THE LAZY WIFE
by Sophia Morrison · from Manx Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
Once, there was a wife named Lily. She was very, very lazy. She did not like to work.
Lily liked to sit. She sat by the warm fire. She did not like to work. Her husband Tom needed clothes. His clothes were torn.
Tom gave Lily some wool. "Please spin this wool," he said. "You must finish in one month. If not, you cannot stay. Lily disliked it."
Lily put the wheel out. Tom saw the wheel. Lily did not spin. She only made one ball. It was a rough, lumpy ball. She put it away.
Tom asked for the wool. Lily went upstairs. She had one ball. She threw it to Tom. He threw it back. She threw it again. Tom counted many. He thought she had much wool.
Lily knew her trick was bad. Tom would be very cross. She felt scared. She must find help. A Giant lived on the mountain. Lily went to him.
Lily met Giant Grumbles. "Please spin my wool," she said. Giant Grumbles said, "Yes, I will spin. Come back in one week. Tell me my name."
Lily asked many people. "What is the Giant's name?" she asked. No one knew his name. Lily felt sad. She did not know.
One night, Tom walked home. He passed the Giant's house. He heard singing. Giant Grumbles sang loud. "My name is Mollyndroat!" he sang. Tom heard the name.
Tom came home late. Lily asked, "Where were you?" Tom spoke of Giant. He sang the song. "My name is Mollyndroat!" he sang. Lily was happy.
Lily learned the song. She sang it many times. Next morning, she walked fast. She went to the Giant's house. She was not scared now.
Lily came to the Giant. "What is my name?" he asked. Lily pretended not to know. "Is it Mollyrea?" she asked. "No," said Giant Grumbles. "Is it Mollyvridey? No."
Then Lily smiled. She sang the song. "My name is Mollyndroat!" she sang. Giant Grumbles was very surprised. He did not like it.
Giant Grumbles was not happy. He was very cross. He shouted loud. He threw the wool balls. He threw them at Lily. Lily ran away fast.
Lily took all the wool. She ran home with it. She did not have to spin. She did not have to work. She was very happy.
Lily was clever. But it is best to do your work. Being lazy can make trouble!
Original Story
THE LAZY WIFE
Well, there was a woman once, and she was scandalous lazy. She was that lazy she would do nothing but sit in the corner of the chiollagh warming herself, or going on the houses for newses the day long. And one day her man gives her some wool to spin for him; he was terrible badly off for clothes to wear, for she was letting them get all ragged on him. He had told her to mend them until he was tired, but all he could get out of her was ‘Traa dy liooar.’ Time enough!
One day he comes to her, and says:
‘Thou liggey my hraa, here is some wool for thee to spin, and if it is not done a month from this day, I’ll throw thee out on the side of the road. Thou and thy Traa dy liooar have left me nearly bare.’
Well, she was too lazy to spin, but she would be pretending to be working hard when the husband was in the house. She used to put the wheel out on the floor every night before the husband came in from work, to let on to him that she had been spinning.
The husband was asking her was the thread getting near spun, for he said he was seeing the wheel so often on the floor that he wanted to know if she had enough to take to the weaver. When it came to the last week but one, she had only one ball spun, and that one was knotted and as coarse as gorse. When her husband says to her:
‘I’m seeing the wheel middling often on the floor when I come home at night; maybe there’s enough thread spun at thee now for me to take to the weaver next week?’
‘I don’t know, at all,’ says the wife. ‘Maybe there is; let us count the balls.’
Then the play began! Up she went on the lout, and flung the ball through the hole, down to him.
‘Keep count thyself, and fling the balls back again to me,’ says she to the man. And as fast as he flung the ball up to her, so fast she flung it down to him again. When he had counted the ball, maybe, two score times, she says to him:
‘That’s all that’s in.’
‘Aw, ’deed, you’ve spun well, woman, for all,’ says he; ‘there’s plenty done at thee for the weaver.’
Aw, then she was in a great fix, and didn’t know in her senses what to do to save herself. She knew she would sup sorrow if she was found out, but she could think of nothing.
At last she bethought herself of the Giant that lived in a lonesome place up the mountain, for she had heard tell he was good to work, and the woman, she says to herself:
‘I’ve a mind to go my ways to him.’ She took the road early next morning, she and her rolls of wool, and she walked up hills, down gills, till at last she came to the Giant’s house.
‘What are thou wanting here?’ says the Giant.
‘I’m wanting thee to help me,’ says she; and she up and told him about the ball of thread and everything.
‘I’ll spin the wool for thee,’ says the Giant, ‘if thou’ll tell me my name when thou come for the balls a week from this day. Are thou satisfied?’
‘Why shouldn’t I be satisfied?’ says the woman; for she thought to herself it would be a middling queer thing if she couldn’t find out his name within a week. Well, the woman she tried every way to find out the Giant’s name, but, go where she might, no one had ever heard tell of it. The time was getting over fast, and she was no nearer to the Giant’s name. At last it came to the last day but one.
Now, as it happened, the husband was coming home from the mountain that day in the little evening, and as he neared the Giant’s house, he saw it all in a blaze of light, and there was a great whirling and whistling coming to his ears, and along with it came singing, and laughing, and shouting. So he drew near the window, and then he sees the big Giant inside sitting at a wheel, spinning like the wind, and his hands flying with the thread to and fro, to and fro, like the lightning, and he shouting to the whistling wheel: ‘Spin, wheel, spin faster; and sing, wheel, sing louder!’
And he sings, as the wheel whirls faster and faster:
‘Snieu, queeyl, snieu; ’rane, queeyl, ’rane;
Dy chooilley clea er y thie, snieu er my skyn.
Lheeish yn ollan, lhiams y snaie,
S’beg fys t’ec yn ven litcheragh
Dy re Mollyndroat my ennym!’
Spin, wheel, spin; sing, wheel, sing;
Every beam on the house, spin overhead.
Herself’s is the wool, mine is the thread,
How little she knows, the lazy wife,
That my name is Mollyndroat!
When the husband got home that evening he was late, and his wife said to him:
‘Where have you been so late? Did thou hear anything new?’
Then he said:
‘Thou are middling good to spin thyself, ven thie; but I’m thinking there’s one in that’s better than thee, for all. Never in all my born days did I see such spinning, a thread as fine as a cobweb, and hear such singing as there was going on in the Giant’s house to-night.’
‘What was he singing?’ says the wife. And he sang the song to her:
Snieu, queeyl, snieu; ’rane, queeyl, ’rane;
Dy chooilley clea er y thie, snieu er my skyn.
Lheeish yn ollan, lhiams y snaie,
S’beg fys t’ec yn ven litcheragh
Dy re Mollyndroat my ennym!
Well, well, the joy the woman took when she heard the song!
‘Aw, what sweet music! Sing it again, my good man,’ says she.
And he sang it to her again, till she knew it by heart.
Early next morning, she went as fast as her feet could carry her to the Giant’s house. The road was long, and a bit lonesome under the trees, and to keep up her heart she sang to herself:
‘Snieu, queeyl, snieu; snieu, queeyl, snieu;
Dy chooilley vangan er y villey, snieu er my skyn.
S’lesh hene yn ollan, as lesh my hene y snaie,
Son shenn Mollyndroat cha vow eh dy braa.’
Spin, wheel, spin; spin, wheel, spin;
Every branch on the tree, spin overhead.
The wool is Himself’s, the thread is my own,
For old Mollyndroat will never get it.
When she got to the house, she found the door open before her, and in she went.
‘I’ve come again for the thread,’ says she.
‘Aisy, aisy, good woman,’ says the Giant. ‘If thou don’t tell me my name thou won’t get the thread—that was the bargain.’ And says he: ‘Now, what’s my name?’
‘Is it Mollyrea?’ says she—to let on that she didn’t know it.
‘No, it is not,’ says he.
‘Are you one of the Mollyruiy ones?’ says she.
‘I’m not one of that clan,’ says he.
‘Are they calling you Mollyvridey?’ says she.
‘They are not,’ says he.
‘I’ll warrant your name is Mollychreest?’ says she.
‘You are wrong, though,’ says he.
‘Are you going by the name of Mollyvoirrey?’ says she.
‘’Deed I am not,’ says he.
‘Maybe your name is Mollyvartin?’ says she.
‘And, maybe, it’s not at all,’ says he.
‘They’re saying,’ says she, ‘that there was only seven families living on the islan’ at one time, and their names all began with “Molly”; and so,’ says she, ‘if you are not a Mollycharaine, you are none of the rael, oul’ Manx ones, at all.’
‘I am not a Mollycharaine,’ says he. ‘Now, be careful, woman; next guess is your last.’
At that she pretended to be frightened, and says she, slowly, pointing her finger at him:
‘S’lesh hene yn ollan, as lesh my hene y snaie,
Son shenn—Moll-YN-DROAT cha vow eh dy braa.’
The wool is Himself’s, and the thread is my own,
For old—Moll-YN-DROAT will never get it.
Well the Giant, he was done, and he was in a red rage, and he cries:
‘Bad luck to you! You never would have found out my name unless you’re a mummig yn aishnee.’
‘Bad luck to yourself, my boy,’ says she, ‘for trying to steal a dacent woman’s wool.’
‘Go to the Devil, yourself and your fortune-telling,’ shouts he, jumping up and flinging the balls at her.
And away home with her, and her balls of thread. And if she didn’t spin her own wool for ever after, that’s nothing to do with you and me.
Story DNA
Moral
Cleverness can sometimes get you out of a bind, but deceit often leads to more trouble.
Plot Summary
A scandalously lazy wife is given wool by her husband to spin, with a threat of eviction if she fails. She pretends to work, then tricks her husband into believing she has spun many balls of yarn. Desperate, she makes a deal with a Giant to spin the wool if she can guess his name in a week. Her husband accidentally overhears the Giant singing his secret name, Mollyndroat, and tells his wife. The wife then cleverly uses this knowledge to outsmart the Giant, securing the spun wool and escaping her predicament.
Themes
Emotional Arc
anxiety to relief and triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story reflects a traditional pre-industrial setting where spinning wool was a common domestic chore and a wife's responsibility. The use of Manx Gaelic phrases grounds the story firmly in its cultural origin, highlighting the language and local customs.
Plot Beats (14)
- A lazy wife, known for her procrastination ('Traa dy liooar'), neglects her husband's clothes.
- Her husband gives her wool to spin, threatening to evict her if it's not done in a month.
- The wife pretends to work, placing the spinning wheel out nightly, but spins only one coarse ball of yarn.
- She tricks her husband into believing she has spun many balls by repeatedly throwing the same ball down from the 'lout' for him to count.
- Realizing her deception will be discovered, she seeks help from a Giant on the mountain.
- The Giant agrees to spin all the wool within a week, on the condition that she must tell him his name when she returns.
- The wife tries unsuccessfully to discover the Giant's name from others.
- On the second-to-last day, her husband passes the Giant's house and overhears him singing a song that reveals his name: Mollyndroat.
- The husband returns home late and recounts his experience to his wife, singing the Giant's song, which includes his name.
- The wife memorizes the song and, the next morning, goes to the Giant's house.
- She feigns ignorance, guessing several 'Molly' names, to make the Giant confident.
- Finally, she recites the Giant's song, revealing she knows his name.
- The Giant, furious at being outsmarted, curses her and throws the spun balls of thread at her.
- The wife takes the thread and returns home, having successfully avoided her punishment and the Giant's trap.
Characters
The Lazy Wife ★ protagonist
A woman of average height and build, likely with a soft, unexercised physique from her sedentary lifestyle. Her movements are probably slow and deliberate, reflecting her general lack of energy and motivation.
Attire: Simple, practical Manx peasant clothing, likely made of coarse wool or linen, but noticeably worn or ill-maintained due to her neglect. Perhaps a plain, long-sleeved dress, an apron that might be stained, and sturdy, low-heeled shoes. The colors would be muted, natural dyes like browns, greys, or undyed cream.
Wants: To avoid work and maintain her comfortable, idle lifestyle, and to escape the consequences of her laziness.
Flaw: Extreme laziness, which leads her to neglect her duties and rely on deceit.
She is forced to confront the consequences of her laziness when her husband threatens to throw her out. She uses her cunning to trick the Giant and avoid work, but her fundamental laziness remains unchanged.
Scandalously lazy, cunning, deceptive, resourceful (when desperate), self-preserving.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged Manx woman, of average height and a slightly soft build, with fair skin and a round face. Her light brown hair is loosely pinned up, with a few strands escaping. Her eyes are a light blue, and she has a cunning, slightly amused expression. She wears a simple, undyed linen dress with a plain, dark wool apron over it, and sturdy brown leather shoes. She is seated on a low wooden stool next to a hearth, holding a single, lumpy ball of coarse, unspun wool in her lap, looking as if she's about to work but clearly not engaged. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Husband ◆ supporting
A working Manx man, likely of sturdy build from physical labor. His clothes are described as ragged, suggesting a practical, hard-working individual who is neglected by his wife.
Attire: Ragged, worn practical clothing suitable for a Manx working man, such as a coarse wool tunic or shirt, trousers, and sturdy boots. The fabric would be durable but clearly neglected, perhaps patched or frayed.
Wants: To have his clothes mended and wool spun so he can be properly dressed, and to ensure his wife fulfills her duties.
Flaw: His initial patience and trust in his wife, and his inability to effectively motivate her.
He starts as a frustrated but patient husband, then becomes more assertive by issuing an ultimatum. He inadvertently provides the solution to his wife's problem by discovering the Giant's name, but his wife's nature remains unchanged.
Patient (initially), frustrated, industrious, observant, somewhat naive (initially), honest.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sturdy Manx man in his late 30s, of medium height and a strong, lean build. He has a weathered face with a short, dark beard and kind, tired brown eyes. His dark hair is practical and short. He wears a patched, dark grey wool tunic over a simple linen shirt, sturdy brown wool trousers, and worn leather boots. He carries a large, unspun bundle of raw sheep's wool under one arm. His expression is one of weary determination. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Mollyndroat (The Giant) ⚔ antagonist
A large, imposing figure, much taller and broader than a human. His movements are powerful and swift, especially when spinning. He is capable of great speed and strength.
Attire: Simple, robust clothing befitting a giant living in a lonesome mountain dwelling. Perhaps a rough, homespun tunic or a large, animal-hide garment, possibly with some rustic adornments. Colors would be earthy and natural.
Wants: To trick the lazy wife into revealing his name so he can claim her wool and thread, and to demonstrate his superior spinning skills.
Flaw: His pride in his name and his inability to keep it secret when singing, and his explosive temper when outsmarted.
He is introduced as a powerful, cunning figure who sets a trap for the lazy wife. He is ultimately outsmarted by her, leading to a furious outburst, but he fulfills his end of the bargain by spinning the wool.
Powerful, industrious (when motivated), cunning, easily angered, proud of his spinning ability, enjoys riddles/bargains.
Image Prompt & Upload
A colossal, muscular male giant with a craggy, weathered face and a wild, dark brown mane of hair. His eyes are a piercing amber, and he has a wide, powerful jaw. He wears a simple, rough-hewn tunic made of dark, undyed wool, belted with a thick leather strap. His bare arms are thick and powerful. He is seated at an enormous, rustic wooden spinning wheel, his hands a blur as he spins a thread as fine as a cobweb. His expression is one of intense concentration and pride. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Lazy Wife's Cottage
A humble Manx cottage interior, likely with a central hearth ('chiollagh') where the wife idles. The 'lout' (loft or upper floor) is accessible via a hole, used for storing goods. The spinning wheel is a prominent, often unused, feature.
Mood: Cozy but neglected, filled with the tension of the husband's frustration and the wife's deceit.
The wife's feigned spinning, the husband's ultimatum, and the 'counting' trick with the single ball of wool.
Image Prompt & Upload
A dimly lit, rustic Manx cottage interior. A large, open stone hearth dominates one wall, with a low fire casting flickering light. A wooden spinning wheel stands idly on a flagstone floor, partially covered in dust. Above, a rough-hewn timber 'lout' (loft) floor has a square opening, with a single ball of coarse wool resting near it. Shadows cling to the corners of the whitewashed walls. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Mountain Road to Giant's House
A lonesome, winding path leading up and down hills ('gills') on a Manx mountain, likely sparsely treed in parts, creating a sense of isolation.
Mood: Lonesome, foreboding, but also a place of discovery and determination.
The wife's journey to the Giant, and the husband's accidental discovery of the Giant's name.
Image Prompt & Upload
A narrow, winding dirt track ascends a rolling, treeless Manx mountain slope under a vast, cloud-streaked sky. Patches of heather and gorse cling to the rocky ground, with distant glimpses of the sea. The air feels crisp and cool, with long shadows stretching across the uneven terrain. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Giant's House
A large, isolated dwelling on the mountain, described as being 'all in a blaze of light' with sounds of whirling, whistling, singing, laughing, and shouting. Inside, the Giant spins at a wheel with incredible speed.
Mood: Magical, energetic, and later, furious. Initially mysterious and powerful, then revealed to be a place of furious, almost supernatural industry.
The Giant's furious spinning, the husband overhearing the Giant's name, and the wife's confrontation with the Giant.
Image Prompt & Upload
A rustic, oversized stone dwelling, possibly a fortified Manx tower house, sits isolated on a windswept mountain plateau under a dark, star-dusted night sky. Warm, bright light streams from a single, small window, illuminating the immediate, sparse ground. Inside, a colossal, rough-hewn wooden spinning wheel dominates the space, its spokes a blur of motion. A massive, shadowy figure of the Giant is hunched over it, hands a whirlwind of activity, surrounded by piles of impossibly fine thread. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.