Black Horse

Rumpelstiltskin

In short: The Grimms’ Rumpelstiltskin and Jacobs’s Tom Tit Tot are two tellings in which learning a hidden name changes the outcome of a bargain.

Rumpelstiltskin · Gold from straw FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 68 Rumpelstiltskin The Grimms’ Rumpelstiltskin and Jacobs’s Tom Tit Tot are two tellings in which learning a hidden name changes the outcome of a bargain. Origin Berlin, present-day Germany Atlas record 1812 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Gold from straw Reach¹ 2/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 2 records · 2 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Berlin, present-day Germany

In the Grimm tale the task is to spin straw into gold. In Jacobs’s English tale the task is to spin five skeins of flax each night. The work and the price of the bargain differ, but in both stories the helper says his name where someone can overhear it. The shared solution invites a closer look at how each story uses spinning, speech and listening.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1812 · Berlin, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Rumpelstilzchen
  2. 1890 · London, United Kingdom
    Joseph Jacobs · English Fairy Tales · Tom Tit Tot

Country pages

Fairy Tale Glossary

Related tales

Origin
Black Horse. Rumpelstiltskin. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-rumplestiltskin/