Rumpelstiltskin is strange. It's about a little man who:

-will weave your hay into gold (forge wealth out of nothing)

-he'll help you to please the king (and get in with the authorities)

-but, he'll take your child in exchange (snatch away the next generation)

-the only way to defeat him is to say his name (he'll start stamping his feet in rage and disappear if you name him)

Were our ancestors trying to warn us about something?