Rumpelstiltskin

                                (word count)




    Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful

daughter. Now it happened that he had to go and speak to the king, and

in order to make himself appear important he said to him, I have a

daughter who can spin straw into gold. The king said to the miller,

that is an art which pleases me well, if your daughter is as clever as

you say, bring her to-morrow to my palace, and I will put her to the

test.

    And when the girl was brought to him he took her into a room which

was quite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and a reel, and

said, now set to work, and if by to-morrow morning early you have not

spun this straw into gold during the night, you must die. Thereupon he

himself locked up the room, and left her in it alone. So there sat the

poor miller's daughter, and for the life of her could not tell what to

do, she had no idea how straw could be spun into gold, and she grew

more and more frightened, until at last she began to weep.


                                    -1-




Grimm Brothers                                         folk tale




     But all at once the door opened, and in came a little man, and

said, good evening, mistress miller, why are you crying so. Alas,

answered the girl, I have to spin straw into gold, and I do not know

how to do it. What will you give me, said the manikin, if I do it for

you. My necklace, said the girl. The little man took the necklace,

seated himself in front of the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr, three

turns, and the reel was full, then he put another on, and whirr, whirr,

whirr, three times round, and the second was full too. And so it went

on until the morning, when all the straw was spun, and all the reels

were full of gold.

     By daybreak the king was already there, and when he saw the gold

he was astonished and delighted, but his heart became only more greedy.

He had the miller's daughter taken into another room full of straw,

which was much larger, and commanded her to spin that also in one night

if she valued her life. The girl knew not how to help herself, and was

crying, when the door opened again, and the little man appeared, and

said, what will you give me if I spin that straw into gold for you. The

ring on my finger, answered the girl. The little man took the ring,

again began to turn the wheel, and by morning had spun all the straw

into glittering gold.


                                       -2-

Grimm Brothers                                                folk tale



     The king rejoiced beyond measure at the sight, but still he had

not gold enough, and he had the miller's daughter taken into a still

larger room full of straw, and said, you must spin this, too, in the

course of this night, but if you succeed, you shall be my wife.

     Even if she be a miller's daughter, thought he, I could not find a richer wife

in the whole world.

     When the girl was alone the manikin came again for the third time,

and said, what will you give me if I spin the straw for you this time

also. I have nothing left that I could give, answered the girl. Then

promise me, if you should become queen, to give me your first child.

Who knows whether that will ever happen, thought the miller's daughter,

and, not knowing how else to help herself in this strait, she promised

the manikin what he wanted, and for that he once more spun the straw

into gold.

     And when the king came in the morning, and found all as he had

wished, he took her in marriage, and the pretty miller's daughter

became a queen.

     A year after, she brought a beautiful child into the world, and

she never gave a thought to the manikin. But suddenly he came into her

room, and said, now give me what you promised.

                                    -3-

Grimm Brothers                                              folk tale


     The queen was horror-struck, and offered the manikin all the

riches of the kingdom if he would leave her the child. But the manikin

said, no, something alive is dearer to me than all the treasures in the

world. Then the queen began to lament and cry, so that the manikin

pitied her. I will give you three days, time, said he, if by that time

you find out my name, then shall you keep your child.

     So the queen thought the whole night of all the names that she had

ever heard, and she sent a messenger over the country to inquire, far

and wide, for any other names that there might be. When the manikin

came the next day, she began with caspar, melchior, balthazar, and said

all the names she knew, one after another, but to every one the little

man said, that is not my name. On the second day she had inquiries made

in the neighborhood as to the names of the people there, and she

repeated to the manikin the most uncommon and curious. Perhaps your

name is shortribs, or sheepshanks, or laceleg, but he always answered,

that is not my name.


                                          -4-

Grimm Brothers                                                 Folk Tale


     On the third day the messenger came back again, and said, I have

not been able to find a single new name, but as I came to a high

mountain at the end of the forest, where the fox and the hare bid each

other good night, there I saw a little house, and before the house a

fire was burning, and round about the fire quite a ridiculous little

man was jumping, he hopped upon one leg, and shouted - to-day I bake,

to-morrow brew, the next I'll have the young queen's child. Ha, glad am

I that no one knew that Rumpelstiltskin I am styled.

     You may imagine how glad the queen was when she heard the name.

And when soon afterwards the little man came in, and asked, now,

mistress queen, what is my name, at first she said, is your name

Conrad? No. Is your name Harry? No. Perhaps your name is

Rumpelstiltskin?

     The devil has told you that! The devil has told you that, cried

the little man, and in his anger he plunged his right foot so deep into

the earth that his whole leg went in, and then in rage he pulled at his

left leg so hard with both hands that he tore himself in two.


                                  --The End--