Rumpelstiltskin

Golden Age Origin
Rumpelstiltskin was a small gnome or dwarf who offered his magical services for a price. In the traditional story, a miller's daughter named Greta is locked in a castle cell with a spinning wheel until she can demonstrate to the king, her reputed ability to spin straw into gold. Since she can not accomplish this magical feat on her own, Greta accepts Rumpelstiltskin's offer. In exchange, he wants Greta's first born son. The only way Greta can be released from the contract is if she is able to guess Rumpelstiltskin's unusual name. After her son is born, Rumpelstiltskin comes to collect and in various versions of the story, the girl manages to trick the dwarf into revealing his own name in some way. This infuriates the dwarf who soon disappears.

Public Domain Comic Appearances

 * Fairy Tale Parade #3: The original tale.
 * Mysterious Stories #4: An old witch claims the character's real name was Rahm-Bul-Slotkin and that he originated in Egypt, where he spun straw into marbles.
 * The Thing #14: Rumpelstiltskin revealed to be a demon seeking the approval of other local demons by obtaining smooth human skin for a gruesome arts and crafts project.
 * Marmaduke Mouse #40: Rumpelstiltskin makes a bargain to marry a young princess rather than take her baby.