A depiction of the Brothers Grimm character Rumpelstiltskin from the famous story
One day in a far off kingdom tucked away in a forest, a miller who was working diligently for the king and his kingdom was graced with the presence of the king himself! In an effort to impress the monarch of his land, the miller nonchalantly and falsely bragged that his daughter could spin straw into gold, thinking nothing would come of it. The king, a wealthy and greedy man, ordered the miller's daughter to be taken to his stores of straw and spin them into gold before the morning had come or else he would cut her head off. The daughter tried her hardest all night, but alas, did not have special abilities and could not do the impossible. Right as she was about to give up, a scrawny and harrowing-looking man appeared and told the daughter that he was able to do what she seeks for a deal. The daughter, relieved and thankful, gave him her necklace. The man spun all of the straw into gold in minutes and then left with her necklace.
The king arrived and saw the amazing rumor was true, and the very next night brought her to a bigger room with more straw, seeking to increase his wealth. The same thing happened yet again. The daughter tried very hard to do what the man did, but could not. The man appeared with minutes to spare again, ready to make a deal. The daughter gave him her ring, and the same result occurred. The king was astounded and brought her his largest store of straw in the kingdom with a new deal. If she could spin the straw into gold, he would marry her, and if not, she would be killed. The man again appeared in the dwindling hours of the night to make a deal. The daughter had nothing of value to offer until the man asked for her first-born son. After contemplating, she agreed. The king saw the gold in the morning and married the miller's daughter.
About a year later, the man appeared when the now queen gave birth to a son, demanding payment on his deal. She, however, realized she was the queen of the entire kingdom with an army at its disposal and wealth to live handily forever. She and the king ordered the guards to arrest and imprison the man who dared to try to steal the king's first-born son and heir. The man was arrested and never heard from again, and the king and queen lived happily ever after.
The king arrived and saw the amazing rumor was true, and the very next night brought her to a bigger room with more straw, seeking to increase his wealth. The same thing happened yet again. The daughter tried very hard to do what the man did, but could not. The man appeared with minutes to spare again, ready to make a deal. The daughter gave him her ring, and the same result occurred. The king was astounded and brought her his largest store of straw in the kingdom with a new deal. If she could spin the straw into gold, he would marry her, and if not, she would be killed. The man again appeared in the dwindling hours of the night to make a deal. The daughter had nothing of value to offer until the man asked for her first-born son. After contemplating, she agreed. The king saw the gold in the morning and married the miller's daughter.
About a year later, the man appeared when the now queen gave birth to a son, demanding payment on his deal. She, however, realized she was the queen of the entire kingdom with an army at its disposal and wealth to live handily forever. She and the king ordered the guards to arrest and imprison the man who dared to try to steal the king's first-born son and heir. The man was arrested and never heard from again, and the king and queen lived happily ever after.
Author's Note: I decided to take the original story of Rumpelstiltskin and an unusual twist to a story that many people know well. I had always wondered what would have happened if the miller's daughter just told Rumpelstiltskin no and didn't give him her first-born. She marries the king who can imprison the man forever and likely be safe! That idea was the foundation and inspiration for the story.
Bibliography: Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales by Dan Ashliman. http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2014/04/myth-folklore-unit-brothers-grimm.html
Hey Chase!
ReplyDeleteYou alternate ending to this story makes so much sense. So many times, while reading books or watching movies, I think of a decision the protagonist could have made to save so much time and hassle. While this can make for short and boring stories, you executed the idea brilliantly, leading to somewhat of an anti-climatic story, but still entertaining nonetheless. Great work!
Hello, Chase!
ReplyDeleteI am not going to lie, Rumpelstiltskin was one of my favorite stories from this this unit (Week 14), so I have high expectations for this story! I like how you gave us a little more information about the father in the story so the reader has a better understanding of his reasoning for essentially throwing his daughter under the bus. Overall, I really liked this story!