🧵 Rumpelstiltskin (The Tale of the Straw and the Strange Little Man)

 

👨‍🌾 A Father's Boast

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a poor miller who had a beautiful daughter. One day, while trying to impress the king, the miller foolishly bragged:

“My daughter can spin straw into gold!” ✨

The greedy king, curious and eager for riches, immediately summoned the girl to the palace.

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👑 A Royal Challenge

The king led the girl into a room full of straw and said:

“If you can spin all this straw into gold by morning, you may live. If not, you shall die.” 😨

He locked the door behind her.

The poor girl wept bitterly, for she had no idea how to spin straw into gold.

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🧙‍♂️ A Mysterious Helper

Suddenly, a strange little man appeared before her.

“Why are you crying, my dear?” he asked kindly.

She told him everything. The little man replied:

“I can spin straw into gold... but what will you give me in return?”

She offered her necklace, and the little man began spinning.
By morning, the straw had turned into gleaming gold. ✨

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💍 The Deal Continues

But the greedy king was not satisfied. The next night, he brought her to a bigger room with even more straw.

The little man returned again. This time, she gave him her ring 💍, and once more he spun all the straw into gold.

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👶 The Final Bargain

On the third night, the king led her to an even larger room, promising:

“If you succeed tonight, I will make you my queen.”

The girl had nothing left to give. The little man appeared and said:

“Promise me your first-born child when you become queen, and I will help you one last time.”

In desperation, the girl agreed. The little man spun the gold, and the next day, the king kept his promise. She became Queen of the land. 👑

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👼 The Child and the Return

A year later, the queen had a beautiful baby. She had forgotten all about her promise—until the strange little man returned to claim the child.

“A deal is a deal!” he said.

The queen was heartbroken and begged him to let her keep her child. The little man, moved by her tears, gave her a chance:

“If you can guess my name in three days, you may keep the child.”

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🕵️‍♀️ A Clever Plan

The queen sent messengers far and wide to gather every unusual name. She guessed many—“Casper,” “Melchior,” “Balderdash”—but all were wrong.

On the third day, one of her servants returned with strange news:

“I saw a little man dancing around a fire in the forest, singing:
‘Tonight, tonight, my plans I make,
Tomorrow, tomorrow, the baby I take.
The queen will never win the game,
For Rumpelstiltskin is my name!’”

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🏆 The Truth Revealed

That night, the little man returned, smiling smugly.
The queen looked at him and said sweetly:

“Is your name... Rumpelstiltskin?”

The little man screamed with rage 😡, stomped his foot so hard it cracked the floor, and in a flash—he vanished forever.

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👶 A Happy Ending

The queen hugged her child with joy.
She kept her promise to never speak of the dark deal again, and ruled wisely beside the king.

As for Rumpelstiltskin—he was never seen in the kingdom again.

And so, they lived happily ever after. 🌟

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📚 Source

Adapted from Rumpelstiltskin, originally collected by The Brothers Grimm.