Rumpelstiltskin – A Classic Fairy Tale
Category: Fairy Tales / Children Stories
Once Upon a Time
There was once upon a time a poor miller who had a very beautiful daughter. One day, he had an audience with the King. To appear important, he told the King that his daughter could spin straw into gold.
The King replied:
"Now that's a talent worth having! If your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her to my palace tomorrow, and I'll put her to the test."
The First Test
The miller's daughter was brought to the palace. The King led her into a room full of straw, gave her a spinning wheel and spindle, and said:
"Spin all this straw into gold by morning, or you shall die."
Alone and desperate, the girl cried, not knowing how to spin straw into gold. Suddenly, a tiny little man appeared and asked:
"Why are you crying so bitterly?"
"I have to spin straw into gold, but I don’t know how," she replied.
"What will you give me if I do it for you?" asked the man. The girl gave him her necklace. The little man worked at the wheel, and by morning all the straw had been spun into gold.
The Second Test
The King, delighted, yet greedy for more gold, placed the girl in an even bigger room full of straw:
"Spin this into gold by morning, or you shall die."
Again, the little man appeared. The girl gave him her ring this time. By morning, all straw was spun into gold.
The Third Test – A Promise
Finally, the King demanded she spin an even larger room of straw, promising her hand in marriage if she succeeded.
The girl had nothing left to give. The little man said:
"Then promise me your first child when you become queen."
Reluctantly, she agreed. Once again, he spun all the straw into gold. The King, true to his word, married her, and the miller's daughter became a queen.
The Little Man Returns
A year later, a beautiful son was born. Suddenly, the little man appeared and demanded:
"Now give me what you promised."
The Queen offered all her riches, but the manikin refused. He gave her three days to guess his name, or he would take the child.
The Queen’s Quest
The Queen pondered all night and sent messengers far and wide to gather unusual names. Every name they tried — Kasper, Melchior, Sheepshanks Cruickshanks, Spindleshanks — was wrong.
On the third day, the messenger reported seeing a strange little man dancing around a fire on a hill in the woods. He cried out:
To-morrow I brew, to-day I bake,
And then the child away I'll take;
For little deems my royal dame
That Rumpelstiltskin is my name!
The Queen Outsmarts Him
The Queen smiled. When the little man came, she asked:
"Is your name Conrad?" "Harry?" "Rumpelstiltskin?"
When she said his true name, the little man screamed in rage:
"Some demon has told you that!"
In a fit of fury, he tore himself in two, and the Queen kept her child safely.
Moral of the Story
- Cleverness and wit can overcome greed and trickery.
- Promises should never be made lightly, but courage and intelligence can turn the situation in your favor.
Reference: Grimm Brothers, Rumpelstiltskin
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