Rumpelstiltskin

“Tom Tit Tot.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 51-57.

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 16:06:07 +0000

“Tom Tit Tot.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 51-57. Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 01/28/2023 - 09:06

Tale Summary

After overbaking five pies, a woman tells her daughter to put them on a shelf to let the crust get soft again, to eat later. The daughter thought that if they would be okay to eat later, she may as well eat them then, and so ate each one. At supper-time, her mother asked for a pie, but the girl explained that she had eaten them all, and she was taken out into the street and beaten, all the while her mother singing:

“My darter ha’ ate five, five pies to-day!

My darter ha’ ate five, five pies to-day!”

The king happened to be walking by, and asked the woman what it was she was saying, and so ashamed, said instead:

"My darter ha’ spun five, five skeins to-day!

My darter ha’ spun five, five skeins to-day!”

The king was so impressed that he asked for her to be his wife under the condition that for eleven months of the year she would be treated lavishly, but the last month she would spend spinning five skeins a day, under penalty of death. So they were married, and for eleven months the girl was treated well, but then she was taken to a room with a spinning wheel and a stool. The king told her that starting the next day, she would be shut in with some flax, and her head would be cut off if she did not produce five skeins. The girl sat in the kitchen and wept, for she did not even know how to spin. Then, there was a knock at the door, and in came a small black thing with a long tail. She explained her situation to him when he asked about her crying, and he promised to do all the work for her. He would give her three tries every night to guess his name, and if she could not do it by the end of the month, she would be his. She agreed, and every morning she snuck him the flax from her window, and every evening he snuck the finished skeins back, and the girl was not able to guess his name. On the second to last day of the month, the king was confident that he would not have to kill his wife, and so had dinner with her in the room. He told her a story about how earlier that day he ventured into a new part of the woods and came across a small black creature with a long tail hopping around a chalk-pit and singing:

“Nimmy Nimmy Not,

My name’s TOM TIT TOT.”

The next evening the creature visited her and asked for her guesses, expecting her to soon be his. She guessed wrong twice, and then repeated the chant her husband had told her:

“Nimmy Nimmy Not,

Yar name’s TOM TIT TOT.”

The little creature shrieked and flew away, never to be seen again.

Fairy Tale Title

Tom Tit Tot

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Common Tale Type

The Name of the Supernatural Helper

Tale Classification

ATU 500

Page Range of Tale

pp. 51-57

Full Citation of Tale

“Tom Tit Tot.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 51-57.

Original Source of the Tale

An old English tale, analogous to the Rumpelstiltskin story.

Tale Notes

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2023

Book Title

Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys

Book Author/Editor(s)

Ernest Rhys

Illustrator(s)

None listed

Publisher

J.M. Dent & Co., E.P. Dutton & co.

Date Published

1907

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London, New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom, United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

A collection of stories split up into three categories: "Fairy Tales and Romances," "Mother Jack's Fairy Book," and "Later Fairy Tales and Rhymes"

Traditional

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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.

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Dec 2022 18:38:29 +0000

“Rumpel-Stilts-Kin.” German Popular Tales, Vol. 61. Brothers Grimm, edited by Edgar Taylor, London: Chatto and Windus, 1868, pp. 148-151. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 12/23/2022 - 11:38

Brothers Grimm

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.

Traditional

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“Rumpelstiltzkin.” The Blue Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London and New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889, pp. 96-99.

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 00:45:39 +0000

“Rumpelstiltzkin.” The Blue Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London and New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889, pp. 96-99. Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/04/2022 - 18:45

Andrew Lang

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, a poor Miller had an audience with the King, and, trying to make himself seem important, said that his beautiful daughter could spin straw into gold. The King demanded her presence, and locked her away in a room full of straw, commanding her to spin it all into gold by morning or she would die. While she weeps about her situation, a little man appears and asks what she will give him if he does the work for her. She gives him her necklace, and by morning all of the bobbins are full of gold. The king places her in another bigger room out of greed, and again commands she spin all of the straw into gold by the morning or she will die. And again, the little man appears, and she gives him the ring off her finger in return for his help. The next day, the king promises that if she completes this task once more, she will be his Queen, and if not, she will die. The little man appears to the miller’s daughter, who has nothing left to give him. He proposes that she give him her firstborn child if she is ever to become Queen, and she agrees. The gold is spun, and straightaway the girl is wed to the King. A year later, forgetful of the little man, the Queen has a child. When the little man appears again to claim him, the Queen weeps so bitterly that he has pity on her. He tells her that if she is able to guess his name within three days’ time, she will be able to keep her child. On the first day, she lists off every name she can think of. On the second day, she scours the neighborhood for strange and unusual names. On the third day, a messenger arrives whom she had sent away to search for names. He tells her about how near the woods, there was a little man he saw hopping around a fire on one leg crying that his name was Rumpelstiltzkin. The Queen guesses this name, and he becomes so enraged that he strikes the ground with his right foot, becomes lodged in the earth, and pulls upon his left leg so that he tears himself in two.

Fairy Tale Title

Rumpelstiltzkin

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

George Percy Jacomb Hood
Henry Justice Ford

Common Tale Type

The Name of the Supernatural Helper

Tale Classification

ATU 500

Page Range of Tale

pp. 96-99

Full Citation of Tale

“Rumpelstiltzkin.” The Blue Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London and New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889, pp. 96-99.

Original Source of the Tale

Tale Notes

In this version of the tale, Rumpelstiltzkin fully tears himself in half at the end, rather than in other versions, where he only pulls off his right leg.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

The Blue Fairy Book

Book Author/Editor(s)

Andrew Lang

Illustrator(s)

George Percy Jacomb Hood
Henry Justice Ford

Publisher

Longmans, Green, and Co.

Date Published

1889

Decade Published

1880-1889

Publisher City

London

Publisher Country

United Kingdom

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the Internet Archive

Book Notes

None

Traditional

White

“Rumpelstiltskin.” In Fairyland: Tales Told Again, Chisholm, Louey, illustrated by Katharine Cameron, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, pp. 6-12.

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 19:42:40 +0000

“Rumpelstiltskin.” In Fairyland: Tales Told Again, Chisholm, Louey, illustrated by Katharine Cameron, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, pp. 6-12. Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/03/2022 - 13:42

Louey Chisholm

Tale Summary

A miller with a very beautiful daughter is summoned to see the king and tried to alleviate himself of the unease of never being at court before by saying that she could spin straw into gold. The king is intrigued and has her sent for, and she arrives the next day. He locks her in a room filled with straw and commands her to either spin it all into gold before morning or die. The girl weeps because she does not know how, when a strange-looking little man appears, and asks why she cries. When she explains her predicament, he offers to do the impossible task for her, at a price. She gives him her necklace, and by morning, all of the straw has been spun into gold. The king, even greedier now that he sees it, locks her in an even larger room full of straw, and commands, as before, that it be spun into gold by the next day. Again, the little man appears to the miller’s daughter and spins it in exchange for her ring. The king once more demands the same task of the girl but promises she will be Queen if she succeeds. When the little man appears, the girl says she has nothing left to offer. He asks for her firstborn child if ever she is to become Queen, and she agrees. After the king sees the room full of gold which the little man has spun, she does become Queen, and a year later she has forgotten her promise and has a child. The little man arrives and demands what he is owed, but the Queen is so pitiful, that he gives her three days to guess his name, and if she does so, she will be allowed to keep her child. On the first day, the Queen lists off every name she can think of. With the help of a messenger, the second day is spent guessing the most unusual names in the land. On the third day, the messenger comes back and says that, on the edge of the forest by a mountain, a strange little man was dancing on one foot in front of a fire, and that in his song he hears his name is ‘Rumpelstiltskin”. The Queen guesses this name, and the little man is so furious that he stomps hard enough on the ground that his right foot becomes stuck, and then comes off when he pulls on his left one. The Queen keeps her child, and Rumpelstiltskin is not heard from again.

Fairy Tale Title

Rumplestiltskin

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Louey Chisholm

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Katharine Cameron

Common Tale Type

The Name of the Supernatural Helper

Tale Classification

ATU 500

Page Range of Tale

pp. 170-174

Full Citation of Tale

“Rumpelstiltskin.” In Fairyland: Tales Told Again, Chisholm, Louey, illustrated by Katharine Cameron, New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904, pp. 6-12.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

In this version of the tale, there is an emphasis on descriptions of clothing. When the Miller’s daughter/Queen is brought before the king, she wears a satin skirt of old gold, and a red velvet bodice. When Rumplestiltskin is introduced, he is wearing a coat and loose trousers made of white cotton with large red spots, a red and white hat with a cock’s feather, and in his hand, he holds a wand.

The song that the messenger hears as Rumplestiltskin dances around the fire is this:

"Although to-day I brew and bake,
To-morrow the Queen’s own child I take.
So nobody tell, for goodness’ sake,
That my name is Rumpelstiltskin"

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

In Fairyland: Tales Told Again

Book Author/Editor(s)

Louey Chisholm

Illustrator(s)

Katharine Cameron

Publisher

T. C. & E. C. Jack and G.P. Putnam's Sons

Date Published

1904

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London
New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom
United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

This book contains a preface that introduces a framing narrative, however, the narrative is never addressed again throughout the book. Through the preface, in which a young girl named Sunflower speaks with her mother, we discover that the tales contained within this book are targeted towards children. Sunflower praises her mother’s storytelling because she “leave[s] out all the not interesting bits you know and make me understand what the story is all about.”

Traditional

White

“Rumpelstiltskin.” A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Gilbert James, London: Siegle, Hill and Co., [c. 1900], pp. 15-24.

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 01:43:26 +0000

“Rumpelstiltskin.” A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Gilbert James, London: Siegle, Hill and Co., [c. 1900], pp. 15-24. Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 11/01/2022 - 19:43

Brothers Grimm

Tale Summary

When a poor Miller must speak with the King, he tells him that his daughter has the ability to spin straw into gold to make himself seem more notable. The king demands the presence of the girl. The miller’s daughter is shut into a large room filled with straw and is ordered to spin it all into gold by the end of the night, under penalty of death. Weeping, she does not know what to do, when a strange little man offers his services in return for whatever she can give him. She hands over her necklace, and he spins the straw into gold. The king is amazed, and shuts her in another, larger room, and demands the same thing of her again. The little man appears that night, and the girl offers her ring, and the straw is again spun into gold. The next morning, the king promises the girl she will be Queen if she succeeds one more time, and will die if she fails. She has nothing left to give the little man, so when he asks her firstborn child if she becomes Queen, she agrees, and he spins the straw into gold. A year later, the Miller’s daughter (now the Queen) gives birth to a child. The little man shows up and demands what he is owed, but the Queen is so distraught, he takes pity and says she may keep the child if she guesses his name within three days. She sends a messenger to search for names across the land, and in the meantime spends the first day guessing more conventional names, and the second day asking strange and more ridiculous names. On the third day, the messenger comes back and tells the queen something useful. He tells of a strange little man, living in a house on the edge of the forest, dancing around a fire, boasting that no one knows his name is ‘Rumpelstiltskin’. The Queen guesses this name, and out of anger the little man strikes the ground with his right foot so hard it gets stuck, and then comes off when pulls on his left leg too hard. Rumpelstiltskin is no longer a problem for the Queen.

Fairy Tale Title

Rumpelstiltskin

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

Gilbert James

Common Tale Type

The Name of the Supernatural Helper

Tale Classification

ATU 500

Page Range of Tale

pp. 15-24

Full Citation of Tale

“Rumpelstiltskin.” A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Gilbert James, London: Siegle, Hill and Co., [c. 1900], pp. 15-24.

Original Source of the Tale

Brothers Grimm

Tale Notes

What the messenger overhears Rumplestiltskin shouting as he danced around the fire is this:

"To-day I'll stew, and then I'll bake
To-morrow I shall the Queen's child take;
Ah! how famous it is that nobody knows
That my name is Rumpelstiltskin"

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener 2022

Book Title

A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Book Author/Editor(s)

Brothers Grimm

Illustrator(s)

Gilbert James

Publisher

Siegle Hill & Co; The H.B. Claflin Company

Date Published

1900

Decade Published

1900-1909

Publisher City

London
New York

Publisher Country

United Kingdom
United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the CU Digital Library

Book Notes

This book includes six tales, most of which are the Grimm Brothers' best-known tales including Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince, Rumplestilskin, Hansel and Grethel, The Rabbit’s Bride, and The Shreds. The illustrations are simple but beautiful and a few pages are decorated with floral motifs. It is a very small book that appears adapted for children.

Traditional

White