Like all members of the fairy family, dwarves are sometimes helpful. But they like to be bribed and hate to be thwarted. Here is a classic dwarf story.

Once a miller foolishly boasted that his daughter could spin gold from a straws. The king took her away, locked her in with some straw, and ordered her to produce straws od gold. A dwarf camt to the poor girl's rescue. Taking her only possessions as bribes, he spun gold for two days running. On the thrid day the king promised the maiden marriage if she would spin gold for the last time. Having nothing left to give to the dwarf, she promised her first-born child on the dwarf's insistance.

The maiden became queen and had a baby. The dwarf appeared and demanded his gift, but she was so persuasive that he made a new bargain: if she could tell him his name in three days, she could keep her child. After two days of guessing, no name was right. Then one of the royal messengers unexpectedly came across a funny little man singing,"Little does my lady dream, Rumpelstiltskin is my name.

The next day the happy queen told the dwarf his name. Rumpelstiltskin was so furious that he stomped his foot through the floor. But he kept his bargain- the queen kept her baby.