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“Rumpel-Stilts-Kin.” German Popular Tales, Vol. 61. Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor, London: Chatto and Windus, 1868, pp. 148-151.

Rumpel-Stilts-Kin

Tale Summary

There was once a poor miller who was so proud and vain because of his beautiful daughter that he boasted to the King that she could spin straw into gold. The greedy King demanded she is brought to him, and shut her in a room full of straw, telling her she must spin it into gold by morning or she would be killed. Not knowing what to do, the girl cried, and a little man came in through the door. He said that, in exchange for her necklace, he would do all of the work for her, and the next day the King was pleased to see a room full of gold. Not satisfied, he locks her in another chamber, and she once again meets the little man, who does all of the work in exchange for her ring. The same thing happens the next day, except this time, the King swears she will be made his Queen if she is to succeed. She does not have anything else to pay the little man when he appears, so he asks for her to give him her firstborn child if she is to become Queen. She gives her word, but forgets and, after marrying the King, does have a child. When he comes for his payment, she cries so much that the little man takes pity on her, telling her that if she is able to guess his name before three days are up, then she may keep the child. The Queen sends out messengers to scout for names, and on the first day she guesses all of the normal names she can think of, and on the second day all of the comical names. On the third day, one of the messengers comes back and says that he saw a little man dancing around a fire and singing that his name was Rumpel-Stilts-Kin. The Queen guesses this name, and the little man, angry, stomps his foot into the ground so hard he must use both hands to free himself and leaves her and her child alone.

 

Fairy Tale Title

Rumpel-Stilts-Kin

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s) 

George Cruikshank

Common Tale Type 

The Name of the Supernatural Helper

Tale Classification

ATU 500

Page Range of Tale 

pp. 148-151

Full Citation of Tale 

“Rumpel-Stilts-Kin.” German Popular Tales, Vol. 61. Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor, London: Chatto and Windus, 1868, pp. 148-151.

Original Source of the Tale

 

Tale Notes

The song that the messenger hears Rumpel-Stilts-Kin singing around the fire is this:

“Merrily the feast I’ll make,
To-day I’ll brew, to-morrow bake;
Merrily I’ll dance and sing,
For next day will a stranger bring;
Little does my lady dream
Rumpel-Stilts-Kin is my name!”

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title 

German Popular Tales

Book Author/Editor(s) 

Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor

Illustrator(s)

George Cruikshank

Publisher

Chatto and Windus

Date Published

1868

Decade Published 

1860-1869

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

Green leather-bound book with golden filigree print on the front cover. The beginning title font is in block lettering, but the illustrator’s name is in cursive. The pages are yellowed and somewhat worn.