What is rumpelstiltskin?

• Origin: Rumpelstiltskin is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Children's and Household Tales (1812).

• Plot Summary: The story centers around a miller who lies to the king, claiming his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king locks the daughter in a room full of straw and orders her to spin it into gold by morning.

• Rumpelstiltskin's Intervention: A strange imp-like creature, Rumpelstiltskin, appears and offers to spin the straw into gold for her in exchange for her necklace. He repeats this on the second night, taking her ring.

• The Bargain: On the third night, with no other possessions, the maiden promises Rumpelstiltskin her firstborn child. He agrees, and transforms the straw into gold.

• Queen and the Promise: The king marries the maiden, and she becomes queen. When she has a child, Rumpelstiltskin returns to claim his payment.

• The Challenge: The queen begs him to reconsider, and he agrees to relinquish his claim if she can guess his name within three days.

• Guessing the Name: The queen sends messengers throughout the land to discover unusual names. She is presented with a long list, but none are correct.

• Discovery of the Name: On the last day, a messenger returns with news of a strange little man dancing around a fire in the woods, singing a rhyme that reveals his name: "Rumpelstiltskin is my name!"

• Rumpelstiltskin's Fate: When the queen reveals his name, Rumpelstiltskin flies into a rage. In some versions, he stamps his foot so hard that he plunges into the earth. In others, he tears himself in two.