Rumpelstiltskin

A Silly Boast

Once upon a time, a poor miller wanted to seem important. So he told the king a great big fib.

"My daughter can spin straw into gold!" he said proudly.

The king's eyes grew wide. Gold! He loved gold more than anything. "Bring her to me at once," he ordered.

The miller's daughter was led to a small room in the castle. Inside was a pile of straw, a spinning wheel, and a stool.

"Spin all this straw into gold by morning," said the king, "or you shall be in great trouble." Then he locked the door.

The poor girl did not know how to spin straw into gold. No one does! She sat down and began to cry.

A Strange Little Man

Suddenly the door creaked open. In hopped a funny little man with a long beard.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I must spin this straw into gold, and I cannot," she sobbed.

"I can do it," said the little man. "But what will you give me?"

The girl gave him her necklace. The little man sat down, and the wheel went whirr, whirr, whirr. By morning, the whole room was full of glittering gold.

The king was delighted — but greedy. He moved her to a bigger room with even more straw. Again the little man helped, this time for her ring.

The next night the king led her to the biggest room of all. "Spin this into gold," he said, "and I will make you my queen."

But this time the girl had nothing left to give.

"Then promise me," said the little man, "your first baby when you are queen."

The frightened girl thought she might never even be queen, so she agreed. The wheel whirred, and the gold shone.

A Promise Comes Due

The king kept his word and married the girl. A year later, a lovely baby was born, and the queen was full of joy.

Then pop! — the little man appeared. "I have come for the baby," he said.

"Oh no, please!" begged the queen. "I will give you treasure instead."

The little man shook his head. But he liked a riddle. "I will give you three days," he said. "If you can guess my name, you may keep your child."

The Secret Name

The queen sent her cleverest helper out to listen and search everywhere. On the third night, he came running back, out of breath.

"I saw a strange little man dancing round a fire," he said. "He sang, 'Tonight I bake, tomorrow I take — for nobody knows that Rumpelstiltskin is my name!'"

The next day the little man arrived, rubbing his hands. "Well? What is my name?"

"Is it... John?" teased the queen.

"No!" he laughed.

"Is it... Tom?"

"No, no!"

The queen smiled. "Then is it — Rumpelstiltskin?"

The little man stamped his foot so hard it shook the floor. "Who told you? Who told you?" he squealed. And with that, he hopped away and was never seen again.

The queen hugged her baby close. They lived happily ever after.

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The moral: Boastful words can lead to big trouble, but being brave and clever can help you find the way out.

Want more read-along tales? Try Cinderella or Jack and the Beanstalk next.