Rumpelstiltskin

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Illustration of Rumpelstiltskin from Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book, ca. 1889

Rumpelstiltskin is a dwarf character in a fairy tale of the same name that originated in Germany (where he is known as Rumpelstilzchen). The tale was collected by the Grimm Brothers who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. It was subsequently revised in later editions until the final version was published in 1857.

1 Plot synopsis
2 Name Origins
3 In other languages
4 Analysis
5 Influence
6 Books
7 Trivia
8 See also
9 References
10 External links

[edit] Plot synopsis

In order to make himself appear more important, a miller lied to the king that his daughter could spin straw into gold. The king called for the girl, shut her in a tower room with straw and a spinning wheel, and demanded that she spin the straw into gold by morning, for three nights, or be executed (some versions say she would be locked up in the dungeon to die). She had given up all hope, when a dwarf (or mannikin) appeared in the room and spun straw into gold for her in return for her lamb necklace; then again the following night for her ring. On the third night, when she had nothing with which to reward him, the strange creature spun straw into gold for a promise that the girl's first-born child would become his.

The king was so impressed that he married the miller's beautiful daughter, but when their first child was born, the dwarf returned to claim his payment: "Now give me what you promised". The queen was frightened and offered him all the wealth she had if she could keep the child. The dwarf refused but finally agreed to give up his claim to the child if the queen could guess his name in three days. At first she failed, but before the second night, her messenger overheard the dwarf hopping about his fire and singing:

"Today I bake, tomorrow brew,

The next I'll have the young Queen's child.

Ha! glad am I that no one knew

That Rumpelstiltskin I am styled."

Other versions of the song go:

"Tomorrow I brew, today I bake,

And then the child away I'll take;

For little deems my royal dame

That Rumpelstiltskin is my name!"

and:

"Today I brew, today I bake,

Tomorrow the Queen's own child I take;

This guessing-game she'll never win,

For my name is Rumpelstiltskin!"

and:

"Merrily I prance and sing,

Tomorrow will, a baby bring.

Merrily I dance and shout,

The name the queen cannot find out; Rumpelstiltskin!"

and:

Today I'll brew, tomorrow bake;

Merrily I'll dance and sing,

For next day will a stranger bring.

Little does my lady dream

Rumpelstiltskin is my name!"

and:

"Today I brew, today I bake,

Tomorrow I will the baby take.

For the Queen will lose the game,

RUMPELSTILSKIN is my name!"

When the dwarf came to the queen on the third day and she revealed his name, Rumpelstiltskin lost his bargain. In the 1812 edition of the Brothers Grimm tales, Rumpelstiltskin then "ran away angrily, and never came back". The ending was revised in final 1857 edition to a more gruesome version where Rumpelstiltskin "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." In the oral version originally collected by the brothers Grimm, Rumpelstiltskin flies out of the window on a cooking ladle (Heidi Anne Heiner).

[edit] Name Origins

The name Rumpelstilzchen in German means literally "little rattle stilt". (A stilt is a post or pole providing support for a structure.) A rumpelstilt or rumpelstilz ("rattle stilt") was the name of a type of goblin, also called a pophart or poppart ("rapper" or "thumper") that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks, similar to a rumpelgeist ("rattle ghost") or poltergeist ("noisy ghost"), a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. (Other related concepts are mummarts or boggarts that are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.)

The earliest known mention of Rumplestiltskin occurs in Johann Fischart's Geschichtklitterung, or Gargantua of 1577 (a loose adaptation of Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel) which refers to an "amusement" for children named "Rumpele stilt or the Poppart".

[edit] In other languages

Rumpelstiltskin is a widely spread tale, being known almost universally in cultures that depend on spinning for clothing. ^[1]

The being is known by a variety of names in a number of other languages:

Dutch: Repelsteeltje
French: Grigrigredinmenufretin
German: Rumpelstilzchen
English: Rumpelstiltskin and Tom Tit Tot (from English Fairy Tales, collected & edited by Joseph Jacobs, 1884)
Spanish: Rumpelstiltskin and El enano saltarín (the jumping dwarf).
Danish: Rumleskaft
Swedish: Bulleribasius
Finnish: Tittelintuure
Italian: Praseidimio
Japanese: ルンペルシュティルツヒェン(Runperushuterutsuhyun), がたがたの竹馬こぞう(Gatagata-no-takeuma-kozo)
Hebrew: עוץ לי גוץ לי (ootz li gootz li)
Slovak: Martin Klingáčik

Other elements may also vary: in Tom Tit Tot, the girl ate five pies, and her mother scolded her. When the king heard it and asked what had happened, the woman lied and said she had been talking of the five skeins her daughter had spun, and that speed of spinning was what interested him.

The Scottish fairy tale Whuppity Stoorie, though differing from Rumpelstiltskin in every other respect, has the heroine guessing the name of a helper to save her baby, and is therefore classified with it.

[edit] Analysis

The story of Rumpelstiltskin is an example of Aarne and Thompson's folklore type 500 (The Name of the Helper; see links below). Other fairy tale themes in the story include the Impossible Task, the Hard Bargain, the Changeling Child, and, above all, the Secret Name.

Rumpelstiltskin is most commonly interpreted as a cautionary tale against bragging (compare with the concept of hubris in Greek mythology), but in this case not the miller himself but rather his daughter is punished for his lies. An alternative explanation is that the tale could have been meant to teach women the importance of performing a supporting role in their later marriage. The gift of spinning straw into gold is seen here as a metaphor for the value of household skills. Indeed, the king in this tale does not seem to be interested in the girl besides her alleged magical capabilities — even though her beauty is mentioned in passing — and she exists only to bring him riches and bear his children.

The dwarf's demand for the girl's first-born child probably has remnants of older legends which held that malignant sprites and goblins would steal unattended babies and replace them with a child (or "changeling") of their own.^[2] (Similar tales exist about trolls as well, though their motives were generally seen as selfish rather than unpleasant, in that they supposedly found some of their own children too humanoid to exist among them.) However, tales like these in themselves were intended to stop children from playing outside without care, or mothers from leaving their children in danger, and the miller, famously, puts his own child in the power of a greedy king, while she in turn agrees to hand over her child to a virtual stranger.

Another tale revolves about a girl trapped by false claims about her spinning abilities: The Three Spinners. However, the three women who assist that girl do not demand her first born, but that she invite them to her wedding and say that they are relatives of hers. With this more reasonable request, she complies, and is freed from her hated spinning when they tell the king that their hideous looks spring from their endless spinning. In one Italian variant, she must discover their names, as with Rumpelstiltskin, but not for the same reason: she must use their names to invite them, and she has forgotten them.

In The Science of Discworld II, the authors' analysis of the story is that it is a cautionary tale against female masturbation. The little man appears to help the daughter, but when she tries to get rid of him, he steals her child and then jams his foot into a crack, and refuses to come out. The authors back this claim up with the sentence, 'What else would you call a stilt with a rumpled skin?' This argument is apparently based on a presumption that the name is of English origin.

[edit] Influence

Rumpelstiltskin Syndrome is an analogical reference to the role of the king in the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Common practice in middle-management is to impose unreasonable work demands on subordinates. Upon completion of the task or tasks in question, equal or higher work demands are then imposed; moreover, no credit, acknowledgement, or overt appreciation is demonstrated by way of recognition.

[edit] Books

Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli and Richard Tchen

[edit] Trivia

In the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episode "Wheel of Misfortune", Kimberly Hart plays the miller's daughter, Bulk plays Rumpelstiltskin, Skull plays a jester, and Jason plays the evil king. The plot of the story and the punishment for the girl is changed, as is also the reward for spinning the straw into gold on the third night (a kiss rather than her first-born child).
Rumpelstiltskin appears (played by Michael J. Anderson) in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine season one episode, "If Wishes Were Horses".
In an episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog, Muriel is lured to Scotland and forced to make a couple of thousand kilts for a person she believes to be her uncle. Once it's revealed he is not her uncle, Courage learns the man hates his real name, and, after discovering it, plays a game of charades in front of Muriel to help her figure it out. After his name is revealed to be "Rumpledkiltskin", Muriel suggests he should change his name to "Rumpelstiltskin." He is overjoyed to have a new name and decides to let Muriel go.
The song "Baby Got Back" references Rumpelstiltskin in the lyric "Ooh rumpelsmoothskin you say you wanna get in my benz?"
Rumpelstiltskin is also mentioned in the poem "The Abortion" by Anne Sexton.
It is assumed that the Nameless Priest in The Goon comic series is Rumplestiltskin. In a portion of backstory explaining one of his trips to our world, he spins straw to gold, and attempts to take a queen's firstborn child. Eventually, he is tracked, and his name is discovered while he dances around a fire. However, in The Goon, the Nameless Priest is smote with silver needles in his eyes, and is sent to the depths from whence he came.
The comic series Grimm Fairy Tales did an adaption of the story. It extended it and explained the origins of Rumpelstiltskin. He was once a prince who was turned into a troll by an evil witch and could only revert to normal if the spell was placed on another prince. This prince must be given up by his mother willingly and the deal would be set if the mother said his name. At the end of the tale, on the prince's thirteenth birthday, Rumpelstiltskin turns him into a troll and he reverts back to human.
Rumpelstiltskin makes an appearance in the classic videogame King's Quest 1, Quest for the Crown, where he is a wizened old gnome who provides magic beans when you (spoiler alert!) type his name in backwards.