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ArchivesRe: Rumpelstilzchen . . .
in reply to a message by Chrisell
In fact I took the translation from the 33 volume German dictionary that was started by the Grimm brothers. Although they only got as far as to letter F, many scholars finished the dictionary until the 1960s with the same thoroughness as the Grimm brothers.
There is still "rumpeln" in modern German (rumble, rattle; an onomatopoetic word), but I'm not sure about the "Stilzchen" part. "Stelzen" means "stalk" or "walk on stilts" (!). "Stelzfuß" can mean "wooden leg" or "crippled foot", so maybe this is where the goblin comes in.
Now I'm pretty sure that the "skin" interpretation is secondary, it seems to be just a matter of transscription from German, but I'd like to know more about the original intention of the tale.
Andy ;—)
There is still "rumpeln" in modern German (rumble, rattle; an onomatopoetic word), but I'm not sure about the "Stilzchen" part. "Stelzen" means "stalk" or "walk on stilts" (!). "Stelzfuß" can mean "wooden leg" or "crippled foot", so maybe this is where the goblin comes in.
Now I'm pretty sure that the "skin" interpretation is secondary, it seems to be just a matter of transscription from German, but I'd like to know more about the original intention of the tale.
Andy ;—)
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Surely the -chen is just the normal German diminutive ending, suitable for a small creature or a small body part!
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Bother, I'm at home with the book now and remembered it incorrectly . . .
They just said that the name had a similar derivation in other languages.
I'd like to know more about it too! I'll add it to my "must research one day" pile. :-D
:-)
They just said that the name had a similar derivation in other languages.
I'd like to know more about it too! I'll add it to my "must research one day" pile. :-D
:-)
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