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{{short description|German fairy tale}}
{{Redirect|Rumpel|the municipality in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany|Rümpel}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Refimprove|date=June 2014}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox Folk tale
{{Expand German|date=September 2020}}{{Infobox Folk tale
|Folk_Tale_Name = Shrek 4
|Folk_Tale_Name = Rumpelstiltskin
|Image_Name = Rumpelstiltskin.jpg
|Image_Name = Rumpelstiltskin.jpg
|Image_Caption = Illustration from [[Andrew Lang]]'s ''The Blue Fairy Book'' (1889)
|Image_Caption = Illustration from [[Andrew Lang]]'s ''The Blue Fairy Book'' (1889)
|AKA = Tom Tit Tot <br/> Päronskaft <br/> Repelsteeltje <br/> Cvilidreta
|AKA = {{plainlist|
*Tom Tit Tot
*Päronskaft
*Repelsteeltje
*Cvilidreta
*Rampelník
|Aarne–Thompson Grouping = 500
*Tűzmanócska
*Eiman}}
|Aarne–Thompson Grouping = {{plainlist|ATU 500 (The Name of the Helper; The Name of the Supernatural Helper)}}
|Mythology =
|Mythology =
|Country = Germany <br/> England <br/> Netherlands
|Country = {{plainlist|
*Germany
*United Kingdom
*Netherlands
*Czech Republic
*Hungary}}
|Region =
|Region =
|Portrayer = [[Robert Carlyle]] (''[[Once Upon a Time (TV Series)|Once Upon a Time]]'')
|Origin_Date =
|Origin_Date =
|Published_In = ''[[Grimm's Fairy Tales]]''<br />''[[Joseph Jacobs|English Fairy Tales]]''
|Published_In = {{plainlist|
*''[[Grimm's Fairy Tales]]''
*''[[Joseph Jacobs|English Fairy Tales]]''}}
}}
}}
"'''Rumpelstiltskin'''" ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|r|ʌ|m|p|ə|l|'|s|t|ɪ|l|t|s|k|ɪ|n}} {{Respell|RUMP|əl|STILT|skin}};<ref>{{cite book|last=Wells|first=John|author-link=John C. Wells|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary|location=Harlow|publisher=Pearson|edition=3|date=3 April 2008|isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0}}</ref> {{langx|de|Rumpelstilzchen}} {{IPA|de|ʁʊmpl̩ʃtiːltsçn̩|pron}}) is a German [[fairy tale]]<ref name="Britannica">{{Cite web|title=Rumpelstiltskin|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rumpelstiltskin|access-date=2020-11-12|website=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]]|language=en}}</ref> collected by the [[Brothers Grimm]] in the 1812 edition of ''[[Children's and Household Tales]]''.<ref name="Britannica" /> The story is about an imp who spins [[straw]] into [[gold]] in exchange for a woman's [[firstborn]] child.<ref name="Britannica" />


== Plot ==
'''''Shrek 4''''' is a fairytale popularly associated with Germany (where he is known as '''''dank'''''). The tale was one collected by the [[Brothers Grimm]] in the 1812 edition of ''[[Children's and Household Tales]]''. According to researchers at [[Durham University]] and the [[Universidade Nova de Lisboa]], the story originated around 4,000 years ago.<ref>{{cite web|last1=BBC|title=Fairy tale origins thousands of years old, researchers say|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35358487|website=BBC News|publisher=BBC|accessdate=20 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite article|author=Sara Graça da Silva, Jamshid J. Tehrani|title=Comparative phylogenetic analyses uncover the ancient roots of Indo-European folktales|date=January 2016|journal=Royal Society Open Science|doi=10.1098/rsos.150645|url=http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/3/1/150645}}</ref>
In order to appear superior, a [[miller]] brags to the king and people of his kingdom by claiming his daughter can [[Spinning (textiles)|spin]] [[straw]] into [[gold]].<ref group="note">Some versions make the miller's daughter [[blond]]e and 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.</ref> The king calls for the girl, locks her up in a tower room filled with straw and a [[spinning wheel]], and demands she spin the straw into gold by morning or he will have her killed.<ref group="note">Other versions have the king threatening to lock her up in a dungeon forever, or to punish her father for lying.</ref> When she has given up all hope, a little [[imp]]-like man appears in the room and spins the straw into gold in return for her necklace of [[glass]] [[beads]]. 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 the [[Rule of three (writing)|third]] day 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 her [[firstborn|first child]]. She reluctantly agrees, and he sets about spinning the straw into gold.<ref group="note">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.</ref>


[[File:Rumplestiltskin - Anne Anderson.jpg|thumb|Illustration by [[Anne Anderson (illustrator)|Anne Anderson]] from ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (London and Glasgow 1922)]]
==Plot==
In order to appear superior, a [[miller|Ogre]] lies to the king, telling him that his daughter can [[Spinning (textiles)|spin]] straw into [[gold]]. (Some versions make the miller's daughter [[blond]]e and 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.) The king calls for the girl, shuts her in a tower room filled with straw and a [[spinning wheel]], and demands she spin the straw into gold by morning or he will [[Decapitation|cut off her head]] (other versions have the king threatening to lock her up in a dungeon forever). When she has given up all hope, an [[imp]]-like creature appears in the room and spins the straw into gold in return for her necklace (since he only comes to people seeking a deal/trade). When next morning the king takes the girl to a larger room filled with straw to repeat the feat, the imp once again spins, in return for the girl's ring. On the [[Rule of three (writing)|third]] day, when the girl has been taken to an even larger room filled with straw and told by the king that he will marry her if she can fill this room with gold or execute her if she cannot, the girl has nothing left with which to pay the strange creature. He extracts from her a promise that she will give him her firstborn child and so he spins the straw into gold a final time. (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.)


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.<ref group="note">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.</ref>
{{multiple image
| total_width = 380
| footer = Two illustrations by [[Anne Anderson (illustrator)|Anne Anderson]] from ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (London and Glasgow 1922)
| image2 = The Miller's Daughter by Anne Anderson.jpg
| width2 = 600 | height2 = 827
| alt1 =
| image1 = Rumplestiltskin - Anne Anderson.jpg
| width1 = 600 | height1 = 713
| alt2 =
}}


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: "Now give me what you promised." She offers him all the wealth she has to keep the child but the imp has no interest in her riches. He finally consents to give up his claim to the child if she can guess his name within three days.(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.) Her many guesses fail, but before the final night, she wanders into the woods (in some versions, she sends a servant into the woods instead of going herself in order to keep the king's suspicions at bay) searching for him and comes across his remote mountain cottage and watches, unseen, as he hops about his fire and sings. 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 Shrek is my name'", he reveals his name.
The queen's many guesses fail. But before the final night, she wanders into the woods<ref group="note">In some versions, she sends a servant into the woods instead of going herself, in order to keep the king's suspicions at bay.</ref> 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, Shrek, and he loses his temper and 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, Shrek then "ran away angrily, and never came back". The ending was revised in an 1857 edition to a more gruesome ending wherein Shrek"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 Shrek 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, Shrek flies out of the window on a cooking ladle.
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.


==Variants==
== History ==
According to researchers at [[Durham University]] and the [[NOVA University Lisbon]], the origins of the story can be traced back to around 4,000 years ago.{{Undue weight inline|date=November 2020|reason=No indication this view is supported by others}}<ref>{{cite news|last1=BBC|date=2016-01-20|title=Fairy tale origins thousands of years old, researchers say|publisher=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35358487|access-date=20 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=da Silva |first1=Sara Graça |last2=Tehrani |first2=Jamshid J. |title=Comparative phylogenetic analyses uncover the ancient roots of Indo-European folktales |journal=Royal Society Open Science |date=January 2016 |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=150645 |doi=10.1098/rsos.150645 |pmid=26909191 |pmc=4736946 |bibcode=2016RSOS....350645D }}</ref> A possible early literary reference to the tale appears in [[Dionysius of Halicarnassus]]'s ''Roman Antiquities'', in the 1st century AD.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Graham |title=Fairytale in the Ancient World |date=2000 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9780415237031 |url=https://www.routledge.com/Fairytale-in-the-Ancient-World/Anderson/p/book/9780415237031}}</ref>

== Variants ==
<!-- Please make sure that '''''names listed here or there''''' are not simply those used in translations of the Grimm fairy tale KHM 55 into other languages-->
<!-- Please make sure that '''''names listed here or there''''' are not simply those used in translations of the Grimm fairy tale KHM 55 into other languages-->
[[File:Stamps of Germany (DDR) 1976, MiNr Kleinbogen 2187-2192.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Stamp series on ''Rumpelstilzchen'' from the [[Deutsche Post of the GDR]], 1976]]
[[File:Stamps of Germany (DDR) 1976, MiNr Kleinbogen 2187-2192.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Stamp series on ''Rumpelstilzchen'' from the [[Deutsche Post of the GDR]], 1976]]


[[File:Rumpelstilzchen_DP_GrimmsSerie2022_1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Grimms' fairytale stamp series of ''Rumpelstilzchen'' stamp set from the [[Deutsche Post|Deutsche Post of the BRD]] by artist Michael Kunter, 2022]]
The same story pattern appears in numerous other cultures: ''Tom Tit Tot'' in England (from ''English Fairy Tales'', 1890, by [[Joseph Jacobs]]); ''[[Whuppity Stoorie]]'' in Scotland (from [[Robert Chambers (journalist)|Robert Chambers]]'s ''Popular Rhymes of Scotland'', 1826); ''Gilitrutt'' in Iceland; جعيدان (''Joaidane'' "He who talks too much") in Arabic; Хламушка (''Khlamushka'' "Junker") in Russia; ''Rumplcimprcampr'', ''Rampelník'' or ''Martin Zvonek'' in the Czech Republic; ''Martinko Klingáč'' in Slovakia; ''Ruidoquedito'' ("Little noise") in South America; ''Pancimanci'' in Hungary (from ''A Csodafurulya'' by Kolozsvari Grandpierre Emil); ''Daiku to Oniroku'' (大工と鬼六 "A carpenter and the ogre") in Japan and ''Myrmidon'' in France. All these tales are [[Aarne–Thompson]] type 500, "The Name of the Helper".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0500.html |title=Name of the Helper |publisher=D. L. Ashliman |date= |accessdate=2015-11-29}}</ref>
[[File:Rumpelstilzchen_DP_GrimmsSerie2022_2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Grimms' fairytale stamp series of ''Rumpelstilzchen'' stamp set front cover from the [[Deutsche Post|Deutsche Post of the BRD]] by artist Michael Kunter, 2022]]
[[File:Rumpelstilzchen_DP_GrimmsSerie2022_3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Grimms' fairytale stamp series of ''Rumpelstilzchen'' stamp set inner cover from the [[Deutsche Post|Deutsche Post of the BRD]] by 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''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/134/stories-from-around-the-world/5297/the-story-of-tom-tit-tot/|title="The Story of Tom Tit Tot" &#124; Stories from Around the World &#124; Traditional &#124; Lit2Go ETC|website=etc.usf.edu}}</ref> in the [[United Kingdom]] (from ''English Fairy Tales'', 1890, by [[Joseph Jacobs]]); ''The Lazy Beauty and her Aunts'' in Ireland (from ''[[iarchive:firesidestories00kenngoog/page/n2|The Fireside Stories of Ireland]]'', 1870 by [[Patrick Kennedy (folklorist)|Patrick Kennedy]]); ''[[Whuppity Stoorie]]'' in Scotland (from [[Robert Chambers (journalist)|Robert Chambers]]'s ''Popular Rhymes of Scotland'', 1826); ''Gilitrutt'' in Iceland;<ref>Grímsson, Magnús; Árnason, Jon. ''Íslensk ævintýri''. Reykjavik: 1852. pp. 123-126. [https://archive.org/details/lenzkaefinti00grss/page/n5/mode/2up]</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Simpson |first1=Jacqueline |title=Icelandic folktales & legends |date=2004 |publisher=Tempus |location=Stroud |isbn=0752430459 |pages=86–89 |edition=2nd}}</ref> جعيدان (''Joaidane'' "He who talks too much") in Arabic; Хламушка (''Khlamushka'' "Junker") in Russia; ''Rumplcimprcampr'', ''Rampelník'' or ''Martin Zvonek'' in the Czech Republic; ''Martinko Klingáč'' in Slovakia; "Cvilidreta" in Croatia; ''Ruidoquedito'' ("Little noise") in South America; ''Pancimanci'' in Hungary (from 1862 folktale collection by László Arany<ref>László Arany: ''[https://archive.org/stream/eredetinpmesk00arangoog#page/n6/mode/2up Eredeti népmesék]'' (folktale collection, Pest, 1862, in Hungarian)</ref>); ''Daiku to Oniroku'' (大工と鬼六 "The carpenter and the ogre") in Japan and ''Myrmidon'' in France.
Another of the Grimms' tales revolves about a girl trapped by false claims about her spinning abilities, ''[[The Three Spinners]].'' However, the three women who assist that girl do not demand her firstborn, but instead ask that she invite them to her wedding and say that they are relatives of hers. She complies, and when the three appear at the wedding, amazing the king with their ugliness, they tell the king that their various deformities (an overgrown thumb in one, a pendulous lip in the second, an enormous foot in the third) are the result of their years of spinning. The horrified king decrees that the bride will spin no more. In contrast to Rumpelstiltskin's self-seeking, therefore, these helpers ask only the "payment" of extending their benevolence to the heroine, and ensure that she will not need their help again. In one Italian variant, the girl must discover their names, as with ''Rumpelstiltskin,'' but not for the same reason: she must use their names to invite them, and she has forgotten them.


An earlier literary variant in [[France language|French]] was penned by [[Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon|Mme. L'Héritier]], titled ''Ricdin-Ricdon''.<ref>[[Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier]]: ''La Tour ténébreuse et les Jours lumineux: Contes Anglois'', 1705. In French</ref> A version of it exists in the compilation ''Le Cabinet des Fées'', Vol. XII. pp.&nbsp;125–131.
==Name origins==

The [[Cornish people|Cornish]] tale of [[Duffy and the Devil]] plays out an essentially similar plot featuring a "devil" named ''Terry-top''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hunt |first1=Robert |title=Popular Romances of the West of England; or, The Drolls, Traditions, and Superstitions of Old Cornwall |date=1871 |publisher=John Camden Hotten |location=London |pages=239–247}}</ref>

All these tales are classified in the [[Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index]] as tale type ATU 500, "The Name of the Supernatural Helper".<ref>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.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0500.html |title=Name of the Helper |publisher=D. L. Ashliman |access-date=2015-11-29}}</ref> According to scholarship, it is popular in "Denmark, Finland, Germany and Ireland".<ref>Christiansen, Reidar Thorwalf. ''Folktales of Norway''. Chicago: University of Chicago press by 1994

. pp. 5-6.</ref>

== Name ==
[[File:Rumpelstiltskin-Crane1886.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Illustration by Walter Crane from ''Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm'' (1886)]]
[[File:Rumpelstiltskin-Crane1886.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Illustration by Walter Crane from ''Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm'' (1886)]]


The name Rumpeltiltskin as literally "little rattle stilt" is the usually given explanation of the name. The ending ''-chen'' in the German form Rumpelstiltschen is a [[diminutive]] cognate to English ''-kin''.
The name ''Rumpelstilzchen'' in [[German language|German]] means literally "little rattle stilt", a ''stilt'' being a post or pole that provides support for a structure. A ''rumpelstilt'' or ''rumpelstilz'' was consequently the name of a type of goblin, also called a ''pophart'' or ''poppart'', that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks. The meaning is similar to ''rumpelgeist'' ("rattle ghost") or ''[[poltergeist]]'', a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. (Other related concepts are ''mummarts'' or ''[[boggart]]s'' and ''[[Hob (folklore)|hobs]]'', which are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.) The ending ''-chen'' is a German diminutive cognate to English ''-kin''.


''Rumpelstilzchen'' is regarded as containing {{lang|de|Stilzchen}}, diminutive of {{lang|de|Stelze}} "[[Stilts|stilt]]".<ref name="bergeler1961"/>{{Refn|Donald B. Rinsley's clinical paper cites Bergeler, but states that this association with stilt is mistaken.<ref name="rinsley1983"/>}} This etymology seems endorsed by [[Hans-Jörg Uther]]'s handbook on the Grimms ''[[Kinder- und Hausmärchen]]''. Uther cites {{illm|Handwörterbuch des deutschen Aberglaubens|de|lt=''HdA''}} which gives the examples of {{linktext|Bachstelze}}, ''Wasserstelze'' (names of birds; [[stilt]]) as paralleling examples.<ref name="uther2021"/><ref name="HdA-Jacoby-boppelgebet"/> However, this was not the etymology hinted at by [[Jacob Grimm]]<ref name="grimm-stalt">Grimm (1875) ''Deutsche Mythologie'' {{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=85GLFD-dUEoC&pg=PA418 |2='''1''': 418 n1}}; Stallybrass tr. (1883) {{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ektAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA505 |2='''2''': 505n}}: Rumpelstilt, "''stilt, stilz'', the old ''stalt'' in compounds?"</ref>
The earliest known mention of Rumpelstiltskin occurs in [[Johann Fischart]]'s ''Geschichtklitterung, or Gargantua'' of 1577 (a loose adaptation of [[François Rabelais|Rabelais']] ''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]'') which refers to an "amusement" for children, i.&nbsp;e. a children's game named "Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart".<ref>Wiktionary article on [[wikt:Rumpelstilzchen|''Rumpelstilzchen'']].</ref>


Harry Rand's book on this fairy suggests that ''Rumpel'' is 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".
==Names used in translations==
{{sfnp|Rand|2019|pp=38–41}}
[[File:The heart of oak books (1906) (14750176241).jpg|thumb|Illustration for the tale of "Rumpel-stilt-skin" from ''The heart of oak books'' (Boston 1910)]]


Grimm suggested ''-stilt'', ''-stiltchen'' from Old German ''stalt'' with some uncertainty,<ref name="grimm-stalt"/> and did not much elaborate. [[Eberhard Gottlieb Graff|Graff]]'s dictionary indicates that Rumpelstilts, or rather the form Rumpelstilz was corrupted phonetically towards ''{{linktext|Stolz}}'' 'haughtiness', but the correct etymology points to ''stalt'' as Grimm suggested, and this goes to "{{lang|goh|stal}} (1)" meaning "{{lang|la|locus}}, location, place" and {{lang|de|stellen}} meaning to "set, place".<ref name="Graff-AHD-Sprachshatz-stolz">[[Eberhard Gottlieb Graff|Graff, Eberhard Gottlieb ]] (1842) ''Althochdeutscher Sprachschatz'' '''6''', s.v. "{{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=KxkJAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA677 |2=Stolz (2)}}" cross-referenced to "Stal (1)"</ref>{{Refn|group="note"|Graff lists as parallel example the German word ''{{linktext|Hagestolz}}'' meaning 'confirmed bachelor', which seems also to contain the steim ''Stolz'' 'haughtiness' but is also actually rooted from ''stalt''.<ref name="Graff-AHD-Sprachshatz-stolz"/> The explanatory on this ''Hagestolz'' word by [[Rudolf Steiner]] and Christopher Bamford is illuminating.<ref name="steiner&bamford"/>}}
Translations of the original Grimm fairy tale (KHM 55) into various languages have generally substituted different names for the dwarf whose name is ''[[wikt:Rumpelstiltskin|Rumpelstilzchen]]''. For some languages, a name was chosen that comes close in sound to the German name: ''Rumpelstiltskin'' or ''Rumplestiltskin'' in English, ''Repelsteeltje'' in [[Dutch language|Dutch]], ''Rumpelstichen'' in [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], ''Rumpelstinski'' or ''Rumpelestíjeles'' in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], ''Rumplcimprcampr'' or ''Rampelník'' in [[Czech language|Czech]]. In [[Japanese language|Japanese]] it is called ルンペルシュティルツキン (''Runperushutirutsukin''). [[Russian language|Russian]] might have the most accomplished imitation of the German name with Румпельшти́льцхен (''Rumpelʹštílʹcxen'').


The meaning is similar to ''rumpelgeist'' ("rattle-ghost") or ''[[poltergeist]]'' ("rumble-ghost"), a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. The name is believed to be derived from [[Johann Fischart]]'s ''Geschichtklitterung, or Gargantua'' of 1577 (a loose adaptation of [[François Rabelais|Rabelais']] ''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]''), which refers to an "amusement" for children, a children's game named "Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart". Thus a ''rumpelstilt'' or ''rumpelstilz'' was also known by such names as ''pophart'' or ''poppart'',<ref name="HdA-Jacoby-boppelgebet"/> that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks. (Other related concepts are ''mummarts'' or ''[[boggart]]s'' and ''[[Hob (folklore)|hobs]]'', which are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.)
In other languages the name was translated in a poetic and approximate way. Thus ''Rumpelstilzchen'' is known as ''Päronskaft'' (literally "Pear-stalk") in [[Swedish language|Swedish]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Bröderna Grimms sagovärld |last=Grimm |first=Jacob |last2=Grimm |first2=Wilhelm |publisher=Bonnier Carlsen |year=2008 |isbn=91-638-2435-3 |language=Swedish |page=72}}</ref> where the sense of ''stilt'' or ''stalk'' of the second part is retained. Likewise, in [[Danish language|Danish]] and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], he is known as ''Rumleskaft'' (literally "Rumble-shank"). [[Italian language|Italian]] has ''Tremotino'' (which loosely means "Little Earthquake"). [[French language|French]] has&nbsp;– besides other names&nbsp;– ''Tracassin'' (like ''[[wikt:tracasser|tracasser]]'' "to pester"). In other translations an entirely different and generally meaningless name was selected, such as ''Barbichu'', ''Broumpristoche'', ''Grigrigredinmenufretin'', ''Outroupistache'' or ''Perlimpinpin'' in various translations to [[French language|French]]. [[Turkish language|Turkish]] translations use "Hariparibuşki Baripinpon" which does not mean anything and was chosen just because the name was complicated.{{Citation needed|date=September 2016}}


=== Translations ===
[[Slovak language|Slovak]] translations use ''Martinko Klingáč''. [[Polish language|Polish]] translations use ''Titelitury'' (or ''Rumpelsztyk'') and [[Finnish language|Finnish]] ones ''Tittelintuure'', ''Rompanruoja'' or ''Hopskukkeli''. [[Serbian language|Serbian]], [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]] and [[Croatian language|Croatian]] ''Cvilidreta'' ("Whine-screamer"). For [[Hebrew]] the poet [[Avraham Shlonsky]] composed the name {{lang|he|עוץ לי גוץ לי}} (''Ootz-li Gootz-li'', a compact and rhymy touch to the original sentence and meaning of the story, "My adviser my midget"), when using the fairy tale as the basis of a children's [[musical theatre|musical]], now a classic among Hebrew children's plays. [[Greek language|Greek]] translations 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. [[Urdu]] versions of the tale used the name ''Tees Mar Khan'' for the imp.
[[File:The heart of oak books (1906) (14750176241).jpg|thumb|Illustration for the tale of "Rumpel-stilt-skin" from ''The 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 is ''[[wikt:Rumpelstiltskin|Rumpelstilzchen]]''. For some languages, a name was chosen that comes close in sound to the German name: ''Rumpelstiltskin'' or ''Rumplestiltskin'' in English, ''Repelsteeltje'' in [[Dutch language|Dutch]], ''Rumpelstichen'' in Brazilian [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], ''Rumpelstinski'', ''Rumpelestíjeles'', ''Trasgolisto'', ''Jasil el Trasgu'', ''Barabay'', ''Rompelimbrá'', ''Barrabás'', ''Ruidoquedito'', ''Rompeltisquillo'', ''Tiribilitín'', ''Tremolín'', ''El enano saltarín'' y ''el duende saltarín'' in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], ''Rumplcimprcampr'' or ''Rampelník'' in [[Czech language|Czech]].
==Appearances in media==
===Literature===
* In [[George Orwell]]'s novel ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' (1949), a character of the [[Ingsoc]] party is described as being a "Rumpelstiltskin figure" (ch. IX).
* In [[Walter Tevis]]'s science fiction novel ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth (novel)|The Man Who Fell To Earth]]'' (1963), Thomas Newton tells Nathan Bryce "My name is Rumplestiltskin" [''sic''].
* [[Anne Sexton]] wrote an adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale as a poem called "Rumpelstiltskin" in her collection ''Transformations'' (1971), a book in which she re-envisions sixteen of the ''Grimm's Fairy tales''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Transformations.html?id=HwzuL_w5PeAC |title=Transformations - Anne Sexton - Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2015-09-26}}</ref>
* Rumpelstiltskin appears in three 1976 fairy tales, ''Rumpelstilzchen'' (English version as "Rumpelstiltskin") by [[Rosemarie Künzler-Behncke]], ''Neues vom Rumpelstilzchen'' (English version as "Update on Rumpelstiltskin") by [[Richard Bletschacher]], and ''Das Rumpelstilzchen hat mir immer leid getan'' (English version as "I Always Felt Sorry for Rumpelstiltskin") by [[Irmela Brender]], which are part of the children's book ''[[Neues vom Rumpelstilzchen und andere Haus-Märchen von 43 Autoren|Update on Rumpelstiltskin and other Fairy Tales by 43 Authors]]'', which was compiled by [[Hans-Joachim Gelberg]], illustrated by [[Willi Glasauer]], and published by [[Beltz & Gelberg]].<ref>http://www.koffer-lahr.de/7.html</ref>
* [[Jonathan Carroll]]'s novel ''[[Sleeping in Flame]]'' (1988) is a modern variant on the story, which refers explicitly to the Grimms' version.
* In [[Diane Stanley]]'s short fiction, ''Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter'' (1997), Rumpelstiltskin falls in love with and marries the miller's daughter and helps her escape from the king. The main character turns out to be their only daughter, Hope.
* ''The Rumpelstiltskin Problem'' (2001) by [[Vivian Vande Velde]].
* In [[John Katzenbach]]'s novel ''The Analyst'' (2002), a man who calls himself Rumplestiltskin [sic] threatens a New York psychoanalyst, "In two weeks, Starks must guess his tormentor’s identity. If Starks succeeds, he goes free. If he fails, Rumplestiltskin will destroy, one by one, fifty-two of Dr. Starks’ loved ones—unless the good doctor agrees to kill himself".
* [[Saviour Pirotta]]'s "Guess My Name", published in ''Once Upon a World'' (2004), is a retelling of the Welsh version of the story.
* [[Michael Buckley (author)|Michael Buckley]]'s ''[[The Sisters Grimm]]'' (2005–2012) series has Rumplestiltskin [sic] as the main villain for the second book, Unusual Suspects. He is the counselor for the only Elementary School in Fairy Port Landing, and he feeds off the emotions of those around him (the negative, the better, rage is his favorite). He made deals with three parents (Beauty/Beast, Princess/Frog, Ms. Muffet/Spider all gave away their firstborns to Rumplestilskin for a fake lottery winning). Apparently, in this version, Rumple stores all the rage and hatred and releases it by exploding.
* ''The Witch's Boy'' (2006) by [[Michael Gruber (author)|Michael Gruber]].
* Rumpelstiltskin appeared in [[John Connolly (author)|John Connolly]]'s ''[[The Book of Lost Things]]'' (2006) with the nickname "Crooked Man".
* [[Susanna Clarke]]'s ''On Lickerish Hill'', found in ''[[The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories]]'' (2006), is a version of "Tom Tit Tot".
* Elizabeth C. Bunce's novel ''A Curse Dark as Gold'' (2008) was inspired by the story of Rumpelstiltskin. The miller's daughter is written as a strong female character determined to save the failing mill and the town that depends on it.
* In ''Einstein's Mistakes'' (2008), [[Hans Ohanian]] characterizes the physicist [[Isaac Newton]] as a Rumpelstiltskin-like character, because he kept his great discoveries in gravity and light to himself for many years.
* Rumpelstiltskin makes a brief appearance at the beginning of ''Red Hood's Revenge'' (2010), the third in [[Jim C. Hines]]'s ''Princesses'' series, starring [[Cinderella]], [[Sleeping Beauty]] and [[Snow White]] as active heroines. He has abducted several children by luring princes in with promises of marriage to the children who can spin straw into gold; he is captured by the three heroines, but is subsequently killed by Roudette, the adult [[Little Red Riding Hood]], now an efficient and deadly assassin, while being sent to Fairytown to answer for his crimes.
* ''The Croning'' (2012) by [[Laird Barron]].
* Rumpel Stiltskin is the main character in J. A. Kazimer's book ''Curses!'' (2012).
* In Shelley Chappell's short fiction, ''Ranpasatusan. A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin'' (2014) the miller's daughter is a minstrel's daughter who travels to Japan.
* [[Breeana Puttroff]], author of the ''Dusk Gate Chronicles'' series, was scheduled in 2014 to publish a book ''Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter'', in which Rumpelstiltskin's story is told from another point of view, where the king makes the queen spin gold and Rumpelstiltskin is not the villain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.celebrityextraonline.com/2014/09/q-and-week-of-sept-18.html#links|title=Q and A: Week of Sept. 18|last=Elavsky|first=Cindy|date=18 September 2014|accessdate=18 September 2014}}</ref>
* In [[Tom Holt]]'s novel, ''The Good, the Bad and the Smug'' (2015), a former commodities trader escapes to a fantasy world and becomes Rumpelstiltskin.
* [[Michael Cunningham]]'s short story "Little Man" (in ''A Wild Swan and Other Tales'', 2015) is a retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin story told from Rumpelstiltskin's point of view.


In [[Japanese language|Japanese]], it is transcribed as {{lang|ja|[[:ja:ルンペルシュティルツヒェン|ルンペルシュティルツヒェン]]}}, {{translit|ja|Runperushutirutsuhyen}}. The [[Russian language|Russian]] name is close to the original German, {{lang|ru|Румпельштильцхен}}, {{translit|ru|Rumpel'shtíl'tskhen}}.
===Comics===
* Rumpelstiltskin appears in issue 4 of ''[[The Muppet Show (comics)|The Muppet Show]]'' that was a part of "The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson" arc.
* The tale is adapted in the fourth issue of [[Zenescope Entertainment|Zenescope]]'s series ''[[Grimm Fairy Tales (comics)|Grimm Fairy Tales]]'', but it is given an alternative, more tragic ending.
* The Priest from the Dark Horse series ''[[The Goon]]'' is actually Rumpelstiltskin, having escaped from the hell he was cast into he attempts the wrestle control of the town away from The Goon.


In other languages, the name was translated in a poetic and approximate way. Thus ''Rumpelstilzchen'' is known as ''Päronskaft'' (literally "Pear-stalk") or ''Bullerskaft'' (literally "Rumble-stalk") in [[Swedish language|Swedish]],<ref>{{cite book |title=Bröderna Grimms sagovärld |last1=Grimm |first1=Jacob |last2=Grimm |first2=Wilhelm |publisher=Bonnier Carlsen |year=2008 |isbn= 978-91-638-2435-7 |language=sv |page=72}}</ref> where the sense of ''stilt'' or ''stalk'' of the second part is retained.
===Music===
* The song "Split Myself in Two" by the [[Meat Puppets]] is inspired and loosely based on the tale.
* "Rumplestiltskin" [sic] is a song by the Columbus, Ohio underground band [[Earwig (band)|Earwig]] from their album ''Gibson Under Mountain.''
* ''Rumplestiltskin's Resolve'' [sic] is an album by folk-rock musician [[Shawn Phillips]].
* The third movement of [[Robert Schumann]]'s ''[[Märchenbilder (Schumann)|Märchenbilder]]'' is inspired by the story.<ref>This comes from a section of Schumann's journals that is difficult to find and has not been translated into English. See "[[Rapunzel]] in Music" and "[[Sleeping Beauty]] in Music" for more corroboration.</ref>
* [[Rumpelstiltskin Grinder]] is a [[Thrash metal|thrash band]] from Pennsylvania signed to [[Relapse Records]].
* [[Stiltskin]] is a Scottish [[rock band]], notable for the fact that one of its band members, [[Ray Wilson (musician)|Ray Wilson]], was temporarily a lead vocalist of [[progressive rock]] band [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]].
* The [[industrial metal]] band [[Megaherz]] released a song named "[[I.M. Rumpelstilzchen]]" on their album ''[[Herzwerk II]],'' which quotes the original German fairy tale.
* "Rumpofsteelskin" is a song by [[funk]] band [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] from the album ''[[Motor Booty Affair]].'' The song title is reminiscent of the fairy tale's title.
*[[Sir Mix-a-Lot]] sings of a "rump-o-smooth-skin" in the song "Baby Got Back" from the album "[[Mack Daddy]]".
* "Rumplestiltskin" [sic] is a [[punk music|punk]] retelling of the fairy tale by [[John Otway]].
* The ballet "Rumpelstiltskin" by the British composer [[David Sawer]] is based on the tale.
*[[Eminem]] mentions Rumpelstiltskin in "The Monster" stating "Turn nothing into something, still can make that, straw into gold, chump. I will spin Rumpelstiltskin in a haystack."
* "Rumplestiltskin," a retelling of the tale in song by [[Brian Dewan]] from his album ''The Operating Theatre.''
* A musical adaptation [[Rumpelstiltskin (musical)|of the same name]] opened [[Off-Broadway]] in 2012.


[[Slovak language|Slovak]] translations use ''Martinko Klingáč''. [[Polish language|Polish]] translations use ''Titelitury'' (or ''Rumpelsztyk'') and [[Finnish language|Finnish]] ones ''Tittelintuure'', ''Rompanruoja'' or ''Hopskukkeli''. The [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] name is Tűzmanócska and in [[Serbo-Croatian]] ''Cvilidreta'' ("Whine-screamer"). The [[Slovenian language|Slovenian]] translation uses ''Špicparkeljc'' ("Pointy-Hoof").
===Television===
*In the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television series ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|Once Upon a Time]]'', Rumplestiltskin (also known as [[Mr. Gold]]) is played by [[Robert Carlyle]] and is one of the central characters and is shown as a malevolent trickster who can spin straw into gold and enjoys making deals with those he comes across. Throughout the first seasons he concentrates on searching for his son, Bae. An expert on black magic and the dark arts (known as the [[Dark Lord (fiction)|Dark One]]) this man has wizardly powers to make him a fair match for anyone in the land - even the [[Queen (Snow White)|Evil Queen]]. The miller's daughter (the Evil Queen's mother) Cora eventually becomes the [[Queen of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|Queen of Hearts]]. In the course of the series, he is also revealed to have taken on the role of Cinderella's fairy 'godmother', and is also essentially the [[Beast (Disney)|Beast]], falling in love with Belle after he demanded her as a price for saving her kingdom from a war. In the season three episode ''[[Think Lovely Thoughts]]'', he is revealed to be the son of a man named Malcolm, who became [[Peter Pan]]. After marrying Belle, Rumpelstiltskin doubles as 'the Beast.' After Belle banishes him from Storybrooke, his own nature turns against him, prompting him to ally with various other villains to try and ensure their own happy endings. He is briefly purified of his darkness when it is revealed that he is dying of the dark magic in his heart, but despite Emma attempting to help him become a hero while she takes on the Dark One role, he eventually reclaims his powers, and he goes way too far from being a beast. In the sixth season, Rumplestiltskin's mother is revealed to be the Black Fairy, who had abandoned him and Malcolm after choosing power over love. In the same season, he has a son with Belle named Gideon.
*Rumpelstiltskin appears in ''[[Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child]]'' voiced by [[Robert Townsend (actor)|Robert Townsend]].
*Rumpelstiltskin was featured in NBC's ''[[Grimm (TV series)|Grimm]]'', where the tale is the inspiration for the Season 2 episode "Nameless". He is a type of creature ('Wesen') called a 'Fuchsteufelwild'.<ref>{{cite web|last=Roots |first=Kimberly |url=http://tvline.com/2013/03/26/grimm-season-2-spoilers-rumplestiltskin-nicks-book/ |title=Grimm Season 2 Spoilers — Rumplestiltskin Pages from Nick’s Books |publisher=TVLine |date=2013-03-26 |accessdate=2014-06-28}}</ref> The episode featured a Fuchsteufelwild named "Trinket Lipslums" (an anagram of "Rumpelstiltskin"), who is revealed to have helped a team of video game programmers finish an enormously popular [[MMORPG]]. The programmers omitted him from the game's credits since they could not recall his name, so Lipslums starts hunting them down one by one; as in the original tale, much of the story centers around determining the character's name.
*In an episode of the TV show ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' titled "[[If Wishes Were Horses]]", [[Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)|Miles O'Brien]] reads his daughter the story of Rumpelstiltskin at bedtime and then leaves her room. She comes out shortly afterward to inform her father that Rumpelstiltskin is in the room with her. O'Brien assumes that it is just her imagination and goes into the room with her only to discover that Rumpelstiltskin is indeed in her room. At the end of the episode it is revealed that Rumpelstiltskin (along with various other manifestations) are in fact aliens that were studying imagination.
*In the TV show ''[[Shelley Duvall]]'s [[Faerie Tale Theatre]]'', the second episode, aired originally in 1982, titled "[[Rumpelstiltskin (Faerie Tale Theatre episode)|Rumpelstiltskin]]", stars [[Hervé Villechaize]] as Rumpelstiltskin, [[Ned Beatty]] as the king, and [[Shelley Duvall]] as the miller's daughter.
*The fairy tale was spoofed in the [[Fractured Fairy Tales]] segment of the [[Rocky and Bullwinkle]] show.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6bwyILxtYA |title=Rumpelstiltskin |publisher=YouTube |date=2009-03-13 |accessdate=2015-09-26}}</ref>
*In the German TV series ''Spuk unterm Riesenrad'', Rumpelstiltskin is the only one of the three evil, living dummies (witch, giant, and Rumpelstiltskin) who doesn't turn good at the end and is frozen by a policeman with a fire extinguisher. He also tries to take over Burg Falkenstein by blackmailing the owner with a fire.
*The German TV aired in 2009 an adaptation of the original story of the Grimm Brothers. Rumpelstiltskin was played by [[Robert Stadlober]]. According to the film makers: "We did not want overgrown dwarf, but a prince of the forest, and Stadlober is exactly the right thing." In this adaptation the title character was not created as the usual evil man "who comes out of the woods to do evil", but also shows the human side ". Their Rumpelstiltskin has a desire, namely, to have a man around.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rbb-online.de/maerchenfilm/archiv/rumpelstilzchen/rumpelstilzchen/rumpelstilzchen.html |title=Rumpelstilzchen &#124; rbb Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg |publisher=Rbb-online.de |date= |accessdate=2014-06-28}}</ref> The filming location was the same Schloss Bürresheim, which appears as Castle Grunewald in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'.
*The character "Rumpledkiltskin" appears in the animated series ''[[Courage The Cowardly Dog]]'' as the title character. Rumpledkiltskin tricks Muriel and Courage into traveling to Scotland, where he reveals himself and forces Muriel to weave 5,000 quilts. At the end of the episode, his real name is revealed and he gains a change of heart.
*Rumpelstiltskin appears in the animated television series ''[[Winx Club]]'', in [[Winx Club (season 6)|Season 6]] episodes "The Music Café", "The Anthem" and "Acheron". Rumpelstiltskin is, according to both Selina and Daphne, the most cunning, most stubborn, and most brilliant dwarf. He lives in the Legendarium World. He is also very tricky but follows the agreements he makes with others. Due to being exposed in Alfea, he had learnt powerful enchantments when he lived there.
*In season 3 of the U.S. television series, [[The Closer]], in the episode entitled "The Round File", the case involves an old man who confesses to the murder of seven people but who will not give the detectives his name and forces them to discover it on their own. As a result, the squad refers to him as Rumpelstiltskin throughout the episode. The story of the fairy tale itself is referenced several times.
*In the [[Happy Tree Friends]] episode, entitled "Dunce Upon a Time", Petunia was spinning straw into gold within a castle, bearing a strong resemblance, while the rest of the episode bore a strong resemblance to the fairytale, [[Jack and the Beanstalk]].


In [[Italian language|Italian]], the creature is usually called ''Tremotino'', which is probably formed from the world ''tremoto'', which means "earthquake" in [[Tuscan 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.
===Film===
[[File:Rumpelstiltskin (1915) - May 1 1915 RL.jpg|thumbnail|Colorized still from the American film Rumpelstiltskin (1915)]]


For [[Hebrew]], the poet [[Avraham Shlonsky]] composed the name {{lang|he|עוּץ־לִי גּוּץ־לִי}} {{translit|he|AHL|Utz-li gutz-li}}, a compact and rhymy touch to the original sentence and meaning of the story, "My-Adviser My-Midget", from {{lang|he|יוֹעֵץ}}, {{translit|he|AHL|yo'etz}}, "adviser", and {{lang|he|גּוּץ}}, {{translit|he|AHL|gutz}}, "squat, dumpy, pudgy (about a person)"), when using the fairy-tale as the basis of a children's [[musical theatre|musical]], now a classic among Hebrew children's plays.
* ''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1915), an American film, starring [[J. Barney Sherry]] and [[Betty Burbridge|Elizabeth "Betty" Burbridge]]
* A [[Rumpelstiltskin (1940 film)|1940 live action film]] produced in Nazi Germany, directed by Alf Zengerling starring Paul Walker as the title character.
* A [[Rumpelstiltskin (1955 film)|1955 live action film]] produced in West-Germany, but also released in the U.S. by [[K. Gordon Murray]] in 1965 and re-released by [[Paramount Pictures]] in 1974,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048569/combined|title=Rumpelstiltskin (1955)|publisher=IMDb.com|accessdate=2014-06-28}}</ref> directed by [[Herbert B. Fredersdorf]] starring Werner Krüger as the title character. The film is still aired on German Television.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rbb-online.de/fernsehen/beitrag/rumpelstilzchen.html |title=Rumpelstilzchen &#124; rbb Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg |publisher=Rbb-online.de |date= |accessdate=2014-06-28}}</ref>
* In 1962's ''[[The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm]]'', a dream sequence featured Rumpelstiltskin (played by [[Arnold Stang]]) alongside other Grimm characters such as Hansel & Gretel, Snow White, Cinderella, and Tom Thumb.
* Rumpelstiltskin is one of the fairy tales featured in the direct-to-video film ''[[Muppet Classic Theater]]'' where the character was played by [[Gonzo the Great]].
* Rumpelstiltskin appears in the [[Shrek (franchise)|''Shrek'' franchise]]:
** Rumpelstiltskin (voiced by [[Conrad Vernon]]) makes an appearance in ''[[Shrek the Third]]'' as a member of the gang of fairy tale villains [[Prince Charming]] rounds up in an attempt to take over Far, Far Away. Prince Charming mispronounces his name as "frumpypigskin".
** The character has also appeared as the antagonist in the film ''[[Shrek Forever After]]'', voiced by [[Walt Dohrn]], manipulating Shrek into making a wish that would erase Shrek from existence after the ogre indirectly thwarted Rumpelstiltskin's chance to become the ruler of Far, Far Away (The king and queen had been about to make a deal with him to free their daughter Fiona from her prison before Shrek saved her in the [[Shrek (film)|first film]]). It is implied throughout the film that Rumpelstiltskin's deals have fallen out of favour in Shrek's world as people have learned to be more comfortable with who they are thanks to Shrek's example (such as [[Pinocchio]] rejecting the offer to become a real boy), and Shrek's friend Donkey also mentions that Rumpelstiltskin has changed the clauses in his deals as now everybody knows his name. Learning that he can undo Rumpelstiltskin's world if he receives True Love's Kiss with Fiona, Shrek seeks her out, but it nearly fails as this Fiona doesn't even know him, only for Shrek to receive her love and kiss as the sun rises after he risks his life to save her ogre army and defeat Rumpelstiltskin.
** Rumpelstiltskin is one of the zombified characters during the [[Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video)|Thriller]] [[Thriller Night|parody]].
* Rumpelstiltskin appeared in ''[[Happily N'Ever After]]'' and [[Happily N'Ever After 2: Snow White Another Bite @ the Apple|its sequel]], voiced by [[Mike McShane|Michael McShane]]. In the first film, he is one of the fairy tale villains that side with [[Cinderella]]'s wicked stepmother Frieda after she alters his story.
* A [[Rumpelstiltskin (1987 film)|1987 live-action musical film]], a fairly direct retelling of the fairy tale, starring [[Amy Irving]] as the miller's daughter and [[Billy Barty]] as the title character.
* A [[Rumpelstiltskin (1996 film)|1996 supernatural horror B-movie]] where in Rumpelstiltskin is trapped in a jade rock for five hundred years until a woman is compelled to purchase the rock from an unusual antique shop. The woman makes a wish that her dead husband come back to life to see their child. Rumpelstiltskin grants her wish, bringing her husband back for one night, then tries to steal the baby from the mother with an attempt to eat the baby's soul. This movie stars [[Max Grodénchik]] (as Rumpelstiltskin), and [[Kim Johnston Ulrich]] (as the mother of the child).
* ''[[Avengers Grimm]]'' - When Rumpelstiltskin destroys the Magic Mirror and escapes to the modern world, the four princesses of "Once Upon a Time"-Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Rapunzel-are sucked through the portal too. Well-trained and endowed with magical powers, the four women must fight Rumpelstiltskin and his army of thralls before he enslaves everyone on Earth. [[Casper Van Dien]] plays Rumpelstiltskin.
* Rumpelstiltskin is featured as one of the fairy tale characters the Brothers Grimm encounter in ''[[Once Upon a Brothers Grimm]]''; during his segment, the Brothers Grimm help the miller's daughter guess his name, and when she succeeds at the last possible moment he angrily shouts "A plague on all your houses!" before disappearing.


[[Greek language|Greek]] translations 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.
===Games===
* Rumpelstiltskin appears briefly in the ''[[Dark Parables]]'' sixth installment, Jack and the Sky Kingdom, as a stone imp, (having once been a stone idol animated by a sorcerer, and having since its captivity reverted to stone). He also appears in the bonus chapter, "Rumpelstiltskin and the Queen", where having claimed the Sky Kingdom's new queen newborn daughter, the queen quests to reclaim her child. After the queen has subdued the imp, the Sky King, corrupted by the imp's magic, keeps the imp hostage to spin him more gold.
* Rumpelstiltskin makes an appearance in the first game of the series ''[[King's Quest]]'', by [[Roberta Williams]]. While there are variants to his name (in some versions, the name is spelled with a backwards alphabet, a = z, b = y, etc.; in others it is spelled backwards as Nikstlitslepmur), Rumpelstiltskin offers the knight Graham (hero of the story) a reward for guessing his name. When the task is complete, Rumpelstiltskin gives magic beans to Graham, allowing entrance to the land of the giants to acquire the treasure chest of gold, a main quest item in the game.
* In the DLC of The Witcher 3 Hearth of Stone, the Rumpelstiltskin is represented by Master Mirror


[[Urdu]] versions of the tale used the name ''Tees Mar Khan'' for the imp.
===Psychology===

== Rumpelstiltskin principle ==
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 the [[true name]] of a being is to have power over it. See Adam's naming of the animals in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 2:19-20 for an example.
*{{cite web |url=http://psycnet.apa.org/books/14037/043/ |title=The Rumpelstiltskin Principle |last=Brodsky |first=Stanley |publisher= [[American Psychological Association]] |date=2013 |website=APA.org | accessdate= }}
*{{Cite web |url=https://alum.mit.edu/slice/rumpelstiltskin-principle/ |title=The Rumpelstiltskin Principle |last=Winston |first=Patrick |date=2009-08-16 |publisher=MIT}}
*{{Cite book |url=https://www.academia.edu/5548653 |contribution=Rumpelstiltskin: The magic of the right word |last=van der Geest |first=Sjak |editor1-first=Arko |editor1-last=Oderwald |editor2-first= Willem |editor2-last=van Tilburg |editor3-first=Koos |editor3-last=Neuvel |title=Unfamiliar knowledge: Psychiatric disorders in literature |location=Utrecht |publisher=De Tijdstroom |date=2010 }}

== Media and popular culture ==
=== Literature adaptations ===
* ''Gold Spun,'' a 2021 first novel of a duology by Brandie June.
* ''Gilded'', a 2021 first novel of a duology by [[Marissa Meyer]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baugher |first=Lacy |date=2021-11-02 |title=Marissa Meyer reimagines Rumpelstiltskin in haunting retelling Gilded |url=https://culturess.com/2021/11/02/marissa-meyer-gilded-review/ |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=Culturess |language=en-US}}</ref>
* ''[[Spinning Silver]]'', a 2018 fantasy novel by [[Naomi Novik]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schnieders Lefever |first=Kelsey |date=2020-04-20 |title='Spinning Silver,' a retelling of 'Rumpelstiltskin,' to be featured Big Read book |url=https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q2/spinning-silver,-a-retelling-of-rumpelstiltskin,-to-be-featured-big-read-book.html |access-date=2023-07-16 |website=www.purdue.edu |language=en}}</ref>

=== Film ===
* [[Rumpelstiltskin (1915 film)|''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1915 film)]], an American silent film, directed by [[Raymond B. West]]
* [[Rumpelstiltskin (1940 film)|''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1940 film)]], a German fantasy film, directed by Alf Zengerling
* [[Rumpelstiltskin (1955 film)|''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1955 film)]], a German fantasy film, directed by Herbert B. Fredersdorf
* [[Rumpelstiltskin (1985 film)|''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1985 film)]], a twenty-four-minute animated feature
* [[Rumpelstiltskin (1987 film)|''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1987 film)]], an American-Israeli film
* [[Rumpelstiltskin (1995 film)|''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1995 film)]], an American horror film, loosely based on the Grimm fairy tale
* [[Rumpelstilzchen (2009 film)|''Rumpelstilzchen'' (2009 film)]], a German TV adaptation starring [[Gottfried John]] and [[Julie Engelbrecht]]

=== Ensemble media ===
* The 1994 direct-to-video ''[[Muppet Classic Theater]]'' adapted the story, starring [[Gonzo (Muppet)|The Great Gonzo]] as the title character, [[Miss Piggy]] as the miller's daughter, and [[Kermit the Frog]] as 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 from ''[[Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child]]''.
* ''Barney's Once Upon a Time'' involves 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 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|If Wishes Were Horses]]" of season 1 in the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''.
* [[Rumpelstiltskin (Shrek)|Rumpelstiltskin]] appears as a villainous character in the [[Shrek (franchise)|''Shrek'' franchise]], first voiced by [[Conrad Vernon]] in a minor role in ''[[Shrek the Third]]''. In ''[[Shrek Forever After]]'', the character's appearance and persona are significantly altered to become the main villain of the film, now voiced by [[Walt Dohrn]].
* In [[Once Upon a Time (TV series)|''Once Upon a Time'']], [[Rumplestiltskin (Once Upon a Time)|Rumplestiltskin]] is one of the integral characters, portrayed by [[Robert Carlyle]]. Within the interconnected fairy tale narrative, he acts as a composite character for the Crocodile from ''[[Peter Pan]]'', the Beast of ''[[Beauty and the Beast]]'' and [[Cinderella]]'s fairy godfather.
* Rumpelstiltskin appears in ''[[Ever After High]]'' as 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 series ''[[Rainbow (TV series)|Rainbow]]'' acted out the story in a 1987 episode. Zippy played the title character, [[Geoffrey Hayes|Geoffrey]] played the king, [[Rod, Jane and Freddy|Rod]] played the miller, Bungle played the miller’s daughter, George played the baby, [[Rod, Jane and Freddy|Jane]] played the maid, and [[Rod, Jane and Freddy|Freddy]] played a peasant.
* The video game ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' has 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 ===
* ''[[Rumpelstiltskin (1965 musical)|Utz-li-Gutz-li]]'', a 1965 Israeli stage musical written by [[Avraham Shlonsky]]
* ''[[Rumpelstiltskin (2011 musical)|Rumpelstiltskin]]'', a 2011 American stage musical

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="bergeler1961">{{cite journal|last=Bergeler |first=Edmunt |author-link=<!--Edmunt Bergeler--> |title=The Clinical Importance o 'Rumpelstiltskin' as Anti-male Manifesto |journal=American Imago |volume=18 |publisher= |year=1961 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P6UtAAAAMAAJ&dq=stilzchen |page=66<!--65–70-->}}</ref>

<ref name="HdA-Jacoby-boppelgebet"><!--Adolf Jacoby-->Jacoby, Adolf (1927).{{anchors|CITEREFRanke1927}} "{{URL|1=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwsNAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA281 |2=Boppelgebet}}". ''HdA'', '''1'''<!--Band 1 Aal-Butzemann-->: 1479–1480</ref>

<ref name="rinsley1983">{{cite journal|last=Rinsley |first=Donald B. |author-link=<!--Donald B. Rinsley--> |title=The Clinical Importance o 'Rumpelstiltskin' as Anti-male Manifesto |journal=Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic |volume=47 |publisher= |year=1983 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDdBAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22Stelze%22 |page=3<!--1–14-->}}</ref>

<ref name="steiner&bamford">{{cite book|last1=Steiner |first1=Rudolf |author1-link=Rudolf Steiner |last2=Bamford |first2=Christopher |author2-link=<!--Christopher Bamford--> |others=Translated by Ruth Pusch; Gertrude Teutsch |title=The Genius of Language: Observations for Teachers (CW 299) |location=Dornach, Switzerland |publisher=Rudolf Steiner Ver;ag |year=1995 |orig-year=1920 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LzGy1Ky7j-cC&pg=PT33 |pages=}}</ref>

<ref name="uther2021">{{cite journal|last=Uther |first=Hans-Jörg |author-link=Hans-Jörg Uther|title=Handbuch zu den „Kinder- und Hausmärchen“ der Brüder Grimm: Entstehung – Wirkung – Interpretation |journal=American Imago |volume=18 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |edition=3 |year=2021 |orig-year=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sMdEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA132 |page=132 |isbn=<!--3110747588, -->9783110747584}}</ref>

}}


== Selected bibliography ==
* 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".
*{{Cite journal|last=Bergler|first=Edmund|date=1961|title=The Clinical Importance of "Rumpelstiltskin" As Anti-Male Manifesto|journal=American Imago|volume=18|issue=1|pages=65–70|jstor=26301733|issn=0065-860X}}
* {{cite web |url=http://psycnet.apa.org/books/14037/043/ |title=The Rumpelstiltskin Principle |last=Brodsky |first=Stanley |publisher=American Psychological Association |date=2013 |website=APA PsycNET }}
*{{Cite journal|last=Marshall|first=Howard W.|date=1973|title='Tom Tit Tot'. A Comparative Essay on Aarne-Thompson Type 500. The Name of the Helper|journal=Folklore|volume=84|issue=1|pages=51–57|doi=10.1080/0015587X.1973.9716495|jstor=1260436|issn=0015-587X}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://slice.mit.edu/2009/08/16/the-rumpelstiltskin-principle/ |title=The Rumpelstiltskin Principle |last=Winston |first=Patrick |date=2009-08-16 |website=M.I.T. Edu}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Ní Dhuibhne|first=Éilis|date=2012|title=The Name of the Helper: "Kinder- und Hausmärchen" and Ireland|journal=Béaloideas|volume=80|pages=1–22|jstor=24862867|issn=0332-270X}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.academia.edu/5548653/2010_Rumpelstiltskin_The_magic_of_the_right_word._In_Arko_Oderwald_Willem_van_Tilburg_and_Koos_Neuvel_eds_Unfamiliar_knowledge_Psychiatric_disorders_in_literature._Utrecht_De_Tijdstroom_pp._37-44 |title=Rumpelstiltskin: The magic of the right word |last=van Tilburg |first=Willem |date=1972 |website=|publisher=Academia |access-date=}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Rand|first=Harry|date=2000|title=Who was Rupelstiltskin?|journal=The International Journal of Psychoanalysis|language=en|volume=81|issue=5|pages=943–962|doi=10.1516/0020757001600309|doi-broken-date=2024-04-13|pmid=11109578}}
*{{cite book|last=Rand |first=Harry |author-link=<!--Harry Rand--> |title=Rumpelstiltskin’s Secret: What Women Didn’t Tell the Grimms|location= |publisher=Routledge |year=2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NorCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 |pages= |isbn=<!--1351204149, -->9781351204149}}
*{{Cite book|last=von Sydow|first=Carl W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ugXgAAAAMAAJ|title=Två spinnsagor: en studie i jämförande folksagoforskning|date=1909|publisher=P.A. Norstedt|location=Stockholm|language=sv}} [Analysis of Aarne-Thompson-Uther tale types 500 and 501]
*{{Cite journal|last=Yolen|first=Jane|date=1993|title=Foreword: The Rumpelstiltskin Factor|journal=Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts|volume=5|issue=2 (18)|pages=11–13|jstor=43308148|issn=0897-0521}}
*{{Cite journal|last=Zipes|first=Jack|date=1993|title=Spinning with Fate: Rumpelstiltskin and the Decline of Female Productivity|journal=Western Folklore|volume=52|issue=1|pages=43–60|doi=10.2307/1499492|jstor=1499492|issn=0043-373X}}
*{{Cite journal|last1=T.|first1=A. W.|last2=Clodd|first2=Edward|date=1889|title=The Philosophy of Rumpelstilt-Skin|journal=The Folk-Lore Journal|volume=7|issue=2|pages=135–163|jstor=1252656|issn=1744-2524}}


== Further reading ==
==References==
*{{Cite journal|last=Cambon|first=Fernand|date=1976|title=La fileuse. Remarques psychanalytiques sur le motif de la "fileuse" et du "filage" dans quelques poèmes et contes allemands|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/litt_0047-4800_1976_num_23_3_1122|journal=Littérature|volume=23|issue=3|pages=56–74|doi=10.3406/litt.1976.1122}}
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite journal |last=Dvořák |first=Karel |date=1967 |title=AaTh 500 in deutschen Varianten aus der Tschechoslowakei |journal=[[Fabula (journal)|Fabula]] |volume=9 |pages=100-104 |doi=10.1515/fabl.1967.9.1-3.100 |lang=de}}
* Paulme, Denise. "Thème et variations: l'épreuve du «nom inconnu» dans les contes d'Afrique noire". In: ''Cahiers d'études africaines'', vol. 11, n°42, 1971. pp.&nbsp;189–205. DOI: [https://doi.org/10.3406/cea.1971.2800 Thème et variations : l'épreuve du « nom inconnu » dans les contes d'Afrique noire.]; www.persee.fr/doc/cea_0008-0055_1971_num_11_42_2800


==External links==
== External links ==
{{commons category|Rumpelstilzchen (1812, Grimm)}}
{{wikisource|Rumpelstiltskin}}
{{wikisource|Tom Tit Tot}}
*{{wikisource-inline|Rumpelstiltskin|single=true}}
*{{wikisource-inline|Tom Tit Tot|single=true}}
{{commons|Rumpelstiltskin}}
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/jacob-grimm_wilhelm-grimm/household-tales/margaret-hunt|Display Name=The complete set of Grimms' Fairy Tales, including ''{{PAGENAMEBASE}}''|noitalics=true}}
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5314 Free version of translation of "Household Tales" by Brothers Grimm from Project Gutenberg]
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5314 Free version of translation of "Household Tales" by Brothers Grimm from Project Gutenberg]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=nFQmAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover 'Tom Tit Tot: an essay on savage philosophy in folk-tale' by Edward Clodd (1898)]
* [https://archive.org/details/tomtittotanessa01clodgoog 'Tom Tit Tot: an essay on savage philosophy in folk-tale' by Edward Clodd (1898)]
* [https://sites.google.com/site/aglonareader/home/lang-en/books Parallel German-English text in ParallelBook format]
* [https://sites.google.com/site/aglonareader/home/lang-en/books Parallel German-English text in ParallelBook format]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0764662/ 1985 TV movie]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0764662/ 1985 TV movie]


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[[Category:Dwarves (mythology)]]
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Latest revision as of 18:37, 21 October 2024

Rumpelstiltskin
Illustration from Andrew Lang's The 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

    "Rumpelstiltskin" (/ˌrʌmpəlˈstɪltskɪn/ RUMP-əl-STILT-skin;[1] German: Rumpelstilzchen pronounced [ʁʊmpl̩ʃtiːltsçn̩]) is a German fairy tale[2] collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales.[2] The story is about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child.[2]

    Plot

    [edit]

    In order to appear superior, a miller brags to the king and people of his kingdom by claiming his daughter can spin straw into gold.[note 1] The king calls for the girl, locks her up in a tower room filled with straw and a spinning 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 little imp-like man appears in the room and spins the straw into gold in return for her necklace of glass beads. 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 the third day 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 her first child. She reluctantly agrees, and he sets about spinning the straw into gold.[note 3]

    Illustration by Anne Anderson from Grimm'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

    [edit]

    According to researchers at Durham University and the NOVA University Lisbon, the origins of the story can be traced back to around 4,000 years ago.[undue weight?discuss][3][4] A possible early literary reference to the tale appears in Dionysius of Halicarnassus's Roman Antiquities, in the 1st century AD.[5]

    Variants

    [edit]
    Stamp series on Rumpelstilzchen from the Deutsche Post of the GDR, 1976
    Grimms' fairytale stamp series of Rumpelstilzchen stamp set from the Deutsche Post of the BRD by artist Michael Kunter, 2022
    Grimms' fairytale stamp series of Rumpelstilzchen stamp set front cover from the Deutsche Post of the BRD by artist Michael Kunter, 2022
    Grimms' fairytale stamp series of Rumpelstilzchen stamp set inner cover from the Deutsche Post of the BRD by 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 the United Kingdom (from English Fairy Tales, 1890, by Joseph Jacobs); The Lazy Beauty and her Aunts in Ireland (from The Fireside Stories of Ireland, 1870 by Patrick Kennedy); Whuppity Stoorie in Scotland (from Robert Chambers's Popular Rhymes of Scotland, 1826); Gilitrutt in Iceland;[7][8] جعيدان (Joaidane "He who talks too much") in Arabic; Хламушка (Khlamushka "Junker") in Russia; Rumplcimprcampr, Rampelník or Martin Zvonek in the Czech Republic; Martinko Klingáč in Slovakia; "Cvilidreta" in Croatia; Ruidoquedito ("Little noise") in South America; Pancimanci in Hungary (from 1862 folktale collection by László Arany[9]); Daiku to Oniroku (大工と鬼六 "The carpenter and the ogre") in Japan and Myrmidon in France.

    An earlier literary variant in French was penned by Mme. L'Héritier, titled Ricdin-Ricdon.[10] A version of it exists in the compilation Le Cabinet des Fées, Vol. XII. pp. 125–131.

    The Cornish tale of Duffy and the Devil plays out an essentially similar plot featuring a "devil" named Terry-top.[11]

    All these tales are classified in the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index as tale type ATU 500, "The Name of the Supernatural Helper".[12][13] According to scholarship, it is popular in "Denmark, Finland, Germany and Ireland".[14]

    Name

    [edit]
    Illustration by Walter Crane from Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm (1886)

    The name Rumpeltiltskin as literally "little rattle stilt" is the usually given explanation of the name. The ending -chen in the German form Rumpelstiltschen is a diminutive cognate to English -kin.

    Rumpelstilzchen is regarded as containing Stilzchen, diminutive of Stelze "stilt".[15][17] This etymology seems endorsed by Hans-Jörg Uther's handbook on the Grimms Kinder- und Hausmärchen. Uther cites HdA [de] which gives the examples of Bachstelze, Wasserstelze (names of birds; stilt) as paralleling examples.[18][19] However, this was not the etymology hinted at by Jacob Grimm[20]

    Harry Rand's book on this fairy suggests that Rumpel is 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". [21]

    Grimm suggested -stilt, -stiltchen from Old German stalt with some uncertainty,[20] and did not much elaborate. Graff's dictionary indicates that Rumpelstilts, or rather the form Rumpelstilz was corrupted phonetically towards Stolz 'haughtiness', but the correct etymology points to stalt as Grimm suggested, and this goes to "stal (1)" meaning "locus, location, place" and stellen meaning to "set, place".[22][note 6]

    The meaning is similar to rumpelgeist ("rattle-ghost") or poltergeist ("rumble-ghost"), a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. The name is believed to be derived from Johann Fischart's Geschichtklitterung, or Gargantua of 1577 (a loose adaptation of Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel), which refers to an "amusement" for children, a children's game named "Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart". Thus a rumpelstilt or rumpelstilz was also known by such names as pophart or poppart,[19] that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks. (Other related concepts are mummarts or boggarts and hobs, which are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.)

    Translations

    [edit]
    Illustration for the tale of "Rumpel-stilt-skin" from The 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 is Rumpelstilzchen. For some languages, a name was chosen that comes close in sound to the German name: Rumpelstiltskin or Rumplestiltskin in English, Repelsteeltje in Dutch, Rumpelstichen in Brazilian Portuguese, Rumpelstinski, Rumpelestíjeles, Trasgolisto, Jasil el Trasgu, Barabay, Rompelimbrá, Barrabás, Ruidoquedito, Rompeltisquillo, Tiribilitín, Tremolín, El enano saltarín y el duende saltarín in Spanish, Rumplcimprcampr or Rampelník in Czech.

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

    In other languages, the name was translated in a poetic and approximate way. Thus Rumpelstilzchen is known as Päronskaft (literally "Pear-stalk") or Bullerskaft (literally "Rumble-stalk") in Swedish,[24] where the sense of stilt or stalk of the second part is retained.

    Slovak translations use Martinko Klingáč. Polish translations use Titelitury (or Rumpelsztyk) and Finnish ones Tittelintuure, Rompanruoja or Hopskukkeli. The Hungarian name is Tűzmanócska and in Serbo-Croatian Cvilidreta ("Whine-screamer"). The Slovenian translation uses Špicparkeljc ("Pointy-Hoof").

    In Italian, the creature is usually called Tremotino, which is probably formed from the world tremoto, which means "earthquake" in Tuscan 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.

    For Hebrew, the poet Avraham Shlonsky composed the name עוּץ־לִי גּוּץ־לִי Utz-li gutz-li, a compact and rhymy touch to the original sentence and meaning of the story, "My-Adviser My-Midget", from יוֹעֵץ, yo'etz, "adviser", and גּוּץ, gutz, "squat, dumpy, pudgy (about a person)"), when using the fairy-tale as the basis of a children's musical, now a classic among Hebrew children's plays.

    Greek translations 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.

    Urdu versions of the tale used the name Tees Mar Khan for the imp.

    Rumpelstiltskin principle

    [edit]

    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 the true name of a being is to have power over it. See Adam's naming of the animals in Genesis 2:19-20 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-video Muppet Classic Theater adapted the story, starring The Great Gonzo as the title character, Miss Piggy as the miller's daughter, and Kermit the Frog as 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 from Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child.
    • Barney's Once Upon a Time involves 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 the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
    • Rumpelstiltskin appears as a villainous character in the Shrek franchise, first voiced by Conrad Vernon in a minor role in Shrek the Third. In Shrek Forever After, the character's appearance and persona are significantly altered to become the main villain of the film, now voiced by Walt Dohrn.
    • In Once Upon a Time, Rumplestiltskin is one of the integral characters, portrayed by Robert Carlyle. Within the interconnected fairy tale narrative, he acts as a composite character for the Crocodile from Peter Pan, the Beast of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella's fairy godfather.
    • Rumpelstiltskin appears in Ever After High as 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 series Rainbow acted out the story in a 1987 episode. Zippy played the title character, Geoffrey played the king, Rod played the miller, Bungle played the miller’s daughter, George played the baby, Jane played the maid, and Freddy played a peasant.
    • The video game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has 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 daughter blonde and 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 word Hagestolz meaning 'confirmed bachelor', which seems also to contain the steim Stolz 'haughtiness' but is also actually rooted from stalt.[22] The explanatory on this Hagestolz word by Rudolf Steiner and Christopher Bamford is illuminating.[23]

    References

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    1. ^ Wells, John (3 April 2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3 ed.). Harlow: Pearson. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
    2. ^ a b c "Rumpelstiltskin". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
    3. ^ BBC (20 January 2016). "Fairy tale origins thousands of years old, researchers say". BBC. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
    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. PMC 4736946. PMID 26909191.
    5. ^ Anderson, Graham (2000). Fairytale in the Ancient World. Routledge. ISBN 9780415237031.
    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. ISBN 0752430459.
    9. ^ László Arany: Eredeti népmesék (folktale collection, Pest, 1862, in Hungarian)
    10. ^ Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier: La Tour ténébreuse et les Jours lumineux: Contes Anglois, 1705. In French
    11. ^ 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.
    12. ^ 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.
    13. ^ "Name of the Helper". D. L. Ashliman. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
    14. ^ Christiansen, Reidar Thorwalf. Folktales of Norway. Chicago: University of Chicago press by 1994 . pp. 5-6.
    15. ^ Bergeler, Edmunt (1961). "The Clinical Importance o 'Rumpelstiltskin' as Anti-male Manifesto". American Imago. 18: 66.
    16. ^ Rinsley, Donald B. (1983). "The Clinical Importance o 'Rumpelstiltskin' as Anti-male Manifesto". Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic. 47: 3.
    17. ^ Donald B. Rinsley's clinical paper cites Bergeler, but states that this association with stilt is mistaken.[16]
    18. ^ 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. ISBN 9783110747584.
    19. ^ a b Jacoby, Adolf (1927). "Boppelgebet". HdA, 1: 1479–1480
    20. ^ a b Grimm (1875) Deutsche Mythologie 1: 418 n1; Stallybrass tr. (1883) 2: 505n: Rumpelstilt, "stilt, stilz, the old stalt in compounds?"
    21. ^ Rand (2019), pp. 38–41.
    22. ^ a b Graff, Eberhard Gottlieb (1842) Althochdeutscher Sprachschatz 6, s.v. "Stolz (2)" cross-referenced to "Stal (1)"
    23. ^ 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.
    24. ^ Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (2008). Bröderna Grimms sagovärld (in Swedish). Bonnier Carlsen. p. 72. ISBN 978-91-638-2435-7.
    25. ^ Baugher, Lacy (2 November 2021). "Marissa Meyer reimagines Rumpelstiltskin in haunting retelling Gilded". Culturess. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
    26. ^ Schnieders Lefever, Kelsey (20 April 2020). "'Spinning Silver,' a retelling of 'Rumpelstiltskin,' to be featured Big Read book". www.purdue.edu. Retrieved 16 July 2023.

    Selected bibliography

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    Further reading

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