Rumpelstiltskin - German

My father once told a very big story that got me into a whole lot of trouble. He told the greedy king I could spin straw into shiny, glittering gold! My name is not important, but you will know me as the Queen, and this is the story of how I learned the secret name of a strange little man called Rumpelstiltskin. The king locked me in a tower room piled high with scratchy straw. He pointed to a spinning wheel and said, 'Turn all this into gold by morning, or you will be in big trouble!' I sat down and cried because, of course, I couldn't do such a thing. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a funny little man with a long beard hobbled in. He offered to spin the straw for me, but he wanted a payment in return. 'What will you give me,' he asked, 'if I spin for you?'.

A Dangerous Bargain

The first night, I gave the little man my pretty necklace, and poof! He spun all the straw into threads of pure gold. The king was delighted but also very greedy. The next night, he put me in an even bigger room filled with straw. The little man appeared again, and this time I gave him the ring from my finger. Whirr, whirr, whirr went the wheel, and soon the room was filled with even more gold. But on the third night, the king locked me in the biggest room yet, promising to make me his queen if I succeeded. This time, I had nothing left to give the little man. He looked at me with his beady eyes and said, 'Promise me your first child when you become queen.' I was so scared and didn't know what else to do, so I agreed. The king was so impressed with all the gold that he married me, and soon I was the Queen. A year later, on a happy September 10th, I had a beautiful baby, and I forgot all about my promise.

The Guessing Game

One day, as I was playing with my child, the little man appeared in my room and demanded my baby. I was horrified! I offered him all the jewels in the kingdom, but he shook his head. 'A living thing is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world,' he said. Seeing my tears, he felt a tiny bit of pity and made one last deal. 'I will give you three days,' he cackled. 'If you can guess my name in that time, you may keep your child.' I was so worried, but I had to try. For two days, I sent messengers far and wide to collect every strange name they could find. I guessed them all—Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar, Sheepshanks, Spindleshanks, and Longbottom—but after each one, he would laugh and say, 'That is not my name.' I was beginning to lose all hope, and my heart felt as heavy as a stone.

A Name of Power

Just before the third day ended, a messenger returned with an amazing story. He had seen a ridiculous little man dancing around a fire deep in the woods, singing a song: 'Today I bake, tomorrow brew, the next I'll have the young Queen's child. Ha! Glad it is that no one knew, that Rumpelstiltskin I am styled!' When the little man came back, I played along. 'Is your name Conrad?' I asked. 'No!' he said. 'Is your name Heinz?' 'No!' he chuckled. Then, I took a deep breath and said, 'Perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?' The little man gasped and got so angry he stomped his foot right through the floor and was never seen again! This story, first shared long ago and written down by the Brothers Grimm, teaches us to be careful what we promise. It reminds us that being clever and brave is more powerful than any treasure, and it continues to inspire a sense of wonder in stories and movies today, sparking our imagination about the magic hidden in a secret name.