Yes - you read that mug correctly: Uncle Rumps. It was sent to me by my nephew, Gus, who happens to be one smart cookie - and he was two at the time he sent it. Why "Uncle Rumps?" Well I, for one, happen to think that the name "Rumpelstiltskin" happens to be one the craziest, coolest names ever thought of. I also think he's received quite the bad reputation over the years.
The fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin, comes from Germany, and The Brothers Grimm eventually collected it in their 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. If you don't know the fairy tale, you should look it up. In any case here's some history of the name Rumpelstiltskin that is quite interesting. Thanks Wikipedia:
The name Rumpelstilzchen in German means literally "little rattle stilt". (A stilt is a post or pole which provides support for a structure.) A rumpelstilt or rumpelstilz was the name of a type of goblin, also called a pophart or poppart that makes noises by rattling posts and rapping on planks. The meaning is similar to rumpelgeist ("rattle ghost") or poltergeist, a mischievous spirit that clatters and moves household objects. (Other related concepts are mummarts or boggarts and hobs that are mischievous household spirits that disguise themselves.) The ending -chen is a German diminutive and designates something as 'little' or 'dear,' depending on context.
The earliest known mention of Rumpelstiltskin occurs in Johann Fischart's Geschichtklitterung, or Gargantua of 1577 (a loose adaptation of Rabelais'Gargantua and Pantagruel) which refers to an "amusement" for children named Rumpele stilt or the Poppart. Read more here.
I seriously read "little rattle stilt" rather differently. I'm thinking of a four letter word beginning with "s" and the other word being "rat." I digress.
Beyond Rumpelstiltskin, however, are hundreds of other "fairy" tales. And, by the way, their not always rosy. To put it simply, cultures create stories to tell children in order to teach them ethics or morals, or simply to teach them not to trust a "little rattle stilt."
Though, I think we might lean too heavily upon those stories. Why did Rumpelstiltskin become such an evil person? Why did he become so hated? What happened in his past that made him mean? I'm not sure, but I'd like to think that Newt Gingrich suckered him into the "mean old little rattle stilt" gig.
What's your favorite "fairy" tale?
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