Rumpelstiltskin

Once, in a far away land, there lived a poor miller who wanted to be rich. The poor miller lied to the king that his daughter could turn straws into gold.

The king was amazed but he did not believe the words of the poor miller. The king wanted to see for himself so he sent his guards to bring the miller’s daughter to the big castle and lock her up in a room full of straws. They gave her a wheel and spindle and locked her up.

The king promised to release her if she could turn all the straws into gold. The miller’s daughter cried and pleaded. She did not know how to turn straws into gold.

Suddenly, a friendly little man appeared and promised to help her. The little man was an imp. He knew how to spin gold out of the straws but he offered to help her in exchange for golden necklace.

She agreed and gave him her necklace. It was a small price to pay, she thought. The little man set to work and began to spin the straws. To her surprise, they turned into gold and she was very happy.

The next morning, the imp had disappeared. The king was astonished to find that the straws have turned into gold. He was very pleased and happy because the miller’s daughter could make him rich.

Again, he ordered her to be moved into a bigger room with more straws and promised that he would marry her if she could turn the straws to gold one more time.

The miller’s daughter was taken to a bigger room filled with more straws. That night, the imp appeared again and promised to spin the straw into gold in exchange for the ring on her finger.

The miller’s daughter agreed and gave him her ring. I was a small price to pay too.  So the little man took the ring, and began to spin the wheel.

By the next morning, all the straw was spun into glistening gold. The king marveled and amazed beyond measure at the sight of the gold, but he could never have enough of gold.

Again, he ordered his men to lock her up in the biggest room in the castle and fill it with much more straws than before. If she could spin them all in one night, he would marry her immediately.

That night, the imp appeared again and promised to help her but she did not have anything else to give the imp. The imp was angry and she pleaded.

The imp thought for a while and said “You must promise me the first child you have after you are queen”

The miller’s daughter had no choice so she promised the little man what he desired, and he began to spin, until all the straw was gold. He soon disappeared after all the straw had turned to gold.  The next morning, the king was yet again astonished and very happy.

He kept to his promise and married the miller’s daughter. The miller was now a rich man like he desired. Soon after, the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby.

She had forgotten her promise to the imp. When the imp came to take the baby, she refused and begged the imp not to take her baby. The imp was angry but decided to have pity upon her.

“I will give you three days to tell me my name. If not, you must give up the child to me.” the imp said and disappeared.

The queen was very worried. She came up with a list of all the names in the kingdom. When the imp came on the second day, she called out all the names she had ever heard but none of them were correct.

As the imp left, the queen ordered her messenger to follow him. She wanted him to spy on the imp and learn his name.

As the imp left, he sang to himself

“Today do I bake,

tomorrow I brew,

The day after that the queen’s child comes in;

And oh! I am glad that nobody knew

That the name I am called is Rumpelstiltskin!”

The queen was very happy to hear the news. She gave her messenger a pat on the back and rewarded him with gold.

The next day when the imp came, the queen asked “Are you called Peter?”

“No,” answered the imp.

“Then perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?” replied the queen and the imp became very angry because the queen had learned his name.

He stamped his right foot so hard in anger that he fell into a hole and that was the end of the imp.