Rumpelstiltskin by Brothers Grimm [PDF]

Information: Rumpelstiltskin

• Author: Brothers Grimm
• Publication Date: 1812
• Main Characters:
  • The Miller's Daughter: A young woman trapped by her father's lie, who must bargain with a supernatural stranger to survive and eventually becomes queen
  • Rumpelstiltskin: A mysterious little man with the power to spin straw into gold, who demands increasingly steep prices for his help
  • The King: A greedy ruler who locks the miller's daughter away and threatens her with death unless she produces gold
  • The Miller: The daughter's father, whose boastful lie sets the entire story in motion
• Brief Summary: A miller tells the king his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king locks her in a room and threatens her life if she fails. A small, strange man appears and offers to spin the gold for her, first in exchange for her necklace, then her ring, and finally her firstborn child. She agrees out of desperation, eventually becomes queen, and the little man returns to claim the baby. Her only way out is to discover his name within three days, a task that seems impossible until a messenger stumbles upon the answer.
• Thematic Analysis: The tale explores the dangers of greed and the consequences of reckless promises. It touches on themes of identity and power, since knowing Rumpelstiltskin's name is the key to breaking his hold. There is also a quiet critique of how those in authority, like the king and the miller, put others in impossible positions for their own benefit.
• Historical Context: The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, first published "Rumpelstiltskin" in their 1812 collection "Kinder- und Hausmarchen" (Children's and Household Tales). The story draws from older European folk traditions, and the Grimms revised it across several editions, sharpening the narrative each time. Their work was part of a broader effort to preserve German oral traditions during the Napoleonic era.