As a child in the '70's, I loved ordering books through the Scholastic Books program. Everytime a new order form came out I hastily checked off all of the books that I wanted (usually half the books available) only to be limited by my parents to three. Usually that meant the first three books he came to on the tally sheet at the back. Once, however, my dad wasn't paying close attention and he wrote a check for the amount of 4 books instead of three. As a result, I received an extra book that came with 45 record that told the whole story.
The book was called "Rumplestiltskin" and it was the story about a mysterious little man who helped a miller's daughter become queen by spinning straw into gold (BTW - the miller gave his daughter to the king by lying about her straw spinning abilities in the first place). In return for his assistance, he requested that the queen hand over her firstborn child. Years passed and the queen forgot about the little man. However, months after she had given birth, the little man return and requested the child that she had promised. The queen was heartbroken and pleaded with the little man to take something else. Appearing sympathetic to her plight, the little man told the queen that she could keep her baby IF she could guess his name in three days time.
Let's stop and think here for a minute...All the time that the little man came to help the poor girl spin straw into gold, she never knew his name. It appears she didn't ask, and he, knowing himself, didn't care to reveal his very nature...
So the little man went on his way for the evening. The first two days the queen cried and when the little man showed up she offered a list of common names. Gleefully he laughed as he told her "No. That's not my name!" after each incorrect guess. In desperation the queen sent forth one of her messengers to search high and low for the most unusual name he could find. The messenger dutifully went forth into the woods. As he searched, he came up a strange little man, dancing around a fire and singing a tune..."Tonight my cake I bake...tonight my beer I make...Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow...the Queen's little baby I'll take!...Lucky I'll go...As lucky I came...for RUMPLESTILTSKIN is my name!! The messenger rushed back to the queen and relayed the information that he had uncovered.
When the little man returned the next evening the queen played around with a number of names. The little man became impatient for he knew there was no way his secret would be revealed. Finally he told her enough was enough and requested that she hand over the child. Toyingly she begged for one more guess and as the little man reached to take the baby, the name RUMPLESTILTSKIN rolled off her tongue! The little man's impatience gave way to outrage. He thrashed about the room and railed at the queen, "The devil must have told you he cried! The devil himself!" In a fit of anger of stamped his feet, one by one through the floor, all the while screaming and cursing as he returned to the pits of hell from whence he'd come.
In 2008, Rumplestiltskin has returned to spin straw into gold under the guise of country first. This time it's not about beer, cake, and stealing babies. No, this time he wants to take over the entire kingdom and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Interestingly, the miller's daughter is on his side this time and it's the Messenger who must speak his name and expose his hideousness. And as history repeats so that the truth can be revealed, the little man has been caught singing in the woods again. I wonder where in tonight's presidential debate the Messenger will speak the name the little man never guessed would be uttered...I really would like to see the little man do the "hole through the floor thingy" that has been spoken of and I could only visualize while listening to my 45. With any luck we'll get to see him and the miller's daughter return from whence they came.