Rumpelstiltskin

For other uses, see Rumpelstiltskin (disambiguation).

Rumpelstiltskin
File:RumpelstiltskinDeansFairyTales.jpg Illustration of Rumpelstiltskin from Dean's Gift Book of Fairly Tales, ca. 1967
Folk tale
Name	Rumpelstiltskin
Also known as	Tom Tit Tot Päronskaft Repelsteeltje
Aarne–Thompson grouping	500
Country	Germany England Sweden
Published in	Grimm's Fairy Tales English Fairy Tales

Rumpelstiltskin is the eponymous character and main antagonist of a fairy tale which originated in Germany (where he is known as Rumpelstilzchen). The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. It was subsequently revised in later editions.

Plot

In order to make himself appear more important, a miller lied and said that his daughter could spin straw into gold. The king heard of this and 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 (other versions had the king threatening to lock her up in a dungeon forever). She had given up all hope, when an impish creature appeared in the room and spun straw into gold for her in return for her 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 daughter, but when their first child was born, the imp 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 imp 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 final night, her messenger discovered the imp's remote mountain cottage and, unseen, overheard the imp hopping about his fire and singing. While there are many variations in this song, the 1886 translation by Lucy Crane reads:

Today do I bake, to-morrow 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!"

However, most American children today know it as:

Today I brew, tomorrow I bake;

And then the Prince child I will take;

For no one knows my little game

That Rumplestiltskin is my name!

(German:

Heute back ich, morgen brau ich,

Übermorgen hol ich mir der Königin ihr Kind;

Ach, wie gut, dass niemand weiß,

dass ich Rumpelstilzchen heiß")

When the imp 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 a 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." Other versions have Rumpelstiltskin driving his right foot so far into the ground that he creates a chasm and falls into it, never to be seen again. In the oral version originally collected by the brothers Grimm, Rumpelstiltskin flies out of the window on a cooking ladle (Heidi Anne Heiner).

Variants

The same story pattern appears in numerous other cultures: Tom Tit Tot in England (from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs), Whuppity Stoorie in Scotland (from Robert Chambers's Popular Rhymes of Scotland), Gilitrutt in Iceland, Joaidane جعيدان in Arabic (he who talks too much), Khlamushka Хламушка (junker) in Russia, Martinko Klingáč in Slovakia, Ruidoquedito (meaning "little noise") in South America, Pancimanci in Hungary (from A Csodafurulya by Kolozsvari Grandpierre Emil) and Cvilidreta (whine-screamer) in Croatia, Ootz-li Gootz-li עוּץ-לי גוּץ-לי in Israel (a compact and rhymy touch to the original sentence and meaning of the story, "He advised me and then turned me into a joke"), Daiku to Oniroku (daiku means "a carpenter", to means "and", and Oniroku is an ogre's name.) 大工と鬼六 in Japan.

These tales are Aarne-Thompson type 500, The Name of the Helper.

Another of the Grimm fairy tales 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.

Name origins

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

The earliest known mention of Rumpelstiltskin 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".

Names used in translations

Translations of the original Grimm fairy tale (KHM 55) into various languages have generally substituted different names for the dwarf, whose name is Rumpelstilzchen in the original.

For some languages, a name was chosen that comes close in sound to the German name: Rumpelstiltskin in English, Repelsteeltje in Dutch, and Rumpelstichen in Portuguese. He is known as Päronskaft in Swedish (literally "Pear stalk"); the sense of stilt or stalk of the second part is retained. In Danish, he is known as Rumleskaft (literally "Rumble shank"). In other languages an entirely different and generally meaningless name was selected, such as Barbichu, Broumpristoche, Grigrigredinmenufretin, Outroupistache , Tracassin or Perlimpinpin in various translations to French. Polish translations use Titelitury, Greek translations use Κουτσοκαλιγέρης, Slovak translations use Martinko Klingáč, and Finnish ones Tittelintuure. Italian has Tremotino, Bosnian and Croatian Cvilidreta, and Hebrew עוץ לי גוץ לי (Utzli-Gutzli), a name chosen by the poet Avraham Shlonsky when using the fairy tale as the basis of a children's play, now a classic among Hebrew children's plays. In Spain, the character's name is "El enano saltarín" (something like "the leaping midget".)

Appearance in art and literature

In literature

• In written fiction, Vivian Vande Velde's book The Rumpelstiltskin Problem presents a handful of alternative versions of the tale in a humorous attempt to address perceived plot holes in the story.
• Rumpelstiltskin has also appeared in The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber, wherein the character is an unnaturally ugly baby is raised by a witch, who names him Lump when she finds him abandoned in a tree. As a child, he was isolated by the witch to protect him, but when he goes out into the world he becomes consumed by the desire for money and revenge against those who have hurt him. Through a ritual, the witch helps him find his rname (i.e., the name of his soul), Rumpelstiltskin, which he is not to tell anyone for it will give them power over him. His childhood innocence is trialed through the cruelty of the world, giving a more in-depth look into his character.

In music

• The third movement of Märchenbilder (Schumann) is inspired by the story (source: section of Schumann's journals hard to find and not translated into English - see "Rapunzel in Music" and "Sleeping Beauty in Music" for independent corroboration for the existence and contents of this source)
• Rumpelstiltskin Grinder is a thrash band from Pennsylvania signed to Relapse Records.
• Stiltskin is an English rock band, notable for the fact that one of its band members, Ray Wilson, was a temporarily lead vocalist of world-famous progressive rock band Genesis.
• The band Megaherz released a song named I.M. Rumpelstilzchen on their album Herzwerk II which quotes the original German fairy tale.

On Screen

• In an episode of the TV show Courage the Cowardly Dog, Muriel is forced by a short Scotsman to stay in a tower and knit sheep wool into kilts. Courage tries to learn the man’s name after learning that the man won’t let anyone who knows his name (which turns out to be Rumpoldkiltskin) work for him. Muriel later suggests that he legally change his name, suggesting "Rumpelstiltskin", which he thinks is a good idea.

• In the Shrek films:
  • The character has also appeared as the antagonist and archenemy in the film Shrek Forever After, voiced by Walt Dohrn, manipulating Shrek into making a wish that would erase Shrek from existence after the ogre indirectly thwarted Rumpelstiltskin's chance to become the ruler of The Kingdom Of Far Far Away ("Far, Far Away").
  • Rumpelstiltskin already made an earlier appearance in Shrek the Third as a member of the gang of fairy tale villains Prince Charming rounds up in an attempt to take over Far, Far Away.

• Rumpelstiltskin
  • A 1987 live-action musical film, a fairly direct retelling of the fairy tale, starring Amy Irving as the miller's daughter and Billy Barty as the title character.
  • A 1996 Supernatural B-Horror movie where Rumpelstiltskin is trapped as a rock of Jade for 500 years until a woman is compelled to purchase it from an unusual antique shop. The woman makes a wish that her dead husband could come back to life to see their child. Rumpelstiltskin grants her wish, bringing her husband back for one night. Then tries to steal her baby from her mother with an attempt to eat the baby's soul. This movie stars Max Grodenchik (as Rumpelstiltskin), and Kim Johnston Ulrich (as the mother of the child).

• Rumpelstiltskin is one of the characters in the TV show Once Upon a Time from ABC, where he is the pawn-shop owner in the town of Storybrooke, Maine, where fairy tales are real. He is played by Robert Carlyle.

• During The 10th Kingdom series, protagonists Tony Lewis and Wolf encounter a blind woodsman who will only give them his magic axe, capable of cutting through anything, if they can guess his name, but will cut Wolf's head off if Tony doesn't guess it in time. Although Tony assumes that the man's name is Rumpelstiltskin due to the similarities between the situations, he is eventually revealed to actually be named Juliet.

• In an episode of the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine titled "If Wishes Were Horses". Miles O'Brien reads his child the story of Rumpelstiltskin at bed time and then leaves her room. She comes out shortly later to inform her parent that Rumpelstiltskin is in the room with her. Miles O'Brien assumes that it is just her imagination and goes in to the room with her only to discover that Rumpelstiltskin is in fact in her room. At the end of the episode it is revealed that Rumpelstiltskin (along with various other manifestations) were in fact aliens that were studying imagination.

External links

• Free version of translation of "Household Tales" by Brothers Grimm from Project Gutenberg
• The Brothers Grimm's 'Rumpelstiltzkin'
• 'Tom Tit Tot: an essay on savage philosophy in folk-tale' by Edward Clodd (1898)
• Web Essay on the Origin of Rumpelstiltskin