In this book, Harry Rand explores what he believes to be the meaning behind the tale of Rumplestiltskin, namely that “Rumplestiltskin” was a story predominantly told by women out of the earshot of men, and that it is about an impotent male who preforms female duties. In order to support his argument, Rand includes analysis of the use of the spinning wheel and distaff, instruments that were associated with females at the time of collection, and the fact that Rumplestiltskin was found to be riding a ladle when the maid discovers him singing in the woods and hears him say his name. His short and deformed appearance helps to convey his status as an unimposing and non-dangerous male. Even the name Rumplestiltskin, according to Rand, is indicative of an impotent man, as the name implies phallic symbolism.

Rand also argues that Rumplestiltskin’s interactions with the Queen represent the stages of a romantic relationship. There is the courting stage when the maiden offers him her necklace, an implied engagement when she offers him her ring, and finally the sharing of a child, although this last stage is denied to Rumplestiltskin. Therefore, through the telling of this tale, women were not only able to discuss relationships and the very real problems that could be found in them, but they were also able to challenge the traditional gender roles of male and female, where the women were generally more submissive in a romantic relationship. Finally, Rand argues that the story helps to discuss the roles of mothers through the Queen’s willingness to do anything to save her baby, since she herself is without a mother. In a time when mothers often died in childbirth, the story discusses the real issue that some of the women faced in the time of the Grimms, that they would become mothers without having had mothers themselves to look up to.

While Rand’s argument is compelling and does raise a valid point, he is very Freudian in his analysis, something that Rand himself points out in the book. Since he uses Freud and psychoanalysis, it is no surprise that Rand interprets the tale of Rumplestiltskin as a sexual tale. With that being said, Rand does make a compelling argument that this is a valid interpretation of the story. He also situates the story in the historical context of the time, discussing the most likely place that the story would have been told, namely the women’s spinning room, and pointing out that this space was usually far from the ears of men. Based upon the arguments and evidence that Rand presents in this book, as I say, I believe that this is a valid interpretation of the story.

However, as any scholar of folktales and fairy tales is probably aware, there is no one way to interpret a tale. I feel that this book could have benefitted from that observation, and from the author presenting his argument as a possible interpretation, rather than a definitive one. Despite this limitation, I find that Rand did do a very good job of conveying his point, even if I personally did not find it convincing as the “true” meaning behind the story. I did like that the book was written in such a way that it was accessible to a general audience, rather than just to scholars. With these points in mind, I believe that this book is a useful contribution to folklore scholarship, particularly with regard to the tale of Rumplestiltskin, because it does offer a point of view that I had not considered before, and it does offer one reason why this story continues to be popular.

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[Review length: 606 words • Review posted on January 28, 2022]