Grimm's Fairy Tale 130: One-Eye, Two-Eyes and Three Eyes or Tree with the Golden Apples

The Tree with the Golden Apples, Gustav Klimt

This fairy tale illustrates that beauty really is in the eye (or eyes) of the beholder.

Little One-Eye, Little Two-Eyes and Little Three-Eyes

There was once a woman who had three daughters; the oldest was named Little One-Eye, because she had a single eye in the middle of her forehead. The middle child was named Little Two-Eyes, because she had two eyes like other people. The youngest was named Little Three-Eyes, because she had three eyes and her third eye was in the center of her forehead. But because Little Two-Eyes did not look any differently from other human children, her sisters and mother did not like her. They said to her “You with your two eyes are not any better than the common folk; you are not one of us.” They pushed her around and gave her ugly rags to wear and nothing to eat except leftovers and crumbs. They inflicted misery on the poor child in every way imaginable.

Now it happened that Little Two-Eyes went out into the field and tended the goat. But she was very hungry because her sisters did not give her enough to eat. She sat down at the edge of the field and began to cry so pitifully that two streams flowed from her eyes. And when she looked up in misery, there stood a woman beside her and asked “Little Two-Eyes, why are you crying?” Little Two-Eyes answered “Should I not cry? Because I have two eyes like other people, my mother and sisters can’t stand me, they push me from one corner to the next, give me old rags to wear and nothing to eat besides leftover scraps. That is why I am starving.” The wise woman said “Little Two-Eyes, dry your face. I will tell you something so you will hunger no more. Speak to your goat and say

“Little goat bleat”
Deck little table so neat.”

When you say this a neatly laid table will stand before you with the most wonderful food and you can eat as much as you desire. And when you are satisfied and don’t need the table anymore, say

“Little goat neigh”
Take little table away.”

And before your very eyes the table will vanish.” With that, the Wise Woman departed. Little Two-Eyes thought “I must see if what she said is true, because I am starving so,” and she said

“Little goat bleat”
Deck little table so neat”

She had hardly spoken the words when a table appeared covered with a white cloth. On it lay a plate with knife and fork and a silver spoon and the most wonderful food. The steam rose from the plate, spreading a wonderful aroma. Everything was still warm as if it had just left the kitchen. Little Two-Eyes said the shortest prayer that she knew “Dear God, be our Guest always. Amen”. She ate heartily and enjoyed the food. And when she was satisfied, she spoke as the Wise Woman had instructed her:

“Little goat neigh”
Take little table away”

No sooner said than the little table and everything on it vanished at once. “This is a nice way to keep house,” Little Two-Eyes thought and was quite content and happy.

In the evening, when she came home with her goat and found her little bowl with the food her sisters had left, she did not touch a single morsel. The next day she drove her goat out to the meadow and left the few crumbs in the bowl she had been given. The first and second time, the sisters did not notice but when it happened again they said “Something is not right with Little Two-Eyes, she always leaves her food untouched and before she ate everything we gave her. She must have found some other means.” To uncover the truth it was decided that Little One-Eye would accompany Little Two-Eyes when she drove the goat to the meadow. She would watch her very carefully and see what she did and whether someone brought her food and drink. As Little Two-Eyes prepared to leave, Little One-Eye approached her and said “I will go with you to the field and see the goat is well-tended and is driven into the rich grass.”
But Little Two-Eyes understood what Little One-Eye really meant and drove the goat up into the high grass and said “Come, Little One-Eye, we shall sit down and I will sing you a song.” Little One-Eye sat down and was tired from her such physical exertion and the heat of the sun and Little Two-Eyes sang sweetly

“Little One-Eye, are you awake?
Little One-Eye, are you asleep?”

And Little One-Eye shut her eye and fell asleep. And when Little Two-Eyes saw that Little One-Eye slept and could not see anything, she said

“Little goat bleat,
Deck little table so neat,”

And she sat down at the table, ate and drank until she was full. Then she called again

“Little goat neigh,
Take little table away.”

And everything vanished in that moment. Little Two-Eyes awoke Little One-Eye and said “Little One-Eye, you wanted to stand watch but you fell asleep. That goat could have roamed the entire world in the time you slept. Let’s go home now.” They went home and Little Two-Eyes once more left her little bowl untouched. Little One-Eye could not tell her mother why she did not eat and to excuse herself said “I fell asleep out there.”

The next day the mother said to Little Three-Eyes “This time you go along and watch whether Little Two-Eyes eats anything and whether someone brings food and drink. She must be eating and drinking in secret.” Little Three-Eyes approached Little Two-Eyes and said “I will go with you to the field and see the goat is well-tended and is driven into the rich grass.”
But Little Two-Eyes understood what Little Three-Eyes really meant and drove the goat up into the high grass and said “Come, Little Three-Eyes, we shall sit down and I will sing you a song.” Little Three-Eyes sat down and was tired from her unusual exertion and the heat of the sun and Little Two-Eyes sang sweetly

“Little Three-Eyes, are you awake?

But now instead of singing
Little Three-Eyes, are you asleep?”

She sang imprudently
“Little Two-Eyes, are you asleep”

And continued to sing

“Little Three-Eyes are you awake?
Little Two-Eyes are you asleep?

And Little Three-Eyes shut her two eyes and fell asleep. But the third eye did not fall asleep because it was not lulled to sleep by the spell. Little Three-Eyes closed the eye, but only as a ruse to pretend that she slept. But her third eye squinted a bit and could see everything clearly. And when Little Two-Eyes thought that Little Three-Eyes was asleep, she recited her spell

“Little goat bleat”
Deck little table so neat”

She ate and drank to her heart’s desire and then dismissed the table again

“Little goat neigh,
Take little table away”

But Little Three-Eyes had seen everything. Little Two-Eyes came and woke her and said “Oh, Little Three-Eyes, you fell asleep? You are a good guard! Come, we shall go home.” And when they went home, Little Two-Eyes did not eat anything and Little Three-Eyes went to her mother and said “I now know why the proud thing does not eat: when she is out with the goat she says

“Little goat bleat,”
Deck little table so neat,”

And then a little table stands before her covered with the best food, much better than we have. And when she is satisfied she says

“Little goat neigh,
Take little table away,”

And everything vanishes again; I saw everything quite clearly. Two-Eyes can work magic with her singing and my two eyes fell asleep. But the one eye on my forehead, happily that one stayed awake.” The jealous mother turned to Little Two-Eyes in rage “So, you want to have it better than we do? Your appetite shall dry up!” She took a slaughtering knife and ran it through the goat’s heart, and it fell dead.

When Little Two-Eyes saw what had happened, she was filled with sadness, went out to the field, sat down at the edge of the meadow and cried bitter tears. At once the Wise Woman appeared beside her and said “Little Two-Eyes, why are you crying?” “Should I not cry?” she answered. “The goat, which laid the table so beautifully every day when I spoke your spell has been slaughtered by my mother. Now I must suffer hunger and sorrow .” The Wise Woman spoke “Little Two-Eyes, I will give you good advice. Ask your sisters to give you the entrails of the slaughtered goat and bury them in the earth before your house door. That will bring you luck.” She vanished and Little Two-Eyes went home and said to here sisters “Dear sisters, give me something from my goat. I’m not asking for any of the good parts, only give me the entrails.” The sisters laughed and said “You can have them, if you want them.” And following the advice of the Wise Woman, Little Two-Eyes took the entrails and buried them in the peace and quiet of the night right before the house door.

The next morning, when they all awoke and stepped out the front door, there stood a beautiful and glorious tree. It had leaves of sliver and fruits of gold hanging between the leaves. There was nothing more beautiful than the tree or more delicious than its fruits in all the world. But they did not know how the tree had come there during the night. Only Little Two-Eyes noticed that it had grown from the entrails of the goat; for it stood exactly where she had buried them in the earth. The mother spoke to Little One-Eye “Climb up my child and break off some fruit from the tree.” Little One-Eye climbed up but when she wanted to grasp one of the golden apples, the branch slipped away from her hands. This happened each time and she could not break off a single apple, try as she may. The mother then said “Little Three-Eyes, you climb up. With your three eyes, you can see better than Little One-Eye.” Little One-Eye slipped down and Little Three-Eyes climbed up. But Little Three-Eyes was not any more skilled and though she tried her best, the golden apples always slipped away. Finally, her mother became impatient and climbed the tree herself. But she had just as much success grasping the fruit as Little One-Eye and Little Three-Eyes and always slapped the empty air. Then Little Two-Eyes spoke “Let me climb up and maybe it will be different with me.” The sisters called to her “You with your two eyes, what can you do!” But Little Two-Eyes climbed up and the golden apples did not slide away from her but rather fell into her hands and she could pick one after another and fill her entire apron. She climbed down from the tree and the mother took them from her. But instead of treating Little Two-Eyes better, the mother, Little One-Eye and Little Three-Eyes only became jealous that she alone could pick the apples. They treated her even more harshly than before.

It happened that they were all together standing around the tree, when a young knight rode by. “Quickly, Little Two-Eyes,” the sisters cried, “creep underneath the barrel, so that we don’t have to be ashamed of you.” And they quickly pushed Little Two-Eyes into a barrel, which stood next to the tree and also pushed underneath the golden apples, which she had broken off. When the knight approached, they saw he was a handsome man who stopped in amazement at the beautiful tree full of gold and silver and said to the two sisters “To whom does this beautiful tree belong? Whoever gives me a branch could request his heart's desire.” Little One-Eye and Little Three-Eyes replied that the tree belonged to them and they would break off a branch. Both tried their best but they could not break off the branches and the fruits slipped away each time. The knight said “It is strange that the tree belongs to you and you don’t have the power to break off anything.” They persisted and said the tree was their property. As they spoke Little Two-Eyes rolled a few golden apples from underneath the barrel, so that they landed at the feet of the knight. Little Two-Eyes was angry that Little One-Eye and Little Three-Eyes did not tell the truth. When the knight saw the apples, he was amazed and asked from where they came. Little One-Eye and Little Three-Eyes replied, they did have one other sister, but they had to keep her hidden because she had only two eyes, just like other people. The knight demanded to see her and called “Little Two-Eyes come forth.” Little Two-Eyes emerged confidently from underneath the barrel and the knight was amazed by her beauty and said “You, Little Two-Eyes, are certainly able to break off a branch.” “Yes,” Little Two-Eyes replied. “That I can do, because the tree belongs to me.” And she climbed up and with ease broke off a branch with fine silver leaves and golden fruits and gave it to the knight. The knight spoke “Little Two-Eyes, what should I give you for this?” “Oh,” replied Little Two-Eyes “I suffer hunger and thirst, grief and want, from early in the morning ‘til late at night. If you could take me with you and free me from this fate, I would be happy.” The knight lifted Little Two-Eyes onto his horse and brought her home to has father’s castle. He gave her beautiful clothes, food and drink as much as she desired. Because he loved her so, he had their union blessed and the wedding was celebrated in great joy.

As Little Two-Eyes was taken away by the handsome knight, her two sisters envied her happiness. “Ha!” they said. “Even though she has married the young knight, the wonderful tree still belongs to us!” “Even if we can’t break off any of the fruits, everyone will stand before it in amazement; who knows where our wheat shall blossom tomorrow!” But the next morning the tree had vanished and their hopes along with it. As Little Two-Eyes gazed out of her window, there stood the tree in its full glory. It had followed her to her new home.

Little Two-Eyes lived a long time in happiness. Once, two poor women came to the castle and begged for alms. Little Two-Eyes looked into their faces and recognized her sisters Little One-Eye and Little Three-Eyes. They had fallen into such poverty that they were forced to wander and beg bread before doors of noble houses. But Little Two-Eyes welcomed them and cared for them and they were sorry that they had done such evil to their sister in their youth.


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The Myth of Opera

Richard Wagner based his opera Tannhauser und der Saengerkrieg auf Wartburg on the two sagas provided below. The opera takes a romantic look at the Middle Ages and features a lively cast of troubadours, saints and even the Goddess Venus. Venus and the Venusberg are first mentioned in German mythology in the 15th century. Before this time the goddess was referred to as Frau Holla and her escort was Getreue Eckart. They both resided in the Horselberg. In the German Saga the character Tannhauser is wracked by longing for his old pagan religion and belief system, the one that was vanishing along with Frau Holla and Eckart. Christianity proved to be too rigid and harsh for Tannhauser and so, he withdrew to the Venusberg to await his Last Judgement.

His pain and longing for a world quickly disappearing is reminiscent of another famous pagan fairy tale personage, Rumpelstiltzchen. See the link Reading Rumpelstiltzchen at the upper right for more.

It is interesting to see how Wagner mixes the two sagas to produce his musical masterpiece. In Wagner's version, Tannhauser and Heinrich von Ofterdingen become one and the same character. The language in these two sagas is particularly dense and difficult to decipher. The first line of the Wartburg Singing Contest announces six virtuous and reasonable men coming together in song to compose hymns. But nothing virtuous or reasonable follows and the story is full of curious plot twists and turns. Luckily for opera-goers, when the plot sags the music usually soars.

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Grimm's Saga No. 561: The Wartburg Singing War

Grimm’s Saga No. 561 The Wartburg Singing War

In the year 1206, six virtuous and reasonable men came together in song to compose hymns at Wartburg Castle near Eisenach. Years later this was often referred to as The Singing War at Wartburg Castle. The names of the troubadours were: Heinrich Schreiber, Walther von der Vogelweide, Reimar Zweter, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Biterolf and Heinrich von Ofterdingen. They sang and quarreled over who sang most like the sun and the day. Most compared Hermann, the Count of Thuringia and Hessia to the day and placed him over all other princes. Only Ofterdingen praised Leopold, Duke of Austria even more and compared him to the sun. When setting the rules of the singing contest, the troubadours determined that the loser would lose his head. Stempfel the henchman stood ready with noose in hand and would hang the loser immediately. Heinrich von Ofterdingen sang cleverly and skillfully; in the end he was superior to all the others but they were cunning and entrapped him. Because they were jealous, they wanted to remove him from the Thuringia Court. But he complained that the contest had been rigged and he had been given the wrong dice to play their game. The five others called Stempfel and ordered him to hang Heinrich from a tree. But Heinrich fled to the Landgravine Sophia and hid behind her coat. They were forced to let him go and they reached agreement that they would leave him in peace for one year. He would go to Hungary and Siebenbuergen and fetch the Meistersinger Klingsor. The troubadours would then settle the singing contest and they would abide by his decision. At the time, Meistersinger Klingsor was considered to be the most famous of all German Meistersingers. Because the Landgravine Sophia had granted Heinrich protection, the others had to follow her bidding.

Heinrich von Ofterdingen started his journey. First he visited the Duke of Austria and with his letters of recommendation continued on to Siebenbuergen to the Meistersinger. He told Meistersinger Klingsor the reason for his trip and performed his songs.

Klingsor praised his singing and promised to return with him to Thuringia and settle the dispute. But on the way, they spent their time in idle amusement and the deadline given Heinrich was fast approaching. Because Klingsor still gave no sign of starting the journey, Heinrich became fearful and said: “Meistersinger Klingsor, I fear you are abandoning me and I must sadly accept my punishment alone. I shall lose my honor and never again be able to return to Thuringia.” But Klingsor replied “Do not worry! We have strong horses and a light wagon. We shall manage the distance in a short time.”

Heinrich could not sleep because of his anxiety; in the evening Klingsor gave him a drink so that he fell into a deep sleep. Klingsor commanded his ghosts to bring Heinrich quickly to Eisenach in Thuringia and to set him down in the best inn. It happened and they brought him to Helgrevenhof before daylight. Heinrich recognized the bells ringing in his morning sleep and said “It seems as though I have heard these bells before and that I’m in Eisenach.”
“You must be dreaming,” the Meister replied. But Heinrich stood up and looked round and he noticed that he really was in Thuringia. “Thank God that we are here, this is Helgrevenhaus Inn and I can see St. George’s Gate and the people standing in front of it want to cross the field.”

Soon the arrival of the two guests was heralded at Wartburg Castle. The Count ordered that Meistersinger Klingsor be received honorably and presented him with gifts. When Ofterdingen was asked what had happened to him and how he had faired in the last year, he replied “Yesterday I went to sleep in Siebenbuergen and by early morning I was here. I myself don’t know how it happened.” Several days passed before the singers were to assemble and begin the contest that Klingsor was to judge. One Evening, he sat in the innkeeper’s garden and looked up at the stars. The gentlemen asked what he saw in heaven. Klingsor said “Do you know that tonight a daughter shall be born to the King of Hungary. She will be beautiful, chaste and holy and will be married to the Count’s son.”

When this message was taken to Count Hermann, he rejoiced and invited Klingsor to Wartburg, honored him and presented a fine dinner at the princely table. After dinner, he went out to the Knight’s Hall, where the singers sat. All wanted to be free of Heinrich von Ofterdingen. Klingsor and Wolfram sang their songs but Wolfram sang with such beauty and agility, that the Meister could not surpass him. Klingsor entreated one of his ghosts, who appeared in the form of a youth. He said “I bring you my servant; he will continue the contest with you for a while.” The ghost began to sing a song, starting with the creation of the world and continuing to the time of grace. But Wolfram’s song praised the sacred birth of the Eternal Word. When he began to sing of the transformation of bread and wine, the devil was silent and had to depart. Klingsor listened to everything and heard Wolfram sing with such noble bearing and learned words of the divine secret. He believed that Wolfram was a scholar. The two then departed. Wolfram went to his place in Titzel, Gottschalk’s House, across from the bread market in the center of town. At night when he slept Klingsor sent him another of his devils to ascertain whether he was a scholar or layman. But Wolfram was only trained in God’s word, a simple man and inexperienced in other arts. The devil sang to him of the stars in heaven and asked him questions the singer could not answer. And when he was silent, the devil laughed loudly and wrote with his finger on the stone wall, as if it were soft dough: “Wolfram, you are a layman, schnipf-schnapf!” The devil withdrew but the writing remained on the wall. Many people came to see the miracle, which annoyed the innkeeper. He broke the stones out of the wall and threw them in the Horsel River. After he had done all this, Klingsor left the Count with all his gifts and rewards and with his servant wrapped in a rug, departed in the same way that he had come.

Richard Wagner used this saga as inspiration for his opera Tannhäuser. To read a translation of Grimm's Saga Tannhäuser, please hit the link: Tannhäuser

Opera Lover's Series: Tannhäuser

The Last Judgement, Fra Angelico

Deutsche Sagen, Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm (Brueder Grimm), 1816/18
No. 171

Noble Tannhäuser, a German knight, traveled through many countries and also spent time with the many beautiful women residing in Mistress Venus’s mountain. Passing the time among these fair ladies, he spent his hours gazing upon all the magnificent wonders. For some time he stayed there happily, but his conscience finally urged him to go out and reunite with the world. He longed to take his leave from Venus but she offered to give him anything his heart desired so he would stay. Finally she presented one of her companions to be his wife. He should only remember her red mouth and think of her red lips, which filled every hour with laughter. Tannhäuser replied that he did not desire any other woman than the one he intended for himself for he did not want to burn in eternal hell fire. The red mouth was not important to him. He could not remain because his life had become something sick and foul. But the devilish temptress tried to lure him into her chamber so they could continue to seek the pleasures of love. The noble knight scorned her loudly and called upon the Heavenly Virgin to bring an end to his misery. Filled with remorse, he made a pilgrimage to Rome to seek out Pope Urban. He would confess all his sins to him so that penance would be prescribed and his soul would be saved. But when he confessed that he had passed an entire year with Frau Venus in her mountain, the pope replied: “When this thin staff in my hand sprouts green leaves, then your sins shall be forgiven. Until then, you remain a sinner.” Tannhäuser replied: “And if I only have one year to live on earth, I should show such remorse and penance that God would have mercy on me.” Full of pain and suffering because the pope had damned him, he went out from that city and re-entered the devilish mountain with the intent to live there until eternity. Mistress Venus welcomed him, like one welcomes home a long lost lover. But on the third day the staff began to sprout green buds and the pope sent a message throughout all the countryside to find the noble knight Tannhäuser. But it was too late. He had returned to the Venusberg and to his life of pleasure. Now he must sit there until the Day of Judgement, when God will perhaps deal differently with him. A priest should not dispense such despair and misery to a sinner, but rather grant forgiveness when he comes in penance and remorse.

To read the Wartburg Singing War, Grimm's Saga No. 561, on which the opera Tannhäuser is also based, hit the link: Wartburg Singing War.

You also might be interested in reading  Grimm's Saga No. 542, Lohengrin from Brabant, click on the link.

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Of Fairies, Gnomes and Men

In addition to their pantheon of gods, ancient Germanic tribes acknowledged a number of supernatural beings, who were capable of help or harm. Air, meadow, forest, water, even the interior of the earth – in short, everything that surrounded them was populated by such beings. They were generally called Alben (goblins) or Elben (elves) and they inhabited the realm of light (Lichtalben) or darkness (Schwarzalben). Those inhabiting the realm of light lived in Lichtalbenheim, between Midgard and Asgard. They were delicate and gentle creatures of indescribable beauty. They seemed to be woven out of a sheer fabric of sunlight and vapor. They were so light and transparent, that when they landed in the calyx of a flower, it did not tremble. A dewdrop did not break when such a creature alighted on it but rather vibrated ever so slightly. More than anything else, the Light Elves or Light Fairies loved music and their greatest pleasure was dance and play. In forest clearings on quiet moonlit nights, they performed their round dances faster and faster, with ever-higher leaps into the air. Sometimes they preferred to sing their gentle songs quietly, sometimes with an even solemn grandeur. If they were disturbed by curious onlookers, they vanished immediately. Such troublemakers had to take care that the outraged elves did not seek to play some unkind prank in retaliation.

Schwarzalben or gnomes were different from their dear relatives the Light Fairies. The gods created them from the same dark fabric they used to make the monsters. They resided in Schwarzalbenheim, deep inside the earth. Many of them were so small, they could duck inside the shell of an acorn cap. They were a diminutive folk; an entire group could ride a ship fashioned from a leaf. When they celebrated a feast, the amount of water boiled in an egg-shell would be enough for all the guests. Others were about the size of a thumb but the largest among them rarely reached the height of a two-year-old child. They were ugly, their faces dark gray, ashen and full of wrinkles. Beards were wild and unkempt. They lived together in underground holes and the glitter of gold and precious stones that decorated their abodes was so radiant that they did not miss the light of day. Like the Light Fairies and Elves, they loved to dance and play in the moonlight. But they were mindful of the rising sun, for a single ray was enough to turn them to stone. Gnomes were masters of the art of finding precious stones and fashioning beautiful objects from them. They also used magic rings to uncover every treasure deep inside the earth. With their magic caps, they were able to make themselves invisible to humans.

Usually, gnomes were friendly toward humans. They richly rewarded anyone who helped them, but they did not like to be showered with gratitude. If they felt kindly toward a human, they would appear before him at night but never when the sun was shining. They did work for those they favored and it was always perfectly executed, much better than if human hands had performed the task. But woe to the man who offended them! He could be certain that the insulted dwarves would never forgive the misdeed and would seek revenge at every opportunity. They would milk the cows until their udders were dry and at night destroy all the work their enemies had finished the day before. Whatever they could steal, they carried off, including the baby in the cradle. When a human slept who had fallen from their graces, they sat on his chest and weighed down the unsuspecting slumberer like a stone. It was then said the goblin had been pressing again last night. People did everything in their power to ward off the vengeful gnomes, but this was an impossible thing to do. It was best not to kindle their wrath, but to submit to their will. There were many types of gnomes: so-called Heinzel-men, Wichtel-men, Klabauter-men (protective spirits of a ship) and Poltergeist.

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Reading Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin is an odd fellow. Sharing traits of both wild man and witch, he is indeed a rare breed of fairytale figure. It might be said that he represents two opposing attitudes toward paganism: on the one hand, paganism can be thought of as a virtuous and more natural way of life. On the other hand, it may also be associated with a demonic or unnatural lifestyle, one that should be shunned. Rumpelstiltskin does not fit neatly into the typical template for a fairytale fiend. He is a diligent worker, honest and true to his word. He is compassionate for he shows mercy to the queen and allows her to win back her child. We can only laud his priorities and agree with him when he says: “A living thing is more dear to me than all the treasures of the earth.”This is contrasted with the ignoble king, who loves gold above all else and only marries the miller’s daughter to enrich himself. He admits “Even if she is only a miller’s daughter, I will not find a richer woman in the whole world.”
And the queen might be quick-witted but is not necessarily a principled character. She relinquishes her first-born child because it is expedient and makes sense to her at the time.

The wild man of ancient mythology often appeared on German heraldic shields with uprooted tree in hand. He is wild, rough and crude like a satyr or faun and is associated with plants, trees and wild animals. But Rumpelstiltskin bakes and brews and this also connects him to witches, who frequently performed such tasks in fairy tales. Baking and brewing were essential tasks for survival in ancient cultures. It is very unusual to encounter a male witch in a German fairy tale and so it is worthwhile to read this story very carefully.

Another theme in Rumpelstiltskin is the power of language and naming things. But what exactly does the name Rumpelstiltskin mean? I have read several explanations, including one that interprets Rumpel as the sound made by little stilts (stiltzchen) or little legs of this diminutive character. It is impossible to ascribe a precise meaning to the name, but it does evoke the idea of a person of small stature and unknown magical properties. See commentary on The White Snake or Taboo for more on the topic of language and naming things.
There are several versions of the story. In the one printed here, Rumpelstiltskin is seized by such a powerful rage that he tears himself in two, an apt metaphor for two worldviews colliding and ripping apart the very essence of his being. In another version, he merely flies out the window on a spoon (reminiscent of a witch on a broomstick). His wretched lament at the end that “the devil told you” brings to mind a person indicting a world he doesn’t really understand or expect fair treatment from. He remains illusive but in the end, the story is still very entertaining.

To read the Brother Grimm's Version of Rumpelstiltskin, hit the link:
Rumpelstiltskin

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