Rumpelstiltskin bedtime story: a magical tale to read

Chapter 1: The Miller’s Boast

Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a poor miller. He had a beautiful daughter, known for her kindness and hard work. One day, while talking to the king, the miller, in a moment of foolish pride, boasted, “My daughter can spin straw into gold!”

The king, who was always looking for more wealth, was intrigued. He ordered the miller to bring his daughter to the palace, where he took her to a room filled with straw. The king said, “If you value your life, spin this straw into gold by morning, or you shall die.”

The miller’s daughter was terrified. She had no idea how to spin straw into gold. As the night grew darker, she wept, feeling hopeless and alone.

Chapter 2: The Little Man Appears

As the young woman cried, a strange little man appeared in the room. He was small, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Why are you crying, dear girl?” he asked.

The miller’s daughter explained her predicament. The little man thought for a moment and then said, “I can spin this straw into gold for you, but what will you give me in return?”

Desperate, the girl offered him her necklace, and the little man agreed. He sat down at the spinning wheel, and before long, all the straw in the room had been turned into gleaming gold.

When the king returned in the morning, he was astonished to see the room full of gold. But his greed only grew. He took the girl to an even larger room filled with more straw and commanded her to spin it into gold by the next morning.

Chapter 3: The Second Bargain

Once again, the girl found herself in a dire situation. And once again, the little man appeared. “I can help you,” he said, “but what will you give me this time?”

The miller’s daughter, now even more desperate, offered him her ring. The little man took the ring and, just as before, spun all the straw into gold.

The next morning, the king was even more pleased but not yet satisfied. He brought the girl to a third, even larger room filled with straw. He promised that if she could spin this straw into gold, he would marry her and make her queen. But if she failed, her life would be forfeit.

Chapter 4: The Final Deal

For the third time, the little man appeared. This time, the girl had nothing left to offer him. “What will you give me if I help you?” he asked.

The miller’s daughter, now with no other choice, promised him her firstborn child if she became queen. The little man agreed and once again spun all the straw into gold.

True to his word, the king married the miller’s daughter, and she became queen. A year later, the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby. She had forgotten about her promise until the little man reappeared, demanding the child.

Chapter 5: The Power of a Name

The queen was horrified and begged the little man to let her keep her child. He finally agreed, saying, “I will give you three days. If you can guess my name within those three days, you may keep your child.”

The queen sent messengers all over the kingdom to gather every name they could find. On the first day, she guessed many names—none were correct. On the second day, she tried even more—still, she was wrong.

On the third day, one of her messengers returned with a curious story. He had seen a little man dancing around a fire in the forest, singing:

“Today I’ll bake, tomorrow brew,
Then I’ll fetch the queen’s new child,
Oh, how glad I am that no one knew,
That Rumpelstiltskin is my name!”

When the little man returned, the queen pretended to guess one last time. “Is your name… Rumpelstiltskin?” she asked.

The little man was furious. “The devil told you that! The devil told you!” he shouted, and in his anger, he stomped his foot so hard that he sank into the ground and disappeared, never to be seen again.