When the time came that another child was to be born, they said to their mother:
“If the baby is a boy we are going away and you will never see us again, but if it is a little girl then we shall stay home and take care of it.”
The mother agreed that if the child were a girl she would have her husband put a spindle outside on the gatepost and, if it were a boy, an ax.
“Just wait,” she said, “and see what your father puts on the gatepost and then you will know whether it is another brother God has sent you or a little sister.”
The baby turned out to be a girl and the mother was overjoyed.
“Hurry, husband!” she cried, “and put a spindle on the gatepost so that our nine sons may know the good news!”
The man did so and then quickly returned to the mother and baby. The moment he was gone Suyettar slipped up and changed the tokens. She took away the spindle and put in its place an ax. Then with an evil grin she hurried off mumbling to herself:
“Now we’ll see what we’ll see!”
She hoped to bring trouble and grief and she succeeded. As soon as the nine sons saw the ax on the gatepost they thought their mother had given birth to another son and at once they left home vowing never to return.
The poor mother waited for them and waited.