"The Devil has told you that!" cried the little man [View all]

[jberryhill]

"The devil has told you that! The devil has told you that," cried the little man, and in his anger he plunged his right foot so deep into the earth that his whole leg went in, and then in rage he pulled at his left leg so hard with both hands that he tore himself in two.

Here you have a lecherous little man, who spins straw into gold, and makes increasing demands against a woman under duress.

His challenge, to release her from these straits, is to figure out who he really is - to "guess my name".

She cannot guess his name, but he makes the mistake of revealing his true nature in a bragging rant which is overheard.

"...and round about the fire quite a ridiculous little man was jumping, he hopped upon one leg, and shouted -

today I bake, tomorrow brew,
the next I'll have the young queen's child.
Ha, glad am I that no one knew
that Rumpelstiltskin I am styled."

He is brought down by the arrogance of his own self-revelation.

It infuriates him.

He self destructs.

When people started calling him Trumplethinskin, I did not realize how true it would be.