Rumpelstiltzkin

: The Blue Fairy Book

There was once upon a time a poor miller who had a

very beautiful daughter. Now it happened one day that

he had an audience with the King, and in order to appear

a person of some importance he told him that he had a

daughter who could spin straw into gold. "Now that's

a talent worth having," said the King to the miller; "if

your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her to my

palace to-morrow, and I'll p t her to the test." When the

girl was brought to him he led her into a room full of

straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and spindle, and said:

"Now set to work and spin all night till early dawn, and

if by that time you haven't spun the straw into gold you

shall die." Then he closed the door behind him and left

her alone inside.



So the poor miller's daughter sat down, and didn't

know what in the world she was to do. She hadn't the

least idea of how to spin straw into gold, and became at

last so miserable that she began to cry. Suddenly the

door opened, and in stepped a tiny little man and said:

"Good-evening, Miss Miller-maid; why are you crying so

bitterly?" "Oh!" answered the girl, "I have to spin straw

into gold, and haven't a notion how it's done." "What

will you give me if I spin it for you?" asked the manikin.

"My necklace," replied the girl. The little man took the

necklace, sat himself down at the wheel, and whir, whir,

whir, the wheel went round three times, and the bobbin

was full. Then he put on another, and whir, whir, whir,

the wheel went round three times, and the second too

was full; and so it went on till the morning, when all the

straw was spun away, and all the bobbins were full of

gold. As soon as the sun rose the King came, and when

he perceived the gold he was astonished and delighted,

but his heart only lusted more than ever after the precious

metal. He had the miller's daughter put into another

room full of straw, much bigger than the first, and bade

her, if she valued her life, spin it all into gold before the

following morning. The girl didn't know what to do, and

began to cry; then the door opened as before, and the tiny

little man appeared and said: "What'll you give me if I

spin the straw into gold for you?" "The ring from my

finger," answered the girl. The manikin took the ring,

and whir! round went the spinning-wheel again, and when

morning broke he had spun all the straw into glittering

gold. The King was pleased beyond measure at the sights

but his greed for gold was still not satisfied, and he had

the miller's daughter brought into a yet bigger room full

of straw, and said: "You must spin all this away in the

night; but if you succeed this time you shall become my

wife." "She's only a miller's daughter, it's true," he

thought; "but I couldn't find a richer wife if I were to

search the whole world over." When the girl was alone

the little man appeared for the third time, and said:

"What'll you give me if I spin the straw for you once

again?" "I've nothing more to give," answered the girl.

"Then promise me when you are Queen to give me your

first child." "Who knows what may not happen before

that?" thought the miller's daughter; and besides, she

saw no other way out of it, so she promised the manikin

what he demanded, and he set to work once more and

spun the straw into gold. When the King came in the

morning, and found everything as he had desired, he

straightway made her his wife, and the miller's daughter

became a queen.



When a year had passed a beautiful son was born to her,

and she thought no more of the little man, till all of a

sudden one day he stepped into her room and said: "Now

give me what you promised." The Queen was in a great

state, and offered the little man all the riches in her kingdom

if he would only leave her the child. But the manikin

said: "No, a living creature is dearer to me than all

the treasures in the world." Then the Queen began to cry

and sob so bitterly that the little man was sorry for her,

and said: "I'll give you three days to guess my name, and

if you find it out in that time you may keep your child."



Then the Queen pondered the whole night over all the

names she had ever heard, and sent a messenger to scour

the land, and to pick up far and near any names he could

come across. When the little man arrived on the following

day she began with Kasper, Melchior, Belshazzar, and all

the other names she knew, in a string, but at each one the

manikin called out: "That's not my name." The next day

she sent to inquire the names of all the people in the

neighborhood, and had a long list of the most uncommon

and extraordinary for the little man when he made his

appearance. "Is your name, perhaps, Sheepshanks

Cruickshanks, Spindleshanks?" but he always replied:

"That's not my name." On the third day the messenger

returned and announced: "I have not been able to find

any new names, but as I came upon a high hill round the

corner of the wood, where the foxes and hares bid each

other good-night, I saw a little house, and in front of the

house burned a fire, and round the fire sprang the most

grotesque little man, hopping on one leg and crying:



"To-morrow I brew, to-day I bake,

And then the child away I'll take;

For little deems my royal dame

That Rumpelstiltzkin is my name!"





You can imagine the Queen's delight at hearing the

name, and when the little man stepped in shortly afterward

and asked: "Now, my lady Queen, what's my name?"

she asked first: "Is your name Conrad?" "No." "Is your

name Harry?" "No." "Is your name perhaps,

Rumpelstiltzkin?" "Some demon has told you that! some demon

has told you that!" screamed the little man, and in his

rage drove his right foot so far into the ground that it

sank in up to his waist; then in a passion he seized the

left foot with both hands and tore himself in two.[1]