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Rumpelstiltskin

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	Rumpelstiltskin
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	Topics Rumpelstiltskin Topic Home Rumpelstiltskin is a slave characterFictional character A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction.... in a fairy taleFairy tale Overview A fairy tale is a story featuring folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others.... of the same name that originated in GermanyGermany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in central Europe.... (where he is known as Rumpelstilzchen). The tale was collected by the Brothers GrimmBrothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm were Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German professors who were best known for publishing collections of authen... , who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. It was subsequently revised in later editions until the final version was published in 1857. The story has been retold in other countries, sometimes with the main characters name changing completely; Tom Tit Tot in EnglandEngland England is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom.... (from English Fairy Tales by Joseph JacobsJoseph Jacobs Joseph Jacobs was literary and Jewish historian.... ) and Päronskaft (meaning "pear stalk") in SwedenSweden The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Scandinavia.... . Plot synopsis In order to make himself appear more important, a miller lied to the kingKing A King may be:* A male monarch, or head of state; the female equivalent is styled queen... that his daughter could spinSpinning wheel Overview A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from a fiber such as wool or cotton.... strawStraw Straw is an agricultural byproduct, the dry of a cereal plant, after the nutrient grain or seed has been removed.... into goldGold Gold is a highly sought-after precious metal that for many centuries has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelry... . The king called for the girl, shut her in a tower room with straw and a spinning wheelSpinning wheel A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from a fiber such as wool or cotton.... , and demanded that she spin the straw into gold by morning, for three nights, or be executed. Some versions say that if she failed, she would be skewered and then fricasseed like a pig, while others take a less graphic approach and say that the girl is locked in the dungeonDungeon A dungeon, in its original medieval usage, was the keep, the main tower of a castle which formed the final defensive positio... forever. She had given up all hope, when a dwarfDwarf Summary A dwarf is a short humanoid creature in Norse mythology as well as other Germanic mythologies, fairy tales, fantasy fiction ... appeared in the room and spun straw into gold for her in return for her necklace; then again the following night for her ring. On the thirdRule of three (writing) The rule of three is a principle in English writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, mo... night, when she had nothing with which to reward him, the strange creature spun straw into gold for a promise that the girl's first-born child would become his. The king was so impressed that he let the miller's daughter marry his son, the prince, but when their first child was born, the dwarf returned to claim his payment: "Now give me what you promised". The queen was frightened and offered him all the wealth she had if she could keep the child. The dwarfDwarf A dwarf is a short humanoid creature in Norse mythology as well as other Germanic mythologies, fairy tales, fantasy fiction ... refused but finally agreed to give up his claim to the child if the queen could guess his name in three days. At first she failed, but before the second night, her messenger overheard the dwarf hopping about his fire and singingSinging Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with speech.... . While there are many variations in this song, the 1886 translation by Lucy Crane reads "To-day do I bake, to-morrow I brew, The day after that the queen's child comes in; And oh! I am glad that nobody knew That the name I am called is Rumpelstiltskin!" When the dwarf came to the queen on the third day and she revealed his name, Rumpelstiltskin lost his bargain. In the 1812 edition of the Brothers Grimm tales, Rumpelstiltskin then "ran away angrily, and never came back". The ending was revised in a final 1857 edition to a more gruesome version where 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 ladleLadle (spoon) A ladle is a type of spoon used to serve soup or other liquids.... (Heidi Anne Heiner). Name origins The name Rumpelstilzchen in GermanGerman language German is a West Germanic language.... means literally "little rattle stilt". (A stilt is a post or pole which provides support for a structure.) A rumpelstilt or rumpelstilz was the name of a type of goblinGoblin A goblin is an evil or merely mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured or elf-like phan... , 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 poltergeistPoltergeist Poltergeist is a term for a supposed spirit or ghost that manifests by moving and influencing inanimate objects .... ("noisy ghost"), a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. (Other related concepts are mummarts or boggartBoggart In Celtic mythology, a boggart is a household spirit, sometimes mischievous, sometimes helpful.... s and hobsHob (folklore) A hob is a type of small household spirits found in the north and midlands of England, according to traditional folklore of th... that are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.) The earliest known mention of Rumpelstiltskin occurs in Johann FischartJohann Fischart Johann Fischart was a German satirist and publicist. ... 's Geschichtklitterung, or Gargantua of 1577 (a loose adaptation of Rabelais'François Rabelais Franois Rabelais was a major French Renaissance writer. ... Gargantua and PantagruelGargantua and Pantagruel *Gargantua and Pantagruel* is a connected series of five books written in the 16th century by Franois Rabelais.... ) which refers to an "amusement" for children named "Rumpele stilt or the Poppart". Analysis The story of Rumpelstiltskin is an example of Aarne and Thompson's folklore typeAarne-Thompson classification system The Aarne-Thompson classification system is a system for classifying folktales.... 500 (The Name of the Helper; see links below). Other fairy tale themes in the story include the Impossible Task, the Hard Bargain, the Changeling Child, and, above all, the Secret NameTrue name A true name is a name of a thing or being that expresses, or is somehow identical with, its true nature.... . Rumpelstiltskin is most commonly interpreted as a cautionary tale against bragging (compare with the concept of hubrisHubris Hubris or hybris , according to its modern usage, is exaggerated pride or self-confidence, often resulting in fatal re... in Greek mythologyGreek mythology Greek mythology consists in part of a large collection of narratives that explain the origins of the world and detail the l... ), but in this case not the miller himself but rather his daughter is punished for his lies. An alternative explanation is that the tale could have been meant to teach women the importance of performing a supporting role in their later marriage. The gift of spinning straw into gold is seen here as a metaphor for the value of household skills. Indeed, the king in this tale does not seem to be interested in the girl besides her alleged magical capabilities — even though her beauty is mentioned in passing — and she exists only to bring him riches and bear his children. Specific anlysis as related to Secret NameTrue name A true name is a name of a thing or being that expresses, or is somehow identical with, its true nature.... is the idea we cannot banish problems that plague us until they are properly identified for what they are. Knowing the name of the problem is understanding the problem. The dwarf's demand for the girl's first-born child probably has remnants of older legends which held that malignant sprites and goblinGoblin A goblin is an evil or merely mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured or elf-like phan... s would steal unattended babies and replace them with a child (or "changelingChangeling Overview In European folklore and folk belief, a changeling is the offspring of a fairy, troll, elf or other legendary creature that ... ") of their own. (Similar tales exist about trollTroll A troll is a fearsome member of a mythical anthropomorph race from Scandinavia.... s as well, though their motives were generally seen as selfish rather than unpleasant, in that they supposedly found some of their own children too humanoid to exist among them.) However, tales like these in themselves were intended to stop children from playing outside without care, or mothers from leaving their children in danger, and the miller, famously, puts his own child in the power of a greedy king, while she in turn agrees to hand over her child to a virtual stranger. Another tale revolves about a girl trapped by false claims about her spinning abilities: The Three SpinnersThe Three Spinners The Three Spinners is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.... . However, the three women who assist that girl do not demand her first born, but that she invite them to her wedding and say that they are relatives of hers. With this more reasonable request, she complies, and is freed from her hated spinning when they tell the king that their hideous looks spring from their endless spinning. In one Italian variant, she 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. Influence Rumpelstiltskin Syndrome is an analogical reference to the role of the king in the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Common practice in middle-management is to impose unreasonable work demands on subordinates. Upon completion of the task or tasks in question, equal or higher work demands are then imposed; moreover, no credit, acknowledgement, or overt appreciation is demonstrated by way of recognition. The story of Rumpelstiltskin is discussed in Walter TevisFacts About Walter Tevis Walter Stone Tevis was an American author.... 's science-fiction novel The Man Who Fell to EarthFacts About The Man Who Fell to Earth *The Man Who Fell to Earth* is a 1963 novel by Walter Tevis about an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a w... . The main character in the novel, an extraterrestrial, is analogized to the Rumpelstiltskin character. Also, Rumpelstiltskin appeared to be an evil character in The Sisters GrimmThe Sisters Grimm (book series) The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives is a fictional book by Michael Buckley, and centers on Sabrina and Daphne Grimm... series by Michael BuckleyFacts About Michael Buckley Michael Buckley is a best selling children?s book author currently writing The Sisters Grimm book series.... . External links The fairy tale, lushly illustrated in of 1941. Felt Works at translated by Margaret Hunt, 1884 e-text . The classification is based on Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson, The Types of the Folktale: A Classification and Bibliography, (Helsinki, 1961). . . . javascript:WikipediaFooter('Rumpelstiltskin')