Tale of Rumpelstiltskin: A Story by the Brothers Grimm

Author:
Tolovaj
Updated:
Mar 18, 2024 1:46 PM EDT

Rumpelstiltskin was never as popular as other fairy tales—until the Shrek franchise. Then, it became obvious we should at least revisit the story from the beginning of the 19th century with roots in the 16th century, and its possible 4,000-year-old origins.

Rumpelstiltskin Summary

The fairy tale starts with a king who stops by the mill. The miller instantly sees an opportunity. The king is unmarried and his daughter is just right for marriage. So he starts bragging about her beauty and intelligence.

To impress the king he even claims she is so skillful she can spin straw into gold. That got him the king's attention.

Illustration by Franz Stassen (1869-1949)

Being a king is not an easy task. You have a lot of expenses, and everybody tries to convince you that his daughter is just right for you. The world is full of beautiful young girls ready for marriage, but one with the ability to spin straw into gold is a completely different story.

The king decides to take miller's daughter into his castle. He locks her into a room full of straw. If she turns it into gold by the next morning, she will become his wife. Otherwise, she will have to die.

Illustration by Richard Flockenhaus (1876-1943)

The poor girl, of course, can't spin straw into gold. That is impossible. She cries. Then a strange, ugly little man appears and asks what is her problem. She explains the "issue" and he offers her his help. He will turn all straw into gold if she gives him her necklace.

She agrees, and the impish man really changes all the straw into gold.

When the king next morning sees a full room of gold, he wants more. He locks her into an even bigger room for the next night and demands the same. Again, she can only cry.

Again, the little man comes to help her. She pays him with her ring.

Things Escalate...

Yet the king still doesn't have enough gold. He locks her for the third night in a row. The strange little man comes one more time. But she is out of jewelry. She can't give her anything.

The little man says he will help her if she gives him her firstborn baby.

What can she do? Refuse him and die in a few hours, or promise the little man something she doesn't even have?

She agrees with the proposition, and the little man spins straw into gold again.

Who Is Rumpelstiltskin?

This strange name gives us a nice opportunity to delve a bit into the history of fairy tales, the mythic powers related to personal names and, of course, to explore some hidden meanings.

There is no unanimous opinion about the word or name Rumpelstiltskin. There are at least two popular explanations:

The name comes from an old German child's play called Rumpele stilt, oder der Poppart (roughly translated: noise, limp, goblin), a game where kids in turns chase each other, making strange sounds. Rumpeln means to make noise in the German language, and it resembles a rattle. There's also a phrase rumpelgeist (rattle ghost), depicting a poltergeist who is able to make noises by moving objects around the house.
The other explanation is a literal translation of the Rumpelstilzchen to little rattle stilt, which is actually a pole used in the construction of houses and a vulgar phrase for a male reproductive organ. Just think a bit - he is small, ugly, and can create something unique and precious out of nothing but he also needs a full night for that. In other words, the little man in the story demands the firstborn for himself because he spends three nights with the girl and believes the child is his!

The Power of One's Name

The most important word in one's life is his or her own name. A person is called by the name which can be unique (like Hey, Rumpelstiltskin!) or very generic (like Hey, You!). Our response would be completely different in such two examples.

Ancient people strongly believed in the magic power of names, so they were often very hesitant before they told one's name to a stranger. They believe somebody who knows your name gets certain power over you.

Even today, while many of us don't know much about our own names, most people still know that calling somebody by his name helps to establish the connection and this simple trick is abundantly used in all kinds of sales businesses.

Using one's name in the conversation is like giving a subtle compliment. This is why it's so important to remember names when you are introduced to somebody. If you manage to do that, you instantly gain a competitive advantage. If you don't, you will very likely get into some trouble. At large gatherings like conferences, people wear tags with reason - to be called by their names. Use this simple fact to your advantage!

Similarities of Rumpelstiltskin With Other Fairy Tales:

We are dealing with an obviously incompetent father who is willing to put his daughter in danger, just like the father in Beauty and the Beast did.

The main theme is a test. Is she capable of doing something or not? If not, she will die. The same pattern can be recognized in Bluebeard. Is she capable of staying out of the forbidden chamber or not?
The central moral dilemma happens when the girl must choose between two bad options: her death the next morning or giving away a child who is not born yet. Great fairy tales are full of such dilemmas: in Frog King, the princess makes a deal with a disgusting frog; in Goose Girl, the princess doesn't want to break her promise to her treacherous servant; the hunter in Snow White has to choose between an innocent girl or put his own family in danger.

Conclusion

While the tale of Rumpelstiltskin seems very simple at first sight, it is surprisingly rich with symbolism and hidden meanings. Only truly great stories offer so many different interpretations. Rumpelstiltskin by the Brothers Grimm is one of them.