Rumpelstiltskin (Text, Audio + Video)

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Rumpelstiltskin
Full story
Once upon a time there was a rich hat maker. He told lots of
lies. But he was so rich that nobody cared when he told lies.
“Oh, he’s just joking!” they all laughed.
The rich hat maker loved to go to dances with other rich

people. At the dances, the rich people stood around and
told lies to each other.
“My husband shot a turkey from three kilometers away…”

said a rich lady.
“My son is so smart, he teaches his teachers!” said a rich
man.
“My cat is so clever, she fetches sticks like a dog!” said
another rich lady.
The rich hat maker wanted to join the conversation, so he

told his biggest lie yet:
“My daughter is so amazing, she can turn hay into gold!”
https://www.thefablecottage.com/fables/rumpelstiltskin-full 17.01.2024, 12 28
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All the rich people nodded and smiled. “Oh yes,” they said.
“How wonderful.”
Suddenly there was a loud voice at the back of the room.

“SHE CAN TURN HAY INTO GOLD?!”
It was the king! Everybody bowed and gasped as he walked

up to the hat maker.
“DID YOU SAY … SHE CAN TURN HAY INTO GOLD?”
“Umm… well… what I meant was…. errrr…. Yes?”

stammered the hat maker.
“BRING HER TO ME!” bellowed the king. He stormed out

of the room.
‘Oh dear,’ thought the hat maker. ‘What do I do now?’
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The next morning the hat maker brought his daughter,
Sophie, to a small room in the palace. Sophie was very
confused.
“Why am I here? Father? What’s going on?”
“Your father is a liar,” explained the king. “Last night he

said that you can turn hay into gold. I think that is a lie!
And I HATE liars.”
Sophie looked at her father. He stared at his feet.
“Here is a bundle of hay,” said the king. “Please, turn it into

gold. It must be done by morning.”
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Sophie gasped.
“Oh, and one more thing,” said the king. “If you fail, I will
feed your father to my crocodiles. I HATE liars…”
Everyone left. Sophie was alone.

‘Oh dear,’ thought Sophie. ‘What do I do now?’
Night fell. Sophie felt angry.
“How ridiculous!” she fumed. “I can’t turn hay into gold!

It’s impossible!”
Just then, she heard a strange little laugh.

“Tee hee hee… What do you have for me?”
A little man appeared in a corner of the room. He was very

small. He had brown curly hair, a black hat, and red pointy
shoes.
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“Do you need some help, my dear?” he asked.
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“I need to turn this hay into gold,” sighed Sophie. “That’s
ridiculous! It’s not possible!”
“Oh, it is possible,” said the little man. “I can do it for you…

”
“Yes! Please help me!” begged Sophie.
The little man pulled two knitting needles out of his pocket.
He began to knit the hay into clothes. As the hay passed
through his needles, it turned into beautiful golden thread.
He knitted golden scarves. He made golden hats and golden

socks. Soon the hay was gone, and there was a pile of
golden clothes on the floor.
“And now, what do you have for me?” asked the little man.
“This diamond necklace?” suggested Sophie.
“Perfect,” said the man. “I need a diamond necklace.”
Sophie gave him her necklace. He said, “tee hee hee”, and
disappeared.
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The next morning, the king returned to the room. He
opened the door and could not believe what he saw.
“Is this a trick? How did you do this?” he demanded.
Sophie’s father interrupted: “I told you! My daughter is

amazing. Her mother was the same—”
“STOP LYING!” shouted the king. “Sophie, come with me,

please.”
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The king led Sophie to another room. Inside the room were
TEN piles of hay.
“If you did it once, you can do it again,” said the king. “It
must be done by morning. And this time I’m locking the
door!”
Everyone left, and the door was locked. Sophie was alone.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” said Sophie.
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But this time, Sophie knew what to do.
She searched the entire room. She looked high and low. She
looked behind the curtains. She looked on top of the
shelves.
“Little man? Little man? Are you here?”
Just then, she heard a funny little laugh.

“Tee hee hee… what do you have for me?”
The little man appeared in a corner of the room.
Once again, the little man pulled two knitting needles out of
his pockets. He started to knit the hay.
He knitted golden sweaters. He made golden gloves and

golden underpants. Soon the hay was gone, and there was a
pile of golden clothes on the floor.
“And now, what do you have for me?” asked the little man.
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“This ruby ring?” suggested Sophie.
“Perfect,” said the man. “I need a ruby ring.”
Sophie gave her ring to the man. He said, “tee hee hee”, and
disappeared.
When the king opened the door the next morning, he could
not believe what he saw.
“HOW DID YOU DO THIS?” he yelled. “TELL ME! NOW!”
Sophie shrugged. “I taught myself how to knit last

winter…”
The king led Sophie to yet another room in the palace. This
room was completely full of hay, from floor to ceiling.
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“Here are ONE HUNDRED bundles of hay,” said the king.
“And there are ten guards outside the door. This time,
nobody can help you. I hope you are not lying, dear
Sophie,” the king said quietly. “Remember, ALL liars will
be fed to the crocodiles…”
Everyone left. Sophie was alone. And there were ten guards
outside the door.
Again, Sophie knew what to do.

She searched the entire room. She looked high and low. She
looked under the table. She looked in the closet.
“Little man? Little man? Where are you?”

But the little man wasn’t there.
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Sophie sat down and cried. Soon she fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Every
single piece of hay was gone, and there was a HUGE pile of
golden clothes on the floor.
The little man was sitting on top of the clothes.
“Oh thank you!” cried Sophie. “I thought I was crocodile

food, for sure!”
The little man smiled. “And now, what do you have for
me?” he asked.
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“This sapphire bracelet?” said Sophie.
“No. I don’t need a bracelet…” said the little man.
“These silver earrings?” suggested Sophie.

“No. I don’t wear earrings…” said the little man.
Sophie grew angry. “I don’t have anything else to give you!”

she said.
“Hmmmm. I know what I want,” said the little man. Many

years from now, give me your first child.”
“WHAT? NO!” cried Sophie.
“... Or I will tell the king you are a liar...” said the little
man.
Sophie had no other choice. She agreed to the little man’s

deal.
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The king returned. When the king opened the door, he was
amazed. There was huge pile of golden clothes, stacked
from the floor to the ceiling.
“You really are amazing,” he said to Sophie. “You may go.

But maybe, one day, you can teach me how to knit too?”
Sophie agreed. She ran out of the palace as fast as she

could.
Ten years passed. Sophie grew into a clever and
accomplished woman. She married a kind man. They had a
baby boy.
One morning, Sophie was playing with her son in the

garden when she heard that strange little laugh.
“Tee hee hee. What do you have for me?” The little man
stepped out from behind a bush.
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“NO! YOU CAN’T HAVE HIM!” screamed Sophie. She held
the baby close to her chest. She cried and cried.
“We had a deal, my dear,” said the little man. “But I will
make you another deal: Guess my name! If you know my
name, you can keep your son. You have three days. Is it a
deal?”
Sophie cried. “It’s a deal.”
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The next night the little man returned, and Sophie guessed
all the common names:
“Is it ... Tim?”
“— No”
“Is it ... Jack?”
“— No”
“Is it ... Chris?”
“— No”
The second night, she guessed some less common names:

“Is it ... Balthazar?”
“— No”
“Is it ... Ferdinand?”
“— No”
“Is it ... Alfonso?”
“— No”
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The third day, Sophie was panicking. She went for a walk in
the forest to clear her head. It was already getting late.
“His feet are pointy like a Norwegian,” she thought, “... so

maybe his name is Bjørn? ... But his nose is red like an
Australian, so maybe his name is Keith? ... But his hat
looks Turkish! So maybe his name is Mustafa?...”
Sophie walked deeper and deeper into the forest. She

jumped over logs and climbed over rocks, and then turned a
corner. She was very surprised to see a small house.
A woman was sitting on the porch. She was knitting baby

clothes and singing quietly. On her neck was Sophie’s
necklace. On her finger was Sophie’s ring.
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“Rumpelstiltskin! Rumpelstiltskin, my love!” the woman
shouted. “Can you come here? I need you to help me knit!”
And guess who appeared at the door? It was the little man!
Sophie ducked down behind a bush. How lucky! She ran

home as fast as she could.
That night, the little man came to see Sophie. He seemed

very happy.
“It’s time, my dear,” he said. “So… do you know my

name?”
“Is it Rhubarb?”
“— No”
“Is it Roquefort?”
“— No”
“Is it ... Rumpelstiltskin?”
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The little man’s face turned red with anger.
“ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGH!”
He screamed and shouted and stomped his feet.
“How did you know my name? HOW DID YOU KNOW MY
NAME?”
But then he stopped… and cried. He looked up at Sophie.

“We would have loved your son very much,” he whispered.
The little man wiped his tears away with a yellow

handkerchief, and disappeared.
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After that, Sophie and her family lived happily ever after,
just like in the stories.
But what happened to the little man?
Well, look closely when you hear people telling big lies.
Because big lies always need a big payment.
Rumplestiltskin will usually be there. Under the table, or on

top of the cupboard. He is always waiting to make a good
deal…
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TheFableCottage.

“Oh, he’s just joking!” they all laughed.

The rich hat maker loved to go to dances with other rich

“My husband shot a turkey from three kilometers away…”

The rich hat maker wanted to join the conversation, so he

Suddenly there was a loud voice at the back of the room.

It was the king! Everybody bowed and gasped as he walked

“DID YOU SAY … SHE CAN TURN HAY INTO GOLD?”

“Umm… well… what I meant was…. errrr…. Yes?”

“BRING HER TO ME!” bellowed the king. He stormed out

‘Oh dear,’ thought the hat maker. ‘What do I do now?’

“Why am I here? Father? What’s going on?”

“Your father is a liar,” explained the king. “Last night he

Sophie looked at her father. He stared at his feet.

“Here is a bundle of hay,” said the king. “Please, turn it into

Everyone left. Sophie was alone.

“How ridiculous!” she fumed. “I can’t turn hay into gold!

Just then, she heard a strange little laugh.

A little man appeared in a corner of the room. He was very

“Oh, it is possible,” said the little man. “I can do it for you…

“Yes! Please help me!” begged Sophie.

He knitted golden scarves. He made golden hats and golden

“This diamond necklace?” suggested Sophie.

“Perfect,” said the man. “I need a diamond necklace.”

“Is this a trick? How did you do this?” he demanded.

Sophie’s father interrupted: “I told you! My daughter is

“STOP LYING!” shouted the king. “Sophie, come with me,

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” said Sophie.

“Little man? Little man? Are you here?”

Just then, she heard a funny little laugh.

The little man appeared in a corner of the room.

He knitted golden sweaters. He made golden gloves and

“Perfect,” said the man. “I need a ruby ring.”

“HOW DID YOU DO THIS?” he yelled. “TELL ME! NOW!”

Sophie shrugged. “I taught myself how to knit last

Again, Sophie knew what to do.

“Little man? Little man? Where are you?”

“Oh thank you!” cried Sophie. “I thought I was crocodile

“These silver earrings?” suggested Sophie.

Sophie grew angry. “I don’t have anything else to give you!”

“Hmmmm. I know what I want,” said the little man. Many

“WHAT? NO!” cried Sophie.

Sophie had no other choice. She agreed to the little man’s

“You really are amazing,” he said to Sophie. “You may go.

Sophie agreed. She ran out of the palace as fast as she

One morning, Sophie was playing with her son in the

Sophie cried. “It’s a deal.”

The second night, she guessed some less common names:

“His feet are pointy like a Norwegian,” she thought, “... so

Sophie walked deeper and deeper into the forest. She

A woman was sitting on the porch. She was knitting baby

Sophie ducked down behind a bush. How lucky! She ran

That night, the little man came to see Sophie. He seemed

“It’s time, my dear,” he said. “So… do you know my

But then he stopped… and cried. He looked up at Sophie.

The little man wiped his tears away with a yellow

But what happened to the little man?

Rumplestiltskin will usually be there. Under the table, or on

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