Spinning Straw into Gold: the Rumpelstiltskin Effect: being an Overcomer (1) CECILY CLARK

 

On Wednesday the 21^st of June Cecily Clark gave a Spiritual Reading Group presentation on the story of Rumpelstiltskin.  Here, in two parts, are Cecily’s notes for the session.

Introduction

•      The inner meaning of ‘Rumpelstiltskin’

•      Read the story aloud

•      The origin of the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin

•      The value and importance of fairy tales

•      Archetypes and symbols

•      Jungian Character archetypes

•      Symbols within the tale of ‘Rumpelstiltskin’

•      Seven Jungian story archetypes

•      Symbols and their meanings from a Christian mystic viewpoint

•      Spinning straw into gold inner meaning

•      The Rumpelstiltskin Effect

•      Share your own ‘spinning straw into gold’ story and creative responses

 

Inner meaning of the fairy tale: “Rumpelstiltskin”

”When life seems to hold no promise for tomorrow but loss or death; a locked door – inside us or out – opens by itself. A curious-looking little man hobbles in and sits down at the wheel to summon what we lack out of the dross that lies under our feet, beneath notice. Straw is transformed into gold again. We grow closer to what we hoped to be.” [“Spinning Straw into Gold” by Joan Gould]

Once there was a poor miller who had a beautiful daughter. As he wanted to become more important, he went to the King and said to him, "I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold."

     The King replied, “If your daughter is so clever, bring her tomorrow to my palace and I will put her to the test."

     The miller brought his beautiful daughter to the King, who took her into a room which was quite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and said, "Now set to work and if by to-morrow morning, you have not spun this straw into gold, you must die."

Then the King locked the room and left her there alone. Having no idea how to spin straw into gold, she began to weep.

     Suddenly, the door opened and in came a little man who said, "Good evening, mistress miller, why are you crying so?"

"Alas," answered the girl, "I have to spin this straw into gold but I do not know how to."

     "What will you give me," said the manikin, "if I do it for you?"

     "My necklace," said the girl.

     The little man took the necklace, seated himself in front of the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr, spinning and spinning all night long, until the reels were full. In the morning, the straw had been spun into gold.

The next morning, when the King saw the gold, he was very astonished. But because he was so greedy, he wasn’t satisfied. He took the girl into a much larger room and commanded her to spin even more straw overnight, if she valued her life. The girl was very upset. Once more, the door opened and the same little man appeared saying, "What will you give me if I spin this straw into gold?"

     "The ring on my finger," answered the girl.

     The little man took the ring and began spinning the straw again. By morning, he had spun all the straw into glittering gold.

     The King rejoiced, but he still wanted more gold. He took the girl into an even larger room full of straw and said, "You must spin this, straw too, if you value your life. And if you succeed, you shall be my wife."

When the girl was alone, the manikin came for the third time and said, "What will you give me if I spin this straw into gold?"

     "I have nothing left to give you," answered the girl.

     "Then promise me, if you should become Queen, to give me your first child."

    Not knowing what else to do, she promised him what he wanted. Then the manikin once more spun the straw into gold.

     When the king arrived the next morning and found all as he had wished, he took her in marriage. The pretty miller's daughter became his Queen.

 A year later, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. However, she had forgotten all about the manikin. Suddenly, he appeared and said, "Now give me what you promised."

Then the horror-struck Queen began to lament and cry, so that the manikin pitied her.

     "I will give you three days," said he, "and if by that time you find out my name, then shall you keep your child."

     The Queen sent out a messenger to enquire over the entire kingdom, hoping to find out the manikin’s name. The next day when he came, she said, “Is it Caspar, Melchior, or Balthazar?”

He laughed and said,”No! They are not!"

On the second day, the messenger gave her some more names. She said, “Perhaps your name is Short Ribs, Sheepshanks, or Lace Leg?” But he answered, "These aren’t my names either."

     On the third day the messenger returned and said to the Queen, "I saw a little house in the mountains and outside this cottage a fire was burning. Round about the fire a ridiculous little man was jumping on one leg and shouting -

     'To-day I bake, to-morrow brew,

    the next I'll have the young queen's child.

     Ha, glad am I that no one knew

     that Rumpelstiltskin I am styled.'"

     You may imagine how happy the Queen was when she heard the name. Now when the manikin returned and said, "Well, mistress Queen, what is my name?"

At first she said, "Is your name Conrad?"

     "No."

     "Is your name Harry?"

     "No."

     "Perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?"

     "Some evil creature has told you that," shouted the little man. He stomped and stomped about so angrily that he was swallowed by the earth and was never seen again.

 

The origin of Rumpelstiltskin

•      Originated in Europe in the 16^th Century by the French poet Rabelais and German scholar Fischart (“Gargantua” 1577)

•      The name Rumpelstiltskin is believed to have come from an old children’s game called ‘Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart’ (meaning ‘a little rattle stilt’ or a goblin that makes noises)

•      Brothers Grimm collected traditional fairy tales in 1812, including this tale.

•      Durham University researchers believe the origin of this tale is around 4,000 years old.

•      References to the tale can believed to be in “Dio of Halicarnassus’s Roman Antiquities” (First Century AD)

•      King Midas and the Golden Touch (Greek Mythology: Second Century BC)

 

The Myth of King Midas and His Golden Touch (2^nd Century BC)

The summary of “King Midas' Golden Touch”

“King Midas and His Golden Touch” tells the story of a rich king who lived a long time ago. He had a little daughter named Marigold, whom he loved very much, but not as much as his gold. Even though he was very rich, he was still greedy for more wealth. One day, he met a fairy boy in his gold room. The

fairy gave him magic powers so that anything he touched would turn to gold. He was very happy because his dream came true. However, he accidentally turned his daughter into a golden statue. The king regretted his choice and called the fairy back. He gave up his “golden touch” in exchange for his daughter. After that, he never longed for more gold again.

Spinning Straw into Gold: the Rumpelstiltskin Effect: being an Overcomer (2) CECILY CLARK

 

 Fairy Tales

“A fairy tale is the simplest and purest expression of the collective unconscious and thus offers the clearest understanding of the basic patterns of the human psyche” (von Franz, 1978)

Why Fairy Stories?

•      Timeless stories revealing timeless virtues and vices

•      Contain symbols and archetypes

•      Symbols are in: stories, characters and objects

•      Beautiful stories that embody timeless ideas that have a universal human appeal

•      Provide a guide for navigating our way through life’s problems, values, and challenges

•      Nourish the soul

•      Solzhenitsyn in his Nobel Prize speech, said: “Some things lead into the realm beyond words…it is like that small mirror in fairy tales – you glance in it and what you see is not yourself; for an instant you glimpse the Inaccessible….and the soul cries out for it.” (J.C. Cooper in “Fairy Tales: Allegories of the Inner Life”)

The value of fairy tales

•      Definition of fairy tale: “A fairy tale is a story in which truth is cloaked in symbolism and metaphor. Extracting the essence and getting to the truth requires penetrating the meaning of the symbols and the dynamics of the story.” (Seth Isaiah, ‘Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche’)

•      “The fairy tale reaches into a magical domain where opposites and contradictions can coexist, and characters and situations may not be what they appear to be.” (Seth Isaiah)

 

Archetypes and Symbols

What is the difference?

Archetype: a person, thing, action, or event which is recognizable by certain characteristics, features, forms, or structures

An archetype is a universally understood type or pattern of behaviour, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated.

Archetypes are often used in myths and storytelling across different cultures.

Symbol: an image that stands for or represents something else.

A symbol is a word or object that stands for an idea, concept or feeling.

 

Jungian Character Archetypes

What are the Jungian archetypes?

Carl Jung identified four main archetypes—

•      the persona; enables an individual to interrelate to the surrounding environment by reflecting on the role in life they’re playing

•      the shadow; the shadow exists as part of the unconscious mind that is made up of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings (it develops as a result of our attempts to adapt to cultural norms and expectations)

•      the anima (feminine) or animus (masculine); the masculine and feminine parts of the soul

•      the self; the unified unconsciousness and consciousness parts of a person

 

Jungian character archetypes are a result of collective, shared ancestral memories that may persist in art, literature and religion but aren't obvious to the eye.

Hero….. The hero comes from a humble beginning and can appear ordinary. But they possess a remarkable ability that sets them apart

Mentor. ... They often help the Hero in the beginning but leave them to finish the ‘hard part’ on their own

Herald. ...Ushers in a new message which the Hero cannot ignore

Trickster. ...Represents the chaotic, irrational and unpredictable side of human thought and behaviour

Shapeshifter. ...Changes role or personality in significant ways and is difficult to understand (often the Hero’s romantic interest)

Guardian. ...A watchman/body guard who blocks the way of the Hero in order to test their ability to overcome something

Shadow……..Part of the unconscious mind with its repressed ideas, weaknesses, instincts, and shortcomings

 

Jungian Character archetypes in Rumpelstiltskin:

 

The Miller’s daughter – Hero; the maiden in distress; powerless and at the mercy of the objectives of the miller, the king and Rumpelstiltskin; overcomes the challenges and the demands of others

The Miller – Guardian; a ‘banker’ in a medieval European village, who lives on the town’s outskirts

The King – Shadow; a figure of power, authority, and leadership, and hungry for power

Rumpelstiltskin – Trickster “points the way toward a deeper truth or reality”

“enables the maiden to complete her onerous task and achieve her goal” (Seth Isaiah Rubin

 

Symbols and their meanings in the story:

•      A spinning wheel – a symbol for transformation; spinning is generally a woman’s work where fibres are transformed into thread; Rumpelstiltskin (a fairy godfather) transforms the straw into gold, the girl into a Queen, and the wife into a mother; but his motivation is not a good one as he wants the child and being a magical type of character he could potentially transform the child into something ‘evil’

•      The number three – harmony, wisdom and understanding

•      Straw – of little value or significance; worthless

•      Gold –  symbolizes wealth, riches, prosperity and status

•      Ring – symbolizes connection

•      Necklace – symbolizes feeling values

•      Future Baby – symbolizes new life

•      Tears –  reveal human emotion in response to an impossible human task

•      The process of naming – carries great power and significance

 

Seven Jungian Story Archetypes:

•      Overcoming the Monster…..is a story arc that follows a protagonist who struggles to overcome an adversary/adversity

•      Rags to Riches…..a poor and derelict hero who gains something they lack (money, power, love), loses it and then gains it back again

•      The Quest….the hero must reach a certain location, attain a certain object, or fulfil a certain objective while facing many obstacles along the way

•      Voyage and Return….the hero ventures into the unknown, which is at first fascinating and exciting. The hero then faces challenges but overcomes them.

•      Comedy….light and humorous tone with a happy ending; there is also the triumph over adverse circumstances resulting in a happy ending

•      Tragedy……involves a tragic hero and their downfall

•      Rebirth…….a renewal of personality and transformation of a person within their own lifetime

 

Symbols and their meanings in the story from a Christian Mystic perspective:

•      Rumpelstiltskin represents the ‘false self’ – he has selfish reasons for wanting the baby; he wants the child to control his destiny. (“Everyone one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self.” Thomas Merton)

•      The Miller’s daughter represents the ‘true self’ – she wants the baby to love; this can be compared to the union of love between the mystic and God. (“If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him. The only One Who can teach me to find God is God, God Alone.” Thomas Merton)

•      Tears – reveal the purgation of the soul to find the ‘true self’ (“So one of the nights or purification will be unspiritual…..The other night or purification is spiritual…..” St John of the Cross)

•      The number three – represents the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)

•      Spinning straw into gold – spiritual transformation (St Teresa’s “The Interior Castle” describes the spiritual transformation of the soul and union with God in love,  through the metaphor of entering and travelling through the many rooms within a castle)

•      The greed of the King and the Miller – reveal Evagrius’s eight logisomoi - “First is that of gluttony, then impurity, avarice, sadness, anger, acedia, vainglory, and last of all, pride.” (Evagrius Ponticus)

•      The marriage of the Miller’s daughter to the King – Expresses the divine marriage of the mystics (“Love causes the soul to become wholly assimilated to God…” St John of the Cross)

 

Spinning Straw into Gold: Deeper Meanings

•      Can be transformed from a quest from material gain to deeper wisdom or knowledge

•      Spinning is not a mindless task but requires focus so that the fibres don’t end up in a mess or broken

•      It shows that you can produce something of value from something very basic

•      Where Rumpelstiltskin didn’t have good ulterior motives in helping the Miller’s daughter, good fortune came to her in the end. She was helped in a positive way by Rumpelstiltskin despite him

 

What is the ‘Rumpelstiltskin Effect’?

•      In this tale, “Rumpelstiltskin the manikin enables the maiden to complete her onerous task and achieve her goal, but by threatening to take what is most important to her, he evokes her cleverness when she is able to name him.” (Seth Rubin)

•      “But Joseph said to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:2b

•      “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

•      “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31b)

 

Activities and Questions:

•      Share your ‘Spinning straw into gold stories’

•      Share your creative responses to the fairy story “Rumpelstiltskin”

•      What did you find most interesting about this fairy tale?

•      What can you learn from it?

 

Summary

•      Being an overcomer involves challenges that must be surmounted

•      Being an overcomer involves overcoming challenging people in our lives, who don’t always have our best interests in mind

•      Fairy Tales express many of our deepest human experiences

•      Archetypes and symbols enlighten our understanding of the human condition and human experience

•      “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

 

By Cecily Clark 2023