About the Rumpelstiltskin story
Rumpelstiltskin is a classic tale about a poor miller’s daughter who must spin straw into gold or face dire consequences. With the help of a mysterious little man, she manages the impossible—but at a cost. Can she outsmart him and learn his secret name in time?
In this article, you’ll find two versions of the story: the full tale and a simplified graded reader, ideal for younger English learners. Along with the story, we’ve included questions to reinforce vocabulary and comprehension skills.
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Let’s leap into this magical world and discover the secret of Rumpelstiltskin!
The story of Rumpelstiltskin
Once upon a time, in a small village, there lived a poor miller who loved to brag. One day, while talking to the king, the miller decided to show off. “My daughter,” he said, “is so talented, she can spin straw into gold!”
Now, this was a lie. The miller’s daughter, while very kind and hardworking, had no such magical powers. But the king was intrigued. “Bring her to my castle tomorrow,” the king ordered. “If she can spin straw into gold, she will be richly rewarded. If not… well, let’s just say she must.”
The miller’s daughter was horrified when she heard what her father had said. She was taken to the king’s castle and locked in a room filled with piles of straw. In the corner was a spinning wheel. “Spin all this straw into gold by morning,” the king commanded, “or you will never leave this room!”
Terrified and unsure of what to do, the girl sat by the spinning wheel and began to cry. She didn’t know how to spin straw into gold—who does?!
The strange little man
Just as her tears began to fall, a strange little man appeared in the room. He was tiny, with an odd face and even odder clothes. “Why are you crying, my dear?” he asked with a grin.
“I have to spin this straw into gold, but I don’t know how!” the girl sobbed.
“Well,” said the little man, “I can help you… for a price. What will you give me if I spin this straw into gold for you?”
The girl thought for a moment. She had nothing but the necklace she was wearing, so she offered it to the little man. “Very well,” he said, and with a flick of his fingers, he set to work. The spinning wheel whirred, and before long, all the straw had turned into gleaming piles of gold!
When the king came in the next morning, he was amazed. “Wonderful!” he said, but instead of letting the girl go, he brought her to a bigger room with even more straw. “Do it again, and I’ll reward you even more.”
The second deal
That night, the little man appeared once more. “What will you give me if I spin this straw into gold?” he asked.
The girl, now even more desperate, gave him the only thing she had left—her ring. The little man accepted the deal and, just as before, spun all the straw into piles of gold.
The next morning, the king was again impressed but still not satisfied. He led the girl to an even bigger room, packed with more straw than ever before. “If you can spin all this into gold by morning, I will marry you,” the king promised. “But if you fail…”
The final deal
When the little man appeared that night, the girl had nothing left to give him. “What will you give me this time?” he asked with a smirk.
“I have nothing left,” the girl whispered.
“Well then,” said the little man, “if you become queen, you must give me your firstborn child.”
The girl was horrified at the thought, but she was so desperate that she agreed to the deal, thinking that day would never come. Once again, the little man spun the straw into gold, and the next morning, the king kept his promise. He married the miller’s daughter, and she became queen.
A terrible promise
A year later, the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby. She had long forgotten her promise to the little man—until one day, he appeared in her room. “Now, give me what you promised,” he demanded.
The queen was heartbroken. She begged the little man not to take her baby, offering him all the wealth in the kingdom instead. But the little man refused. “I don’t want your riches,” he said. “I want the child.”
Desperate, the queen cried and pleaded until the little man felt sorry for her. “Fine,” he said. “I will give you three days. If, by the end of that time, you can guess my name, you may keep your child.”
The name game
For two days, the queen tried guessing every name she could think of—Henry, Robert, William—but none of them were right. On the third day, just as she was about to give up, one of her servants came to her with some curious news.
“I was in the woods,” the servant said, “and I saw a strange little man dancing around a fire, 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!’”
The queen was overjoyed! She had discovered the little man’s secret name.
Rumpelstiltskin’s defeat
When the little man came to collect the baby, the queen smiled and said, “Is your name… Rumpelstiltskin?”
The little man’s face turned red with anger. “Who told you that?!” he screeched, stomping his foot so hard that the ground cracked beneath him. In a fit of rage, he disappeared, never to be seen again.
And so, the queen kept her child, and she and the king lived happily ever after—thanks to a clever guess and the downfall of Rumpelstiltskin.
The moral of Rumpelstiltskin
Be careful about the promises you make, and never give up hope, even in the darkest times. The queen was trapped by a bad deal, but through perseverance and a little luck, she was able to outsmart the tricky Rumpelstiltskin. It shows that even when things seem impossible, clever thinking can save the day.
Questions about Rumpelstiltskin
- Why did the miller tell the king his daughter could spin straw into gold?
- What did the little man ask for in exchange for spinning the straw into gold the first time?
- What did the little man want from the queen after she became queen?
- How did the queen find out the little man’s name?
- What happened to Rumpelstiltskin at the end of the story?
Answers
- The miller wanted to impress the king, so he lied and said his daughter could spin straw into gold.
- The little man asked for the girl’s necklace the first time.
- He wanted the queen’s firstborn child.
- One of the queen’s servants overheard Rumpelstiltskin singing his name while dancing in the woods.
- When the queen guessed his name, Rumpelstiltskin became so angry that he disappeared, never to be seen again.
Words to learn
- Straw: The dry stalks of plants like wheat, which the girl had to spin into gold.
- Gold: A precious yellow metal. In the story, the king wants the girl to turn straw into gold.
- Necklace: A piece of jewelry worn around the neck. The girl gave her necklace to the little man.
- Ring: A small, circular piece of jewelry worn on the finger. The girl gave her ring to the little man the second time.
- Firstborn: Your first child. The little man demanded the queen’s firstborn child as part of their deal.
What type of story is Rumpelstiltskin?
Rumpelstiltskin is a fairy tale. It’s a magical story that teaches an important lesson about being careful with promises.
Who wrote Rumpelstiltskin?
Rumpelstiltskin was written by the Brothers Grimm, who collected and published fairy tales in the early 1800s.
Rumpelstiltskin for young English learners (ages 2-5, Pre-A1)
Once upon a time, there was a girl. Her father told the king, “My daughter can spin straw into gold!” But that was not true.
The king took the girl to a room full of straw. “Turn this into gold by morning, or you will stay here forever!” he said. The girl was very scared. She sat down and cried.
Then, a little man appeared. “Why are you crying?” he asked.
“I can’t spin straw into gold!” she said.
“I can help you,” said the little man. “What will you give me?”
The girl gave him her necklace. The little man spun the straw into gold.
The next day, the king was happy. But he wanted more gold. So, he brought the girl to another room with more straw. “Spin this into gold by morning,” he said.
The little man came again. “What will you give me?” he asked.
The girl gave him her ring. The little man spun the straw into gold again.
The next day, the king said, “If you spin all this straw into gold, I will marry you.” But the girl had nothing left to give the little man.
“I will take your first baby when you are queen,” the little man said. The girl was sad, but she agreed.
When the queen had a baby, the little man came back. “Give me the baby!” he said.
The queen was very sad. “Please, don’t take my baby,” she begged. The little man said, “Guess my name in three days, and you can keep your baby.”
The queen tried many names—Henry, William, Robert—but none were right. Then one day, a servant heard the little man singing in the forest: “Rumpelstiltskin is my name!”
The queen smiled. The next day, when the little man came, the queen said, “Is your name Rumpelstiltskin?”
The little man got very angry and disappeared! The queen kept her baby, and she lived happily ever after.
Fun fact about Rumpelstiltskin!
Did you know? In some old versions of the story, Rumpelstiltskin gets so mad that he stomps his foot into the ground and vanishes forever!
