Wikipedia

Rumpelstiltskin

For other uses, seeRumpelstiltskin (disambiguation).

"Rumpelstiltskin"(/ˌrʌmpəlˈstɪltskɪn/RUMP-əl-STILT-skin;[1]German:Rumpelstilzchen[ˌʁʊmpl̩ˈʃtiːltsçn̩]ⓘ) is a Germanfairy tale[2]collected by theBrothers Grimmin the 1812 edition ofChildren's and Household Tales.[2]The story is about an imp who spinsstrawintogoldin exchange for a woman'sfirstbornchild.[2]

Rumpelstiltskin
Illustration fromAndrew Lang'sThe Blue Fairy Book(1889)
Folk tale
NameRumpelstiltskin
Also known as
  • Tom Tit Tot
  • Päronskaft
  • Repelsteeltje
  • Cvilidreta
  • Rampelník
  • Tűzmanócska
  • Eiman
    • Country
    • Germany
    • United Kingdom
    • Netherlands
    • Czech Republic
    • Hungary
    Published in

    Plot

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    In order to appear superior, amillerbrags to the king and people of his kingdom by claiming his daughter canspinstrawintogold.[note 1]The king calls for the girl, locks her up in a tower room filled with straw and aspinning wheel,and demands she spin the straw into gold by morning or he will have her killed.[note 2]When she has given up all hope, a littleimp-like man appears in the room and spins the straw into gold in return for her necklace ofglassbeads.The next morning the king takes the girl to a larger room filled with straw to repeat the feat, and the imp once again spins, in return for the girl's glass ring. On thethirdday the girl is taken to an even larger room filled with straw, and told by the king that if she can spin all this straw into gold he will marry her, but if she cannot she will be executed. While she is sobbing alone in the room, the little imp appears again and promises that he can spin the straw into gold for her, but the girl tells him she has nothing left with which to pay. The strange creature suggests she pay him with herfirst child.She reluctantly agrees, and he sets about spinning the straw into gold.[note 3]

    Illustration byAnne AndersonfromGrimm's Fairy Tales(London and Glasgow 1922)

    The king keeps his promise to marry the miller's daughter. But when their first child is born, the imp returns to claim his payment. She offers him all the wealth she has to keep the child, but the imp has no interest in her riches. He finally agrees to give up his claim to the child if she can guess his name within three days.[note 4]

    The queen's many guesses fail. But before the final night, she wanders into the woods[note 5]searching for him and comes across his remote mountain cottage and watches, unseen, as he hops about his fire and sings. He reveals his name in his song's lyrics: "tonight tonight, my plans I make, tomorrow tomorrow, the baby I take. The queen will never win the game, for Rumpelstiltskin is my name".

    When the imp comes to the queen on the third day, after first feigning ignorance, she reveals his name, Rumpelstiltskin, and he loses his temper at the loss of their bargain. Versions vary about whether he accuses the devil or witches of having revealed his name to the queen. In the 1812 edition of the Brothers Grimm tales, Rumpelstiltskin then "ran away angrily, and never came back". The ending was revised in an 1857 edition to a more gruesome ending wherein 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.

    History

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    According to researchers atDurham Universityand theNOVA University Lisbon,the origins of the story can be traced back to around 4,000 years ago.[3][4][undue weight?–discuss]A possible early literary reference to the tale appears inDionysius of Halicarnassus'sRoman Antiquities,in the 1st century AD.[5]

    Variants

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    Stamp series onRumpelstilzchenfrom theDeutsche Post of the GDR,1976
    Grimms' fairytale stamp series ofRumpelstilzchenstamp set from theDeutsche Post of the BRDby artist Michael Kunter, 2022
    Grimms' fairytale stamp series ofRumpelstilzchenstamp set front cover from theDeutsche Post of the BRDby artist Michael Kunter, 2022
    Grimms' fairytale stamp series ofRumpelstilzchenstamp set inner cover from theDeutsche Post of the BRDby artist Michael Kunter, 2022, reciting the concise version of the story and the song Rumpelstilzchen sings

    The same story pattern appears in numerous other cultures:Tom Tit Tot[6]in theUnited Kingdom(fromEnglish Fairy Tales,1890, byJoseph Jacobs);Whuppity Stooriein Scotland (fromRobert Chambers'sPopular Rhymes of Scotland,1826);Gilitruttin Iceland;[7][8]andThe Lazy Beauty and her Auntsin Ireland (fromThe Fireside Stories of Ireland,1870 byPatrick Kennedy), though subsequent research[9]has revealed an earlier published version calledThe White Hen[10]by Ellen Fitzsimon.[11]

    The story also appears as جعيدان (Joaidane"He who talks too much" ) in Arabic; Хламушка (Khlamushka"Junker" ) in Russia;Rumplcimprcampr,RampelníkorMartin Zvonekin the Czech Republic;Martinko Klingáčin Slovakia; "Cvilidreta" in Croatia;Ruidoquedito( "Little noise" ) in South America;Pancimanciin Hungary (from 1862 folktale collection by László Arany[12]);Daiku to Oniroku( đại công と quỷ sáu "The carpenter and the ogre" ) in Japan andMyrmidonin France.

    An earlier literary variant inFrenchwas penned byMme. L'Héritier,titledRicdin-Ricdon.[13]A version of it exists in the compilationLe Cabinet des Fées,Vol. XII. pp. 125–131.

    TheCornishtale ofDuffy and the Devilplays out an essentially similar plot featuring a "devil" namedTerry-top.[14]

    All these tales are classified in theAarne–Thompson–Uther Indexas tale type ATU 500, "The Name of the Supernatural Helper".[15][16]According to scholarship, it is popular in "Denmark, Finland, Germany and Ireland".[17]

    Name

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    Illustration by Walter Crane fromHousehold Stories by the Brothers Grimm(1886)

    "Rumpelstiltskin" is usually explained as literally meaning "little rattle stilt". The ending-chenin the German form Rumpelstiltschen is adiminutivecognate to English-kin.

    Rumpelstilzchenis regarded as containingStilzchen,diminutive ofStelze"stilt".[18][20]This etymology seems endorsed byHans-Jörg Uther's handbook on the GrimmsKinder- und Hausmärchen.Uther citesHdA[de]which gives the examples ofBachstelze,Wasserstelze(names of birds;stilt) as paralleling examples.[21][22]However, this was not the etymology hinted at byJacob Grimm.[23]

    Harry Rand's book on this fairy suggests thatRumpelis not just a noise, but originally a crumpling noise, associated with shrunkenness and dwarfness, as apropos for the imp. So the name Rumpel-stilts is an oxymoronic juxtaposition, embodying the dichotomy of "shortness-tallness". Succinctly it may also be rendered as "crumpled stalk". [24]

    Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fablebaldly and succinctly states it meaning as "wrinkledforeskin"or" prepuce ", which correlates with the" crumpled stalk "if stalk is considered as aeuphemism.[25]

    Grimm suggested-stilt,-stiltchenfrom Old Germanstaltwith some uncertainty,[23]and did not much elaborate.Graff's dictionary indicates that Rumpelstilts, or rather the form Rumpelstilz was corrupted phonetically towardsStolz'haughtiness', but the correct etymology points tostaltas Grimm suggested, and this goes to "stal(1) "meaning"locus,location, place "andstellenmeaning to "set, place".[26][note 6]

    The meaning is similar torumpelgeist( "rattle-ghost" ) orpoltergeist( "rumble-ghost" ), a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. The name is believed to be derived fromJohann Fischart'sGeschichtklitterung, or Gargantuaof 1577 (a loose adaptation ofRabelais'sGargantua and Pantagruel), which refers to an "amusement" for children, a children's game named "Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart". Thus arumpelstiltorrumpelstilzwas also known by such names aspophartorpoppart,[22]that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks. (Other related concepts aremummartsorboggartsandhobs,which are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.)

    Translations

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    Illustration for the tale of "Rumpel-stilt-skin" fromThe heart of oak books(Boston 1910).

    Translations of the original Grimm fairy tale (KHM 55) into various languages have generally substituted different names for the dwarf whose name isRumpelstilzchen.For some languages, a name was chosen that comes close in sound to the German name:RumpelstiltskinorRumplestiltskinin English,RepelsteeltjeinDutch,Rumpelstichenin BrazilianPortuguese,Rumpelstinski,Rumpelestíjeles,Trasgolisto,Jasil el Trasgu,Barabay,Rompelimbrá,Barrabás,Ruidoquedito,Rompeltisquillo,Tiribilitín,Tremolín,El enano saltarínyel duende saltaríninSpanish,RumplcimprcamprorRampelníkinCzech.

    InJapanese,it is transcribed asルンペルシュティルツヒェン,Runperushutirutsuhyen.TheRussianname is close to the original German,Румпельштильцхен,Rumpel'shtíl'tskhen.

    In other languages, the name was translated in a poetic and approximate way. ThusRumpelstilzchenis known asPäronskaft(literally "Pear-stalk" ) orBullerskaft(literally "Rumble-stalk" ) inSwedish,[28]where the sense ofstiltorstalkof the second part is retained.

    Slovaktranslations useMartinko Klingáč.Polishtranslations useTitelitury(orRumpelsztyk) andFinnishonesTittelintuure,RompanruojaorHopskukkeli.TheHungarianname is Tűzmanócska and inSerbo-CroatianCvilidreta( "Whine-screamer" ). TheSloveniantranslation usesŠpicparkeljc( "Pointy-Hoof" ).

    InItalian,the creature is usually calledTremotino,which is probably formed from the worldtremoto,which means "earthquake" inTuscan dialect,and the suffix "-ino", which generally indicates a small and/or sly character. The first Italian edition of the fables was published in 1897, and the books in those years were all written in Tuscan Italian.

    ForHebrew,the poetAvraham Shlonskycomposed the nameעוּץ־לִי גּוּץ־לִיUtz-li gutz-li,a compact and rhymy touch to the original sentence and meaning of the story, "My-Adviser My-Midget", fromיוֹעֵץ,yo'etz,"adviser", andגּוּץ,gutz,"squat, dumpy, pudgy (about a person)" ), when using the fairy-tale as the basis of a children'smusical,now a classic among Hebrew children's plays.

    Greektranslations have used Ρουμπελστίλτσκιν (from the English) or Κουτσοκαλιγέρης (Koutsokaliyéris), which could figure as a Greek surname, formed with the particle κούτσο- (koútso-"limping" ), and is perhaps derived from the Hebrew name.

    Urduversions of the tale used the nameTees Mar Khanfor the imp.

    Rumpelstiltskin principle

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    The value and power of using personal names and titles is well established in psychology, management, teaching and trial law. It is often referred to as the "Rumpelstiltskin principle". It derives from a very ancient belief that to give or know thetrue nameof a being is to have power over it. See Adam's naming of the animals inGenesis2:19-20 for an example.

    • Brodsky, Stanley (2013)."The Rumpelstiltskin Principle".APA.org.American Psychological Association.
    • Winston, Patrick (16 August 2009)."The Rumpelstiltskin Principle".MIT.
    • van der Geest, Sjak (2010). "Rumpelstiltskin: The magic of the right word". In Oderwald, Arko; van Tilburg, Willem; Neuvel, Koos (eds.).Unfamiliar knowledge: Psychiatric disorders in literature.Utrecht: De Tijdstroom.
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    Literature adaptations

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    Film

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    Ensemble media

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    • The 1994 direct-to-videoMuppet Classic Theateradapted the story, starringThe Great Gonzoas the title character,Miss Piggyas the miller's daughter, andKermit the Frogas the king. In this version of the story, Rumpelstiltskin reveals that his mother sent him to camp every summer until he was 18. The miller's daughter, who has her father, the king and the king's loyal royal advisor help her guess the name of the "weird, little man", recalls that "a good mother always sews her kid's name inside their clothes before sending them off to camp." Thus, the girl decides to check his clothing, and finds Rumpelstiltskin's name inside.
    • "Rumpelstiltskin", a 1995 episode fromHappily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child.
    • Barney's Once Upon a Timeinvolves the story told by Stella, with Shawn as the title character, Tosha as the miller's daughter, Carlos as the King, and Barney as the messenger.
    • Rumpelstiltskin appears as a figment of Chief O'Brien's imagination in the 15th episode "If Wishes Were Horses"of season 1 in theStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.
    • Rumpelstiltskinappears as a villainous character in theShrekfranchise,first voiced byConrad Vernonin a minor role inShrek the Third.InShrek Forever After,the character's appearance and persona are significantly altered to become the main villain of the film, now voiced byWalt Dohrn.
    • InOnce Upon a Time,Rumplestiltskinis one of the integral characters, portrayed byRobert Carlyle.Within the interconnected fairy tale narrative, he acts as a composite character for the Crocodile fromPeter Pan,the Beast ofBeauty and the BeastandCinderella's fairy godfather.
    • Rumpelstiltskin appears inEver After Highas an infamous professor known for making students spin straw into gold as a form of extra credit and detention. He deliberately gives his students bad grades in such a way they are forced to ask for extra credit.
    • The cast of the children's TV seriesRainbowacted out the story in a 1987 episode. Zippy played the title character,Geoffreyplayed the king,Rodplayed the miller, Bungle played the miller’s daughter, George played the baby,Janeplayed the maid, andFreddyplayed a peasant.
    • The video gamePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorhas a similar format with the character of Doopliss inspired by Rumpelstiltskin, in which the player has to guess his name correctly, but can only do so by finding the "p" in a chest underground. This reference is more direct in the original Japanese version and other translations, in which the character is named "Rumpel".

    Theater

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    Notes

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    1. ^Some versions make the miller's daughterblondeand describe the "straw-into-gold" claim as a careless boast the miller makes about the way his daughter's straw-like blond hair takes on a gold-like lustre when sunshine strikes it.
    2. ^Other versions have the king threatening to lock her up in a dungeon forever, or to punish her father for lying.
    3. ^In some versions, the imp appears and begins to turn the straw into gold, paying no heed to the girl's protests that she has nothing to pay him with; when he finishes the task, he states that the price is her first child, and the horrified girl objects because she never agreed to this arrangement.
    4. ^Some versions have the imp limiting the number of daily guesses to three and hence the total number of guesses allowed to a maximum of nine.
    5. ^In some versions, she sends a servant into the woods instead of going herself, in order to keep the king's suspicions at bay.
    6. ^Graff lists as parallel example the German wordHagestolzmeaning 'confirmed bachelor', which seems also to contain the steimStolz'haughtiness' but is also actually rooted fromstalt.[26]The explanatory on thisHagestolzword byRudolf Steinerand Christopher Bamford is illuminating.[27]

    References

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    1. ^Wells, John(3 April 2008).Longman Pronunciation Dictionary(3 ed.). Harlow: Pearson.ISBN978-1-4058-8118-0.
    2. ^abc"Rumpelstiltskin".Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved12 November2020.
    3. ^BBC (20 January 2016)."Fairy tale origins thousands of years old, researchers say".BBC.Retrieved20 January2016.
    4. ^da Silva, Sara Graça; Tehrani, Jamshid J. (January 2016)."Comparative phylogenetic analyses uncover the ancient roots of Indo-European folktales".Royal Society Open Science.3(1): 150645.Bibcode:2016RSOS....350645D.doi:10.1098/rsos.150645.PMC4736946.PMID26909191.
    5. ^Anderson, Graham (2000).Fairytale in the Ancient World.Routledge.ISBN9780415237031.
    6. ^""The Story of Tom Tit Tot" | Stories from Around the World | Traditional | Lit2Go ETC ".etc.usf.edu.
    7. ^Grímsson, Magnús; Árnason, Jon.Íslensk ævintýri.Reykjavik: 1852. pp. 123-126.[1]
    8. ^Simpson, Jacqueline (2004).Icelandic folktales & legends(2nd ed.). Stroud: Tempus. pp.86–89.ISBN0752430459.
    9. ^"On the Trail of an Irish Rumpelstiltskin".kieranfanning.Retrieved30 October2024.
    10. ^Duffy's Fireside Magazine.J. Duffy. 1852.
    11. ^Ellen Fitzsimon
    12. ^László Arany:Eredeti népmesék(folktale collection, Pest, 1862, in Hungarian)
    13. ^Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier:La Tour ténébreuse et les Jours lumineux: Contes Anglois,1705. In French
    14. ^Hunt, Robert (1871).Popular Romances of the West of England; or, The Drolls, Traditions, and Superstitions of Old Cornwall.London: John Camden Hotten. pp.239–247.
    15. ^Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales: Animal tales, tales of magic, religious tales, and realistic tales, with an introduction. FF Communications. p. 285 - 286.
    16. ^"Name of the Helper".D. L. Ashliman.Retrieved29 November2015.
    17. ^Christiansen, Reidar Thorwalf.Folktales of Norway.Chicago: University of Chicago press by 1994 . pp. 5-6.
    18. ^Bergler, Edmund(1961)."The Clinical Importance of 'Rumpelstiltskin' as Anti-male Manifesto".American Imago.18:66.
    19. ^Rinsley, Donald B. (1983)."The Clinical Importance of 'Rumpelstiltskin' as Anti-male Manifesto".Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic.47:3.
    20. ^Donald B. Rinsley's clinical paper cites Bergler, but states that this association with "stilt" is mistaken.[19]
    21. ^Uther, Hans-Jörg(2021) [2010]."Handbuch zu den" Kinder- und Hausmärchen "der Brüder Grimm: Entstehung – Wirkung – Interpretation".American Imago.18(3 ed.). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG: 132.ISBN9783110747584.
    22. ^abJacoby, Adolf (1927)."Boppelgebet".HdA,1:1479–1480
    23. ^abGrimm (1875)Deutsche Mythologie1:418 n1;Stallybrass tr. (1883)2:505n:Rumpelstilt, "stilt, stilz,the oldstaltin compounds? "
    24. ^Rand (2019),pp. 38–41.
    25. ^Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable.Cassell & Co. 1999. p. 1023.ISBN978-0-304-35096-4.
    26. ^abGraff, Eberhard Gottlieb(1842)Althochdeutscher Sprachschatz6,s.v. "Stolz (2)"cross-referenced to" Stal (1) "
    27. ^Steiner, Rudolf;Bamford, Christopher (1995) [1920].The Genius of Language: Observations for Teachers (CW 299).Translated by Ruth Pusch; Gertrude Teutsch. Dornach, Switzerland: Rudolf Steiner Ver;ag.ISBN978-0-88010-916-1.
    28. ^Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (2008).Bröderna Grimms sagovärld(in Swedish). Bonnier Carlsen. p. 72.ISBN978-91-638-2435-7.
    29. ^Baugher, Lacy (2 November 2021)."Marissa Meyer reimagines Rumpelstiltskin in haunting retelling Gilded".Culturess.Retrieved16 July2023.
    30. ^Schnieders Lefever, Kelsey (20 April 2020)."'Spinning Silver,' a retelling of 'Rumpelstiltskin,' to be featured Big Read book ".purdue.edu.Retrieved16 July2023.

    Sources

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    Further reading

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