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Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

9 9.9
A small magical man who spins straw into gold and demands a mother's first baby unless someone guesses his name
  • proper noun
  • /ˈrʌmpəlˌstɪltskɪn/
  • Literature
: Rumpelstiltskin
  • Why did Rumpelstiltskin want the child?
  • the name Rumpelstiltskin
  • Rumpelstiltskin said
  • Rumpelstiltskin spins

And so I feel like she's kind of used a lot of the popular fairy tales and now has turned to a Rumpelstiltskin retelling.

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Examples

  • In all, they had collected 211 tales, including "Rapunzel," "Hansel and Gretel," "Cinderella," "Little Snow-White," and "Rumpelstiltskin."

    Blog text (10)
  • His name is Rumpelstiltskin, but it's a secret.

  • Rumpelstiltskin offered a deal to save the girl's life and then fully performed his promise, working all night to do the impossible.

    Academic text (2018)
  • When the imp returns again, the queen, pretending to guess, correctly states, "Rumpelstiltskin"

    Academic text (2018)
  • Rumpelstiltskin, Dan thought as he prowled along the passageway.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • And so I feel like she's kind of used a lot of the popular fairy tales and now has turned to a Rumpelstiltskin retelling.

  • In the fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin demands the queen's firstborn child in exchange for spinning straw into gold.

  • The queen was desperate to discover Rumpelstiltskin's name to save her child from his grasp.

  • Rumpelstiltskin is known for his tricky nature and clever deals in the classic Brothers Grimm story.

Surface Forms

Etymology

Rumpelstiltskin comes from old German parts that make a picture: Rumpel suggests 'rumble', a noisy sound, stilts are 'long sticks for walking', and the ending -chen means 'little'. So the name helps you remember the tiny, noisy, tricky creature in the fairy tale who stamps and makes a fuss until someone guesses his name.