Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales
    Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales
    Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales
    Ebook229 pages3 hours

    Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales

    By Brothers Grimm

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In order to make himself appear more important, a miller lies to a king, telling him that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king calls for the girl, shuts her in a tower room filled with straw and a spinning wheel, and demands that she spin the straw into gold by morning. Rumpelstiltskin is one of the fifty European fairy tales featured in this volume of Grim’s Fairy tales.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSovereign
    Release dateJan 15, 2013
    ISBN9781909904156
    Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales
    Author

    Brothers Grimm

    Wilhelm Grimm and his brother Jacob are famous for their classical collection of folk songs and folktales, especially for Children’s and Household Tales, generally known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

    Read more from Brothers Grimm

    Related to Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales

    Related ebooks

    Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Wolf Prince

      Jan 6, 2021

      The Wolf Prince
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Incredible Crow

      Mar 4, 2020

      The Incredible Crow
      4 min read

    • Article

      TALL, WIDE, and Piercing Eyes

      Mar 1, 2019

      TALL, WIDE, and Piercing Eyes
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Good Servant

      Aug 8, 2022

      Windsor, March 1932 “Good evening, Miss Crawford.” A smart young man in uniform was waiting on the platform when she stepped off the train. She was startled. “Aye. That’s me. How did you know?” “Easy.” He smiled. “There aren’t that many young ladies

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Wise Little Girl

      Jul 1, 2020

      The Wise Little Girl
      3 min read

    • Article

      As He Publishes His Platinum Jubilee Picture Book sir Michael Morpurgo the Best-selling ‘War Horse’ Author Tells Us Why The Queen’s Reign Is A True Fairytale

      May 9, 2022

      As He Publishes His Platinum Jubilee Picture Book sir Michael Morpurgo the Best-selling ‘War Horse’ Author Tells Us Why The Queen’s Reign Is A True Fairytale
      6 min read

    • Article

      Camilla The Down To Earth Duchess

      Jul 13, 2022

      Camilla The Down To Earth Duchess
      14 min read

    • Article

      The Golden Lion

      Apr 1, 2024

      The Golden Lion
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Good Little Mouse

      Oct 6, 2021

      The Good Little Mouse
      5 min read

    • Article

      Camilla The Down To Earth Duchess

      Jul 13, 2022

      Camilla The Down To Earth Duchess
      14 min read

    • Article

      MICHAEL KOHLHAAS Part Two

      Feb 26, 2019

      MICHAEL KOHLHAAS Part Two
      24 min read

    • Article

      The Governess

      Dec 27, 2020

      The Governess
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Governess

      Dec 30, 2020

      The Governess
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Spellbook

      Sep 2, 2020

      The Spellbook
      4 min read

    • Article

      Princess Margaret And Me

      Oct 30, 2019

      Princess Margaret And Me
      11 min read

    • Article

      Magnets: Carried through time, lovers seek their purpose.

      Feb 6, 2014

      Moon Colony B, 2213 Former Ponzi-schemer Mary Pillar digs through a trashcan. It smells like rotten eggs and milk. She is elderly and homeless, living in an alley between two eco-efficient skyscrapers. Dust particles dance around her. She has lost ev

      11 min read

    • Article

      The Crystal Ball

      Nov 1, 2023

      The Crystal Ball
      5 min read

    • Article

      Princess Margaret And Me

      Nov 6, 2019

      Princess Margaret And Me
      11 min read

    • Article

      As Charles Announces The Name Of A Baby White Rhino The Duke And Duchess Of Edinburgh Visit The New City Of Colchester And Receive Warm Greetings From Schoolchildren And Famous Faces

      Mar 13, 2023

      As Charles Announces The Name Of A Baby White Rhino The Duke And Duchess Of Edinburgh Visit The New City Of Colchester And Receive Warm Greetings From Schoolchildren And Famous Faces
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Magic Carpet

      Nov 6, 2019

      The Magic Carpet
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Nightingale

      May 1, 2019

      The Nightingale
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Enchanted Canary

      Jun 7, 2023

      The Enchanted Canary
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Scarlet PEBBLE

      Feb 28, 2024

      The Scarlet PEBBLE
      9 min read

    • Article

      Arthur’s Seat

      Jan 19, 2021

      Arthur’s Seat
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Rumpelstiltskin and Other Tales - Brothers Grimm

      CLASSICS

      RUMPELSTILTSKIN

      Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he had to go and speak to the King, and in order to make himself appear important he said to him, I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold. The King said to the miller, That is an art which pleases me well; if your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her to-morrow to my palace, and I will try what she can do.

      And when the girl was brought to him he took her into a room which was quite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and a reel, and said, Now set to work, and if by to-morrow morning early you have not spun this straw into gold during the night, you must die. Thereupon he himself locked up the room, and left her in it alone. So there sat the poor miller’s daughter, and for the life of her could not tell what to do; she had no idea how straw could be spun into gold, and she grew more and more miserable, until at last she began to weep.

      But all at once the door opened, and in came a little man, and said, Good evening, Mistress Miller; why are you crying so? Alas! answered the girl, I have to spin straw into gold, and I do not know how to do it. What will you give me, said the manikin, if I do it for you? My necklace, said the girl. The little man took the necklace, seated himself in front of the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr, three turns, and the reel was full; then he put another on, and whirr, whirr, whirr, three times round, and the second was full too. And so it went on until the morning, when all the straw was spun, and all the reels were full of gold. By daybreak the King was already there, and when he saw the gold he was astonished and delighted, but his heart became only more greedy. He had the miller’s daughter taken into another room full of straw, which was much larger, and commanded her to spin that also in one night if she valued her life. The girl knew not how to help herself, and was crying, when the door again opened, and the little man appeared, and said, What will you give me if I spin that straw into gold for you? The ring on my finger, answered the girl. The little man took the ring, again began to turn the wheel, and by morning had spun all the straw into glittering gold.

      The King rejoiced beyond measure at the sight, but still he had not gold enough; and he had the miller’s daughter taken into a still larger room full of straw, and said, You must spin this, too, in the course of this night; but if you succeed, you shall be my wife. Even if she be a miller’s daughter, thought he, I could not find a richer wife in the whole world.

      When the girl was alone the manikin came again for the third time, and said, What will you give me if I spin the straw for you this time also? I have nothing left that I could give, answered the girl. Then promise me, if you should become Queen, your first child. Who knows whether that will ever happen? thought the miller’s daughter; and, not knowing how else to help herself in this strait, she promised the manikin what he wanted, and for that he once more span the straw into gold.

      And when the King came in the morning, and found all as he had wished, he took her in marriage, and the pretty miller’s daughter became a Queen.

      A year after, she had a beautiful child, and she never gave a thought to the manikin. But suddenly he came into her room, and said, Now give me what you promised. The Queen was horror-struck, and offered the manikin all the riches of the kingdom if he would leave her the child. But the manikin said, No, something that is living is dearer to me than all the treasures in the world. Then the Queen began to weep and cry, so that the manikin pitied her. I will give you three days’ time, said he, if by that time you find out my name, then shall you keep your child.

      So the Queen thought the whole night of all the names that she had ever heard, and she sent a messenger over the country to inquire, far and wide, for any other names that there might be. When the manikin came the next day, she began with Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar, and said all the names she knew, one after another; but to every one the little man said, That is not my name. On the second day she had inquiries made in the neighborhood as to the names of the people there, and she repeated to the manikin the most uncommon and curious. Perhaps your name is Shortribs, or Sheepshanks, or Laceleg? but he always answered, That is not my name.

      On the third day the messenger came back again, and said, "I have not been able to find a single new name, but as I came to a high mountain at the end of the forest, where the fox and the hare bid each other good night, there I saw a little house, and before the house a fire was burning, and round about the fire quite a ridiculous little man was jumping: he hopped upon one leg, and shouted—-

      "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."

      You may think how glad the Queen was when she heard the name! And when soon afterwards the little man came in, and asked, Now, Mistress Queen, what is my name? at first she said, Is your name Conrad? No. Is your name Harry? No.

      Perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?

      The devil has told you that! the devil has told you that! cried the little man, and in his anger he plunged his right foot so deep into the earth that his whole leg went in; and then in rage he pulled at his left leg so hard with both hands that he tore himself in two.

      Were you indeed at the wedding? Yes, indeed I was there, and in full dress. My head-dress was of snow; then the sun came out, and it was melted. My coat was of cobwebs, and I had to pass by some thorns which tore it off me, my shoes were of glass, and I pushed against a stone and they said, Klink," and broke in two.

      THE HUT IN THE FOREST

      A poor wood-cutter lived with his wife and three daughters in a little hut on the edge of a lonely forest. One morning as he was about to go to his work, he said to his wife, Let my dinner be brought into the forest to me by my eldest daughter, or I shall never get my work done, and in order that she may not miss her way, he added, I will take a bag of millet with me and strew the seeds on the path. When, therefore, the sun was just above the center of the forest, the girl set out on her way with a bowl of soup, but the field-sparrows, and wood-sparrows, larks and finches, blackbirds and siskins had picked up the millet long before, and the girl could not find the track. Then trusting to chance, she went on and on, until the sun sank and night began to fall. The trees rustled in the darkness, the owls hooted, and she began to be afraid. Then in the distance she perceived a light which glimmered between the trees. There ought to be some people living there, who can take me in for the night, thought she, and went up to the light. It was not long before she came to a house the windows of which were all lighted up. She knocked, and a rough voice from inside cried, Come in. The girl stepped into the dark entrance, and knocked at the door of the room. Just come in, cried the voice, and when she opened the door, an old gray-haired man was sitting at the table, supporting his face with both hands, and his white beard fell down over the table almost as far as the ground. By the stove lay three animals, a hen, a cock, and a brindled cow. The girl told her story to the old man, and begged for shelter for the night. The man said,

      Pretty little hen, Pretty little cock, And pretty brindled cow, What say ye to that?

      Duks, answered the animals, and that must have meant, We are willing, for the old man said, Here you shall have shelter and food, go to the fire, and cook us our supper. The girl found in the kitchen abundance of everything, and cooked a good supper, but had no thought of the animals. She carried the full dishes to the table, seated herself by the gray-haired man, ate and satisfied her hunger. When she had had enough, she said, But now I am tired, where is there a bed in which I can lie down, and sleep? The animals replied,

      Thou hast eaten with him, Thou hast drunk with him, Thou hast had no thought for us, So find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night.

      Then said the old man, Just go upstairs, and thou wilt find a room with two beds, shake them up, and put white linen on them, and then I, too, will come and lie down to sleep. The girl went up, and when she had shaken the beds and put clean sheets on, she lay down in one of them without waiting any longer for the old man. After some time, however, the gray-haired man came, took his candle, looked at the girl and shook his head. When he saw that she had fallen into a sound sleep, he opened a trap-door, and let her down into the cellar.

      Late at night the wood-cutter came home, and reproached his wife for leaving him to hunger all day. It is not my fault, she replied, the girl went out with your dinner, and must have lost herself, but she is sure to come back to-morrow. The wood-cutter, however, arose before dawn to go into the forest, and requested that the second daughter should take him his dinner that day. I will take a bag with lentils, said he; the seeds are larger than millet, the girl will see them better, and can’t lose her way. At dinner-time, therefore, the girl took out the food, but the lentils had disappeared. The birds of the forest had picked them up as they had done the day before, and had left none. The girl wandered about in the forest until night, and then she too reached the house of the old man, was told to go in, and begged for food and a bed. The man with the white beard again asked the animals,

      Pretty little hen, Pretty little cock, And pretty brindled cow, What say ye to that?

      The animals again replied Duks, and everything happened just as it had happened the day before. The girl cooked a good meal, ate and drank with the old man, and did not concern herself about the animals, and when she inquired about her bed they answered,

      Thou hast eaten with him, Thou hast drunk with him, Thou hast had no thought for us, To find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night.

      When she was asleep the old man came, looked at her, shook his head, and let her down into the cellar.

      On the third morning the wood-cutter said to his wife, Send our youngest child out with my dinner to-day, she has always been good and obedient, and will stay in the right path, and not run about after every wild humble-bee, as her sisters did. The mother did not want to do it, and said, Am I to lose my dearest child, as well?

      Have no fear, he replied, the girl will not go astray; she is too prudent and sensible; besides I will take some peas with me, and strew them about. They are still larger than lentils, and will show her the way. But when the girl went out with her basket on her arm, the wood-pigeons had already got all the peas in their crops, and she did not know which way she was to turn. She was full of sorrow and never ceased to think how hungry her father would be, and how her good mother would grieve, if she did not go home. At length when it grew dark, she saw the light and came to the house in the forest. She begged quite prettily to be allowed to spend the night there, and the man with the white beard once more asked his animals,

      "Pretty little hen, Pretty little cock, And beautiful brindled cow,

      What say ye to that?"

      Duks, said they. Then the girl went to the stove where the animals were lying, and petted the cock and hen, and stroked their smooth feathers with her hand, and caressed the brindled cow between her horns, and when, in obedience to the old man’s orders, she had made ready some good soup, and the bowl was placed upon the table, she said, Am I to eat as much as I want, and the good animals to have nothing? Outside is food in plenty, I will look after them first. So she went and brought some barley and stewed it for the cock and hen, and a whole armful of sweet-smelling hay for the cow. I hope you will like it, dear animals, said she, and you shall have a refreshing draught in case you are thirsty. Then she fetched in a bucketful of water, and the cock and hen jumped on to the edge of it and dipped their beaks in, and then held up their heads as the birds do when they drink, and the brindled cow also took a hearty draught. When the animals were fed, the girl seated herself at the table by the old man, and ate what he had left. It was not long before the cock and the hen began to thrust their heads beneath their wings, and the eyes of the cow likewise began to blink. Then said the girl, Ought we not to go to bed?

      Pretty little hen, Pretty little cock, And pretty brindled cow, What say ye to that?

      The animals answered Duks,

      Thou hast eaten with us, Thou hast drunk with us, Thou hast had kind thought for all of us, We wish thee good-night.

      Then the maiden went upstairs, shook the feather-beds, and laid clean sheets on them, and when she had done it the old man came and lay down on one of the beds, and his white beard reached down to his feet. The girl lay down on the other, said her prayers, and fell asleep.

      She slept quietly till midnight, and then there was such a noise in the house that she awoke. There was a sound of cracking and splitting in every corner, and the doors sprang open, and beat against the walls. The beams groaned as if they were being torn out of their joints, it seemed as if the staircase were falling down, and at length there was a crash as if the entire roof had fallen in. As, however, all grew quiet once more, and the girl was not hurt, she stayed quietly lying where she was, and fell asleep again. But when she woke up in the morning with the brilliancy of the sunshine, what did her eyes behold? She was lying in a vast hall, and everything around her shone with royal splendor; on the walls, golden flowers grew up on a ground of green silk, the bed was of ivory, and the canopy of red velvet, and on a chair close by, was a pair of shoes embroidered with pearls. The girl believed that she was in a dream, but three richly clad attendants came in, and asked what orders she would like to give? If you will go, she replied, I will get up at once and make ready some soup for the old man, and then I will feed the pretty little hen, and the cock, and the beautiful brindled cow. She thought the old man was up already, and looked round at his bed; he, however, was not lying in it, but a stranger. And while she was looking at him, and becoming aware that he was young and handsome, he awoke, sat up in bed, and said, I am a King’s son, and was bewitched by a wicked witch, and made to live in this forest, as an old gray-haired man; no one was allowed to be with me but my three attendants in the form of a cock, a hen, and a brindled cow. The spell was not to be broken until a girl came to us whose heart was so good that she showed herself full of love, not only towards mankind, but towards animals — and that thou hast done, and by thee at midnight we were set free, and the old hut in the forest was changed back again into my royal palace. And when they had arisen, the King’s son ordered the three attendants to set out and fetch the father and mother of the girl to the marriage feast. But where are my two sisters? inquired the maiden. I have locked them in the cellar, and to-morrow they shall be led into the forest, and shall live as servants to a charcoal-burner, until they have grown kinder, and do not leave poor animals to suffer hunger.

      SHARING JOY AND SORROW

      There was once a tailor, who was a quarrelsome fellow, and his wife, who was good, industrious, and pious, never could please him. Whatever she did, he was not satisfied, but grumbled and scolded, and knocked her about and beat her. As the

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1