the wife says that she saw the camel, "on the night when leblebi rains, when I became a newlywed"; [The qadi ordered the spouses to leave]: Stebleva 1986, No. 59: 254-256.

Iran - Central Asia. Persians (Jews of Isfahan) [a mad woman went out at night to sell yarn; came across a frog in a stream, threw it some yarn, promised to come for payment; came, took a stone, brought it home; the husband saw that it was a gold nugget, put it aside; in his absence, the milkman came to sell milk; the woman: no money, will you take the stone? brought an ingot, the milkman took it; the wife made balls of flour and milk, left one in front of the door for her husband to open when he came; the husband had to take down the door; when he learned of everything, he threw the wife out; she sees a cat, a crow, takes them for her husband's messengers, refuses to return; a camel arrived with the shah's treasury in its packs; the wife called him auntie, brought him home; the husband killed, undressed the camel, hid everything; the wife tells everything; the husband: ask her when it was; wife: when there was a thick rice soup with wheat and a bloody rain; she was left alone]: Romaskevich 1934a, No. 13: 77-80; Persians(Kerman) [a mother wishes to give one of her seven daughters in marriage to a weaver; tells the girls to work very quickly and, when the weaver comes, to shout to her every minute that the work is done; the weaver proposes marriage to his eldest daughter; asks his wife to cook pilaf; the girl does not know how, but does not admit it; goes out onto the roof and loudly asks if this is how to cook it; the neighbors answer; the girl says that she thought so; the neighbors advise putting stones in the rice; finding stones and dirt in the pilaf, the husband sends the girl to her mother; the mother gives her second daughter in marriage to a weaver; the same thing happens to her (the neighbors advise salting the halva); the third daughter, on the advice of the neighbors, puts rags in her food, the fourth gives things to a passerby, the fifth fills the cracks in the roof with butter and honey; having given away the sixth daughter, the mother advises her to buy cotton - let her work and not do stupid things; the girl takes the croaking of a frog for a request to give her cotton - she will spin; asks again, takes the croaking for an affirmative answer; the husband demands the cotton back; the girl tells the frog to give it back; dips her hand in water and takes out a gold bar; the husband does not send his wife home; the next day she buys halva for gold, makes figurines from it, gives them names, tells them to serve her; the husband knocks; the girl tells the figurines to open the door; the figurines do not open; the husband sees the figurines, divorces his wife; takes the last, youngest sister; asks her to make vinegar; she asks the neighbors for advice; the neighbors advise eating all the grapes; the wife eats and falls asleep; the husband carries her sleeping into the desert; waking up, the girl sees a raven, a cat and a dog; takes the sounds they make for a message from her husband; refuses to go back; the king's camel loaded with jewels approaches her; she follows it and comes to her husband; the husband ties her mouth, locks her in the oven, forbids her to go out, says that soon there will be a rain of blood and a cloud of felt; hides the jewelry; buries the camel and pours its blood through the felt into the oven; the girl says that it was she who brought the royal camel to her; the husband is taken to prison; he says that his wife is crazy; as proof, he asks to ask her what happened that day; the wife answers that while she was sitting in the oven, it was raining blood; the husband is released]: Lorimer, Lorimer 1919, No. 21: 124-134.