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RUMPELSTILTSKIN – THE JUMPING DWARF

A long time ago, in a small village, lived a humble miller with his beautiful daughter. One day the miller found out that the king wanted to marry a young woman who, in addition to being beautiful, was also rich, so he went to the palace and boastfully told the king: Your Majesty. My daughter is the prettiest and has the great gift of spinning straw on a spinning wheel and turning it into golden threads. The king, feeling curious, sent for the girl and ordered her to be locked up in the castle’s highest tower. After the servants filled the room with straw, the king appeared before the young woman and told her: If tonight you turn this straw into gold, tomorrow I will set you free, but if you don’t, you will remain locked up here forever, and you will never see your father again. When the king left, the miller’s daughter began to cry because she did not know how to turn the straw into gold, and she sadly said: I wish someone could help me. Suddenly, a strange little dwarf appeared and told her: I can help you turn the straw into gold, but in exchange, you must give me the necklace you are wearing. She looked at him, saddened because she did not want to get rid of that necklace that had been a gift from her father, but she still agreed and gave it to the little dwarf who, without complaining, spent the whole night spinning the straw and turning it into gold threads. The next day, the king entered the room and was amazed that all the straw had disappeared and that now, the room was full of gold. Then, guided by his greed, he took the girl to a larger room with more straw and exclaimed: If you turn this straw into gold, this very night, you will be free, and you will be able to see your father.

That night the curious little dwarf appeared in the room again and told her. I will help you again, but now you will have to give me that ring you are wearing. Rapidly she took off that precious ring that had belonged to her mother and gave it to him, hoping to get out of there. The little dwarf began to spin the straw faster than ever, and before dawn, he left the room full of gold threads. Once again, the king was astonished to see that the young woman had complied with his orders, so he took her to a room much larger than the previous one and filled it with more straw, and then he said to her: If you turn all this straw into gold, I will marry you and you will be my queen. When night fell, the little dwarf appeared again, and when the young woman saw him, she said: I have nothing to give you. Don’t be afraid, the little dwarf replied and added, I know you have nothing to give me, but I will help you with one condition. You have to promise that when you marry the king and have your first child, that child will be mine. The young woman, who knew she could never turn straw into gold, desperately replied: I accept the deal. You will keep my first child. And just like the night before, the dwarf turned all the straw into gold, and then he disappeared.

The following morning when the king entered the room, he was surprised to see that it was again full of gold, and, thinking that the miller’s daughter could make him even richer than he already was, he quickly married her.

Years passed, and their first child was born. The young woman was so happy that she forgot her promise to the dwarf. However, one day the dwarf returned to claim the child, and she, afraid that the king would lock her in the tower, begged him: “I’ll give you all the gold you want, but please don’t take my son.” “I’m not interested in your gold, but I’ll let you keep your son if you guess my name in three days, and if you fail, I’ll keep him,” the dwarf replied. Two days passed, and she kept reciting names, but none of her answers were correct. Distraught, the queen decided to send a messenger to follow the dwarf so she could find out his name. Upon reaching the forest, the dwarf climbed a huge rock and shouted happily:

“Tomorrow, I will go to see the queen,

His son will be the payment of a debt,

Joyful I will sing with my violin,

Because I’m Rumpelstiltskin,

The Jumping Dwarf.

The next day, the little dwarf returned to the palace, and the queen, seeing him in front of her, said: “Is your name Herny, Max, Robert, or Charles?”. Then, she paused and added: “or is it Rumpelstiltskin, The Jumping Dwarf?” The little dwarf looked at her furiously because his plan had failed, then he jumped so hard that he opened a gigantic hole in the ground, and through there, he disappeared forever.

AUTHOR: GRIMM BROTHERS

ADAPTED BY: KIDSINCO

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