In the rolling fields of Normandy, there once lived an old miller named Pierre who was honest but poor. His daughter, Lisette, was as bright as morning dew — clever, kind, and sharp enough to spin truth from lies.
One day, the king rode through their village. His horse lost a shoe, and he stopped by the mill to rest. Pierre, eager to impress, boasted foolishly, “My daughter is so clever she can spin straw into gold.”
The king raised an eyebrow. “Then she shall do it for me.”
Before Pierre could protest, guards seized Lisette and brought her to the castle.
In a cold room filled with straw, the king said, “By dawn, I expect gold, or your father shall hang for deceit.” Then he locked the door.
Lisette wept, her cleverness useless against death. But as the moonlight crept through the window, a voice whispered, “Gold is the price of pride. What will you give for it?”
A small figure appeared — a man with eyes like embers and hair like twisted flax.
“Who are you?” Lisette asked.
“A friend to clever girls,” he said with a grin. “I can spin this straw for you, but I ask a token in return.”
Lisette, desperate, gave him her necklace. He hummed, worked his wheel, and by dawn, the room glowed with gold.
The king was astonished but greedy. “Tomorrow,” he said, “you’ll spin twice as much.”
The same thing happened again. Lisette gave her ring. The gold shone brighter.
On the third night, the king brought her to the largest room of all. “Do this once more, and I’ll make you my queen.”
When the little man appeared, Lisette said, “I’ve nothing left to give.”
“Then promise me your firstborn child,” he hissed.
Lisette hesitated — but her father’s life, her own freedom, and the king’s promise of safety weighed heavy. “I agree,” she whispered.
The man grinned and spun the straw into gold brighter than sunrise.
The king married her, and for a time, all was well.
A year later, Lisette bore a son. On the night of his birth, the little man appeared again. “I’ve come for what you promised.”
Lisette pleaded. “Take anything else — my jewels, my crown.”
He shook his head. “A promise is a promise.”
Lisette wept so bitterly that his cruel smile softened. “I’ll give you three days,” he said. “Guess my name, and you may keep your child.”
For two days, she sent riders across the kingdom to gather names. She guessed hundreds — Henri, Jean, Luc — but none were right.
On the third night, one of her servants returned, breathless. “My queen, deep in the forest I saw a man dancing around a fire, singing, ‘Tomorrow the queen will never win, for Rumpelstiltskin is my name!’”
When the little man returned, Lisette smiled. “Good evening, Rumpelstiltskin.”
He shrieked and vanished in a puff of straw.
Lisette raised her son to value honesty over cunning and kindness over gold. The king learned humility, and the miller never boasted again.
Moral of the Story
Cleverness wins hearts, but honesty keeps them. Pride is the price of many troubles.
Knowledge Check
- Who was Lisette?
A clever miller’s daughter from Normandy. - What did her father boast about?
That she could spin straw into gold. - Who helped her in the castle?
A strange little man with magical powers. - What did she promise him?
Her firstborn child. - How did she save her baby?
By learning his secret name, Rumpelstiltskin. - What is the story’s main lesson?
Boasting leads to bondage; truth frees the heart.
Origin: French folktale (Normandy region, variant of “Rumpelstiltskin”)
