Pages of History: Grimm's Fairy Tales

Rumpelstiltskin

Jacob Grimm was born in 1785, his brother Wilhelm a year later. The two brothers were lifelong friends, and shared a passion for the folklore of the German and Danish countryside. Their best-known legacy comes down to us as "Grimm's Fairy Tales", first published in 1812, a collection of the ancient myths they gathered, preserved for us for all time.

It is important to note that the brothers' tales are not recorded in their purest form. Even then, "appropriate content" was a public concern, especially in children's books. Elements of the stories were altered for publication, such as one common edit, found in "Snow White" and "Cinderella", that turned the wicked mothers into step-mothers.

This is one of the brothers' most enduring fables, still known by many today. It is the story of Rumpelstiltskin, appearing here just as it did two hundred years ago.

Once upon a time there was a miller who had a very beautiful daughter. She was not only beautiful but shrewd and clever; and her father was never tired of boasting about the wonderful things she could do.

One day, having to go to the palace on business, he told the King that his daughter could spin gold out of straw.

Now the King was very fond of money; and when he heard the miller's boast, he at once ordered the girl to be brought before him. Then he led her to a room where there was a great quantity of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel, and said, "All this straw must be spun into gold before morning; if it is not you will surely be put to death."

It was in vain that the poor maiden declared that she could do no such thing: the door was locked and she was left alone in the room.

She sat down in one corner and began to weep over her hard fate, when suddenly the door opened, and a funny little man hobbled in, and said, "Good morrow, my lass, what are you crying for?"

"Alas," said she, "I must spin all this straw into gold, and I don't even know how to begin."

"What will you give me," asked the little man, "to spin it for you?"

"My beautiful necklace," replied the maiden.

The dwarf took her at her word, and sat himself down to the wheel; round and round it went merrily, and presently the work was done and all the gold spun.