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Saturday, February 4, 2012

"Rumpelstiltstkin"

by Donna Diamond, retold from the Brothers Grimm, YR, 1983, 28p, rating=2
Source: library
Book image:  personal scanned copy of book I read from
*SPOILER ALERT*

Locked in a room and ordered to spin straw into gold for the king, the miller's daughter gets help from a strange little man -- but only on the condition that she give him her firstborn child. The classic tale of Rumpelstiltskin is vividly brought to life in this new edition. (Goodreads, partial)

I liked the illustrations by Donna Diamond ...very pretty pencil drawings.  I don't however like this edition's ending!  Oh my, that was disturbing.  If I read that when I was a kid I'd sure to have nightmares!  Other than, this was an interesting folk tale.  It gives room for moral interpretations. 

What morals can you find in the tale's events?:
  • The miller boasted to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold so he would look important.
  • The miller's daughter really couldn't spin straw into gold.
  • However the king believed the miller and had the miller's daughter locked in a room to do the task or she shall be killed.
  • Rumpelstiltskin, the fairy, comes to the rescue and spun the straws into gold in exchange for the miller's jewelry.
  • The king was happy and had her do it again, but in a much bigger room with much more straws.
  • The miller's daughter was out of jewelry so Rumpelstiltskin made a deal to spin the straw into gold for the miller's daughter's once again but this time for her first born child to be.
  • The miller's daughter agreed in order to save her life.
  • The king married the miller's daughter.
  • Later they have a baby so Rumpelstiltskin came to the queen to claim the child.  The queen pleads to keep the child.
  • Rumpelstiltskin offers her a chance to keep her child if within 3 days she can guess his name.
  • The queen seeks help from servants to figure out the name.
  • Rumpelstiltskin in a stroll sings a song that tells his name.
  • It happens that he was overheard by the queen's servants.
  • The queen was then able to correctly give Rumpelstiltskin when he asked so the queen got to keep her baby.
  • Upset, Rumpelstiltskin drove one foot into the ground until it sank to his waist and tears himself into two when he pulled his other foot.
Perhaps: 
  • Don't lie
  • Be happy with what you have
  • Don't be greedy
  • Be careful what you say
  • Think about consequences
How about you?  What do you see?

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