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It is safe to assume that Rumpelstiltskin follows his own backstory to some extent, since other characters in the Shrek universe does so as well. Hypothetically, if we were to use the (possibly outdated) lore of Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek 3, we can assume that was or is deeply affected by the fact he failed to retrieve the firstborn that was promised to him in his original tale, as seem when mentioned by prince charming. Although not shown in Shrek 4, Rumpelstiltskin in Shrek 3 had a binky tattoo on the back of his left forearm. Through this, we can assume that King Midas, the name of Rumpelstiltskin's king (Shrek 4), does not know that Rumpelstiltskin had created the illusion that the queen could spin straw into gold. In fact, King Midas ‘highly recommended’ Rumpelstiltskin to the King and Queen of Far Far Away, which led to their decision to make a deal with him in the first place. Another possibility is that King Midas simply was not aware that Rumpelstiltskin and the queen had made a deal, since the queen would likely face death or some form of punishment by the king if Rumpelstiltskin's lore is accurate to his fairytale; since the queen assumed the throne under the false impression she could spin straw into gold.

However, in Shrek 3, Prince Charming knew about the situation with a firstborn, so it would make sense that others would, as well. There are a few possibilities; King Midas is one of the few people who does not know about the deal to retrieve the queen’s firstborn, Rumpelstiltskin gained the King’s favor by honoring his word and possibly compensates for any failures through gold or possibly even leaving the kingdom (the latter is unlikely, since the king may not 'highly recommend' an outcast), or the lore from Shrek 3 is not applicable and this information is all outdated.

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Rumpelstiltskin from the Shrek universe has moved to the kingdom of Far Far Away, as shown in Shrek 4 when, even in poverty, he stays in the kingdom rather than fleeing.

In fact, Donkey, in the alternate universe created through a deal with the royals of Far Far Away, had revealed that Rumpelstiltskin's business declined after everyone learned his name, presumably after the deal in his fairytale that took place in his previous kingdom. In addition, the king of Far Far Away, King Harold, is based off of the original fairytale of Princess and the Frog (not the Disney film). It was revealed in Shrek 2 that King Harold had made a deal with the Fairy Godmother to make his queen, Queen Lillian, fall in love with him through the use of a love potion or spell. Through this, he was transformed from a frog into a human. This is further proved when he turns into a frog at the end of Shrek 2 when hit by the Fairy Godmother's magic - he had turned back into his original form.

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Everyone Knows that he is Evil, so Why did they Make the Deal?

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Everyone Knows that he is Evil, so Why did they Make the Deal?

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In the beginning of Shrek 2, it is also revealed that King Harold had made another deal with the Godmother to save his daughter, Fiona, from a curse that caused her to be locked away in a tower. Prince Charming was to be the one to rescue Fiona, but was unsuccessful when Shrek had rescued Fiona before him. Queen Lillian is shown to not be aware of any contracts that King Harold has made with the Fairy Godmother, even in Shrek 4, where she remains persistent to make a deal with Rumpelstiltskin since she is under the guise that her daughter has no other plan for rescue. King Harold is anxious and unsure of the deal making but refrains from revealing that he had made a deal with the Fairy Godmother, illustrating his hesitance to reveal that he was in contact with her in case Lillian discovered his affiliation with her.

Harold is also seen looking to Lillian for approval during his interactions with Rumpelstiltskin, seemingly unable to make a single decision by himself. He values his marriage with Lillian more than he values the safety of his kingdom, since he seeks marital 'stability' by turning over his kingdom to a known dealmaker and villain.

In contrast, Lillian's perspective of this is that of valuing her daughter's safety over the kingdom's rather than her marriage, since she is unaware of Harold's contact with the Fairy Godmother and the fact her marriage was created with the help of a fairy's magic.

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Rumpelstiltskin was described as 'impish' and 'short,' but he is not at all classified as a dwarf. He is short, approximately 4'7" - but his species or race is never specified.

Rumpelstiltskin can not be a dwarf, though, in the Shrek universe. Or, at least, he can not just be a dwarf. Dwarves in the Shrek universe mainly consist of the seven dwarves from the Snow White fairytale. Throughout the movies, dwarves have no magical powers or unique physical attributes - they are merely human. Rumpelstiltskin, however, has a different ear and eye shape, different body structure, and a unique hair and eye color that is not seen in another dwarf and nearly all characters in the franchise. A character that is so openly unique from a race that he is blindly assumed to be a part of is likely incorrect. He is more than just a dwarf, if he even is one at all.

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Rumpelstiltskin may be part fae:

Fae usually have brighter eyes and hair, and are known for manipulating words magic, including planes of existence. The common trope of giving a fae your name is shown to be taken literally.

This is extremely similar to what Rumpelstiltskin does; he only uses literal meanings and communication when talking and negotiating deals, and if never shown to have lied.

Magic examples:

- in the beginning of Shrek 4, he breaks a plate in anger when cutting a cooked rat . It takes him a couple of seconds to compose himself, but, within that time of physical stillness, he managed to fully garnished two (unbroken) plates of cut rat.

- he uses a magical gold ink for his contracts, which is the same material seen when Shrek and the Royalty of Far Far Away disappeared. Although not shown in Shrek 4, Rumpelstiltskin turned straw into gold.

Similarities:

- Fae are typically 3-4 feet tall for human-sized fae in some fairytale media. Rumpelstiltskin is approximately 4'7".

- Faes typically flaunt jewelry or fancy clothing. Rumpelstiltskin is seen doing so in Shrek 4.

Lastly, the Fairy Godmother is a type of Fae, and has a unique hair color as compared to other characters in the Shrek movies.

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The Pied Piper's representation and mannerisms are accurate in Shrek 4; Jack Horner’s backstory in Puss in Boots: the Last Wish (a spinoff of Shrek, taking place in the same universe) being that of his exact nursery rhyme; one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters in Shrek 3 was confirmed to have failed the shoe size test that took place in the classic fairytale.

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Rumpelstiltskin nearly never makes an alternate plane of existence until his deal with Shrek, since his business was not doing well and he was still in that plane of existence at the time of Shrek 4 taking place. We know that exit clauses are hard to discern and follow through with, so it is unlikely that he has made an alternate universe for himself up until then.

As seen in Shrek 4, time had 'paused' when Shrek signed the contract, and he even went further back in time (at least 30 minutes before the signing of the contract) since he had come to when still in his kids' first birthday party. This undeniably demonstrates that Rumpelstiltskin has the ability to 1) manipulate time in case he fails in a contract so he has sufficient time to redeem/save himself and 2) fabricate alternate universes that seemingly only affects the parties who signed the contract. In the other cases of signing deals that did not make an alternate universe, this still applies.

To prove this point, Rumpelstiltskin would have manipulated his contracts to abuse said power and receive any other condition(s) he so desired. However, Shrek was seen as the only person, other than Rumpelstiltskin himself, to remember the contract and its contents, supporting the idea that a magical contract only affects the parties involved in the signing.

An additional demonstration of his magic, in the alternate universe that had fully replicated the original one, King Harold and Queen Lillian signed a contract that made them disappear into a gold mist. It is not confirmed that Rumpelstiltskin was immediately made king, since the words used in the discussion of the contract was 'you sign the kingdom of Far Far Away over to me.' Rumpelstiltskin follows the literal meaning of phrases and words, so he 'owns' the kingdom in a sense. A ruler could be overthrown, but since he owns the territory, one can not legally overturn the contract put in place, especially with the use of magic. However, it is shown in the alternate universe he created that it is possible to overthrow him, since the ogre resistance did so in the conclusion of the movie. Therefore, either the people of Far Far Away were too scared to do anything against Rumpelstiltskin as a single person, which I doubt, or he had assistance in securing his spot as the ruler of Far Far Away. His witch army is likely to be the party responsible for his success, as they are his only known affiliates in Shrek 4. It is not confirmed what had kept the witches in line, since they outnumbered him, hundreds to one - there may have been a contract involved in their loyalty to Rumpelstiltskin.

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Rumpelstiltskin's contracts punish the other party involved according to their greed and personal gain.

Evidence 1 - Grimm's tale (the miller's daughter):

- The miller's daughter had to turn one room of straw into gold within a day. She will die if she doesn't. The price: her necklace.

- The miller's daughter has a bigger room of straw to turn into gold within a lesser time frame than before. The price: her ring.

- The miller's daughter has an even bigger room of straw to turn into gold. If she succeeds, she becomes queen. The price: her firstborn child.

It is important to note that Rumpelstiltskin's wording was literal and he said "Then you must promise me the first child you have after you are queen." He didn't necessarily manipulate her in the fairytale. The size of her payment increased with the personal gain of the deal, the child being the price to pay for becoming a queen.

Evidence 2 - King Harold and Queen Lillian (Shrek 4 alt. universe):

- The king and queen wanted give their entire kingdom to a well-known 'evil' and 'deceitful' person in turn for their daughter's freedom - their decision was decided on another King's word. 'ALL of their problems would disappear.' The price: the king and queen disappeared into a gold mist.

Evidence 3 - Shrek being an 'ogre for a day':

- Shrek was tired of not being a 'true ogre' and wanted a break from his domestic life.

- He wanted one day to himself without the worries of his family. In fact, Shrek told his wife, Fiona, that he wished he never saved her from the dragons keep, implying he wished they never met. He had insisted he was not in the wrong and continued to do so until the signing of the contract with Rumpelstiltskin. To get his wish, Shrek gave up one of the days from his childhood, which was clarified by Rumpelstiltskin that the day would not be recoverable if the deal is not broken. The price: disappearing into a gold mist from losing one day of his childhood - the day of his birth.

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A couple of things can be assumed:

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1) The price of a contract varies on the person's greed or (initial) personal benefit.

- Personal benefit: The miller's daughter had to pay a larger price each time the stakes for her increased, eventually trading a first born daughter for becoming the queen of a kingdom.

- Greed + personal benefit: Harold and Lillian wanted to give up their kingdom in order to break Fiona's curse. However, Rumpelstiltskin never confirmed that Fiona would be rid of her curse as an effect of the contract, only stating that their problems would disappear (which did, indeed, happen).

- Greed: Shrek wanted to be rid of the life he had worked hard to achieve for a short period of time. He had a wife and three kids, but decided to walk out on his family the day of his triplets' first birthday. He had stuck with his decision up until he realized that he did not still have his family in the alternate universe that was created. In fact, he was under the impression that he still had his family, but prioritized his isolation and feeling 'ogre-like' again over the family he thought was waiting for him at home.

2) Rumpelstiltskin clarifies what happens if one signs his contract in verbal discussion.

- He directly stated what would be taken from the miller's daughter, and even gave her a second chance to not lose her child at the end of his deal. He stuck to his word despite the outcome not being in his favor.

- Rumpelstiltskin said 'all your problems will disappear' and did so in a way that ensured all problems of Harold's and Lillian's would be gone (death).

- When talking to Shrek, he said that he will take a day from his childhood, and, in response, Shrek said 'take any - take them all for all I care.' Rumpelstiltskin took the day he was born, rendering him physically nonexistent after the 24 hours had ended.

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Rumpelstiltskin is confirmed to not originally be from the land of Far Far Away, as shown in the fourth movie when King Harold and Queen Lillian said that King Midas had 'highly recommended' Rumpelstiltskin as a solution to Princess Fiona's curse.

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Rumpelstiltskin is described as a 'little man' in his original tale and is confirmed to have magic, as shown when he spins straw into gold and assumed to magically solidify deals.

The tale took place in a kingdom where a miller's daughter became queen solely due to the illusion that she was able to spin straw into gold.

This tale is assumed to be applicable to the Shrek 4 Rumpelstiltskin since, in the Shrek universe, fairytales and nursery rhymes typically keep the fundamentals to make an accurate representation of the character.

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There was once a miller who was poor, but he had one beautiful daughter. It happened one day that he came to speak with the king, and, to give himself consequence, he told him that he had a daughter who could spin gold out of straw. The king said to the miller: "That is an art that pleases me well; if thy daughter is as clever as you say, bring her to my castle to-morrow, that I may put her to the proof."

When the girl was brought to him, he led her into a room that was quite full of straw, and gave her a wheel and spindle, and said: "Now set to work, and if by the early morning thou hast not spun this straw to gold thou shalt die." And he shut the door himself, and left her there alone. And so the poor miller's daughter was left there sitting, and could not think what to do for her life: she had no notion how to set to work to spin gold from straw, and her distress grew so great that she began to weep. Then all at once the door opened, and in came a little man, who said: "Good evening, miller's daughter; why are you crying?"

"Oh!" answered the girl, "I have got to spin gold out of straw, and I don't understand the business." Then the little man said: "What will you give me if I spin it for you?" - "My necklace," said the girl. The little man took the necklace, seated himself before the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr! three times round and the bobbin was full; then he took up another, and whirr, whirr, whirr! three times round, and that was full; and so he went on till the morning, when all the straw had been spun, and all the bobbins were full of gold.

At sunrise came the king, and when he saw the gold he was astonished and very much rejoiced, for he was very avaricious. He had the miller's daughter taken into another room filled with straw, much bigger than the last, and told her that as she valued her life she must spin it all in one night. The girl did not know what to do, so she began to cry, and then the door opened, and the little man appeared and said: "What will you give me if I spin all this straw into gold?"

"The ring from my finger," answered the girl. So the little man took the ring, and began again to send the wheel whirring round, and by the next morning all the straw was spun into glistening gold. The king was rejoiced beyond measure at the sight, but as he could never have enough of gold, he had the miller's daughter taken into a still larger room full of straw, and said: "This, too, must be spun in one night, and if you accomplish it you shall be my wife." For he thought: "Although she is but a miller's daughter, I am not likely to find any one richer in the whole world." As soon as the girl was left alone, the little man appeared for the third time and said: "What will you give me if I spin the straw for you this time?" - "I have nothing left to give," answered the girl. "Then you must promise me the first child you have after you are queen," said the little man. "But who knows whether that will happen?" thought the girl; but as she did not know what else to do in her necessity, she promised the little man what he desired, upon which he began to spin, until all the straw was gold. And when in the morning the king came and found all done according to his wish, he caused the wedding to be held at once, and the miller's pretty daughter became a queen.

In a year's time she brought a fine child into the world, and thought no more of the little man; but one day he came suddenly into her room, and said: "Now give me what you promised me." The queen was terrified greatly, and offered the little man all the riches of the kingdom if he would only leave the child; but the little man said: "No, I would rather have something living than all the treasures of the world." Then the queen began to lament and to weep, so that the little man had pity upon her. "I will give you three days," said he, "and if at the end of that time you cannot tell my name, you must give up the child to me."

Then the queen spent the whole night in thinking over all the names that she had ever heard, and sent a messenger through the land to ask far and wide for all the names that could be found. And when the little man came next day, (beginning with Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar) she repeated all she knew, and went through the whole list, but after each the little man said: "That is not my name." The second day the queen sent to inquire of all the neighbours what the servants were called, and told the little man all the most unusual and singular names, saying: "Perhaps you are called Roast-ribs, or Sheepshanks, or Spindleshanks?" But he answered nothing but: "That is not my name."

The third day the messenger came back again, and said: "I have not been able to find one single new name; but as I passed through the woods I came to a high hill, and near it was a little house, and before the house burned a fire, and round the fire danced a comical little man, and he hopped on one leg and cried:

"Today do I bake,
tomorrow I brew,
The day after that the queen's child comes in;
And oh! I am glad that nobody knew
That the name I am called is Rumpelstiltskin!"

You cannot think how pleased the queen was to hear that name, and soon afterwards, when the little man walked in and said: "Now, Mrs. Queen, what is my name?" she said at first "Are you called Jack?" - "No," answered he. "Are you called Harry?" she asked again. "No," answered he. And then she said": "Then perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?"

"The devil told you that! the devil told you that!" cried the little man, and in his anger he stamped with his right foot so hard that it went into the ground above his knee; then he seized his left foot with both his hands in such a fury that he split in two, and there was an end of him.

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2023/11/08 Fairy tale: Rumpelstiltskin - A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. There was once a miller who was poor, but he had one beautiful daughter. It happened one day that he came to speak with the king, and, to give himself consequence, he told him that he had a daughter who could spin gold out of straw.