Rumpelstiltskin
A miller boasts that his daughter can spin straw into gold, and the King locks her in a room full of straw. A little man spins it for her, but his price is her first child, unless she can guess his name.
Scene 1: The Miller’s Boast
Rumpelstiltskin. Once there was a poor miller who had a beautiful daughter. To make himself seem important, he told the King: “My daughter can spin straw into gold.” The King said: “Bring her to my palace tomorrow.”
Scene 2: A Room Full of Straw
The King took the girl to a room full of straw, with a spinning wheel. He said: “Spin this straw into gold by morning, or you will be in great trouble.” Then he locked the door. The poor girl did not know how, and she began to cry.
Scene 3: Whirr, Whirr, Whirr
All at once, the door opened, and in came a little man. He asked: “What will you give me if I spin it for you?” The girl answered: “My necklace.” The little man sat down at the wheel. Whirr, whirr, whirr! Three turns, and the reel was full of gold. By morning, all the straw was spun into gold.
Scene 4: Bigger and Bigger Rooms
The King was delighted, but greedy for more. The next night, in a bigger room, she gave the little man her ring. Then the King showed her the biggest room of all, and said: “Spin this too, and you shall be my wife.” This time, the girl had nothing left to give. The little man said: “Then promise me your first child, when you are Queen.” Not knowing what else to do, she promised.
Scene 5: The Queen’s Promise
So she married the King and became the Queen. A year later, she had a beautiful baby. Then the little man came back and said: “Now give me what you promised.” The Queen offered him all the riches of the kingdom, and cried and cried. At last he said: “I will give you three days. If you can find out my name, you may keep your child.”
Scene 6: Guessing Names
The Queen sent a messenger far and wide to find names. She tried Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Then Shortribs, Sheepshanks, and Laceleg. To every one, the little man said: “That is not my name.”
Scene 7: Around the Fire
On the third day, the messenger came back. High on a mountain, where the fox and the hare bid each other good night, he had seen a little house. In front of it, a funny little man was hopping round a fire on one leg, shouting: “To-day I bake, to-morrow brew, The next I’ll have the young Queen’s child. Ha! glad am I that no one knew That Rumpelstiltskin I am styled.”
Scene 8: What Is My Name?
Soon the little man came in and asked: “Now, Mistress Queen, what is my name?” First she guessed Conrad, then Harry. Then she said: “Perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?” The little man shouted: “Who told you that? Who told you that?” He stamped his foot so hard that his leg went deep into the ground. He pulled it out, ran away, and was never seen again. And the Queen kept her baby, safe and happy. Never boast, and think carefully before you make a promise.
Moral: Never boast, and think carefully before you make a promise.
Questions about Rumpelstiltskin
What did the miller say his daughter could do?
Spin straw into gold.
What did the girl give the little man the first night?
Her necklace.
What did the little man ask for the third time?
Her first child, when she was Queen.
How many days did the Queen have to find out his name?
Three days.
What was the little man doing round the fire?
Hopping on one leg and shouting.
More stories to read aloud
- Cinderella — Kind Cinderella works among the cinders for her proud stepmother and stepsisters, until her fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a golden coach and sends her to the King’s son’s ball in glass slippers.
- Diamonds and Toads — A kind girl gives water to a poor old woman at the fountain, and the woman, who is really a fairy, makes roses, pearls and diamonds fall from her lips at every word.
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears — While the Three Bears take a walk until their porridge cools, a little girl called Goldilocks walks into their house and tries their porridge, chairs and beds.