Tom Tit Tot

This is an Anglish of the folk tale, Tom Tit Tot, first written by Edward Clodd for Folk-Lore (vol. vii), and later gathered together in English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, and English Fairy and Other Folk Tales by Edwin Sidney Hartland. The tale is akin to Rumpelstiltskin as written by The Brothers Grimm.

This reading is set mostly on Jacobs's reading in which he did away with some of the Suffolk slang words. by Wordwork. See the wender's leaf for more on the wordings.

English Spelling
Once upon a time there was a woman, and she baked five. And when came out of the oven,  were that overbaked the  were too hard to eat. So, she says to her daughter:

'Darter,' says she, 'put  there  on the shelf, an leave 'em there a little, and 'll come .' – She meant,  knowst, the  would  soft.

But the, she says to herself: 'Well, if 'll come , I'll eat 'em now.' And she set to work and ate 'em all, first and last.

Well, come -time the woman said: 'Go, and one o'  there. I dare say 've come now.'

The went and she looked, and there was nothing but the dishes. So back she came and says she: 'Noo, ain't come .'

'Not one of 'em?' says the mother.

'Not one of' 'em,' says she.

'Well, come, or not come ,' said the woman, 'I'll have one for .'

'But can't, if  ain't come,' said the.

'But I can,' says she. 'Goest, and bring the best of 'em.'

'Best or worst,' says the, 'I've ate 'em all, and can't hast one till that's come .'

Well, the woman she was done, and she her spinning to the door to spin, and as she span she sang:

'My darter ha' ate five, five today. My darter ha' ate five, five today.'

The king was coming down the street, and he heard her sing, but what she sang he couldn't hear, so he stopped and said:

'What was that wert singing, my good woman?'

The woman was ashamed to let him hear what her daughter had been doing, so she sang, instead of that:

'My darter ha' spun five, five today. My darter ha' spun five, five today.'

'Stars o' mine!' said the king, 'I never heard tell of anyone that could do that.' Then he said: 'Lookst here, I want a wife, and I'll   daughter. But lookst here,' says he, 'eleven months out of the year she shall have all she  to eat, and all the  she  to, and all the  she  to keep; but the last month of the year she'll have to spin five  every day, and if she don't I shall kill her.'

'All right,' says the woman; for she thought what a  that was. And as for the five, when the time came, there'd be of ways of  out of it, and , he'd have forgotten all about it.

Well, so were. And for eleven months the had all she  to eat, and all the  she  to, and all the  she  to keep.

But when the time was over, she began to think about the  and to wonder if he had 'em in mind. But not one word did he say about 'em, and she thought he'd wholly forgotten 'em.

However, the last day of the last month he her to a room she'd never set eyes on before. There was nothing in it but a spinning-wheel and a stool. And says he: 'Now, my dear, here 'll bist shut in tomorrow with some and some flax, and if  hasn't spun five  by the night,  head'll go off.'

And away he went about his business.

Well, she was that frightened, she'd always been such a gatless, that she didn't so much as know how to spin, and what was she to do tomorrow with no one to come nigh her to help her? She sate down on a stool in the kitchen, and ! how she did !

However, she heard a  of a knocking low down on the door. She upped and oped it, and what should she see but a small little black thing with a long tail. That looked up at her right, and that said:

'What  a- for?'

'What's that to ?' says she.

'Never mind,' that said, 'but tell me what  a- for.'

'That do me no good if I do,' says she.

' don't know that,' that said, and twirled that's tail.

'Well,' says she, 'that do no harm, if that don't do no good,' and she upped and told about the, and the , and everything.



'This is what I'll do,' says the little black thing. 'I'll come to  every morning and  the flax and bring it spun at night.'

'What's ?' says she.

That looked out of the of that's eyes, and that said:

'I'll  three guesses every night to guess my name, and if  hasn't guessed it before the month's up  shall be mine.'

Well, she thought, she'd be to guess that's name before the month was up. 'All right,' says she, 'I .'

'All right,' that says, and ! how that twirled that's tail.

Well, the next day, her  her into the room, and there was the flax and the day's food.

'Now, there's the flax,' says he, 'and if that ain't spun up this night, off goes head.' And then he went out and locked the door.

He'd hardly gone, when there was a knocking the.

She upped and she oped it, and there enough was the little old thing sitting on the ledge.

'Where's the flax?' says he.

'Here it be,' says she. And she it to him.

Well, come the evening a knocking came to the. She upped and she oped it, and there was the little old thing with five of flax on his arm.

'Here it be,' says he, and he it to her.

'Now, what's my name?' says he.

'What, is that Bill?' says she.

'Noo, that ain't,' says he, and he twirled his tail.

'Is that Ned?' says she.

'Noo, that ain't,' says he, and he twirled his tail.

'Well, is that Mark?' says she.

'Noo, that ain't,' says he, and he twirled his tail harder, and away he flew.

Well, when her came in, there were the five  ready for him. 'I see I shan't have to kill tonight, my dear,' says he; ' have  food and  flax in the morning,' says he, and away he goes.

Well, every day the flax and the food were brought, and every day that there little black  come mornings and evenings. And all the day the sate  to think of names to say to it when it came at night. But she never hit on the right one. And as it towards the end of the month, the  began to look so, and that twirled that's tail faster and faster each time she  a guess.

At last it came to the last day but one. The came at night along with the five, and that said:

'What, ain't  my name yet?'

'Is that Nicodemus?' says she.

'Noo, 't ain't,' that says.

'Is that Sammle?' says she.

'Noo, 't ain't,' that says.

'A-well, is that Methusalem?' says she.

'Noo, 't ain't that neither,' that says.

Then that looks at her with that's eyes a coal of fire, and that says: 'Woman, there's only tomorrow night, and then  be mine!' And away it flew.

Well, she felt that. However, she heard the king coming along the. In he came, and when he sees the five, he says, says he:

'Well, my dear,' says he. 'I don't see but what have   ready tomorrow night as well, and as I reckon I shan't have to kill, I'll have  in here tonight.' So  brought , and another stool for him, and down the two sate.

Well, he hadn't eaten but a mouthful or so, when he stops and begins to laugh. 'What is it?' says she.

'A-why,' says he, 'I was out a-hunting today, and I away to a  in the wood I'd never seen before. And there was an old chalk-pit. And I heard a kind of a of humming. So, I off my, and I went right  to the pit, and I looked down. Well, what should there be but the funniest little black thing ever set eyes on. And what was that doing, but that had a little spinning-wheel, and that was spinning wonderful fast, and twirling that's tail. And as that span that sang:

'Nimmy nimmy not, My name's Tom Tit Tot.'

Well, when the heard this, she felt as if she could have  out of her  for, but she didn't say a word.

Next day that there little thing looked so when he came for the flax. And when night came she heard that knocking the. She oped the, and that come right in on the ledge. That was grinning from ear to ear, and Oo! that's tail was twirling so fast.

'What's my name?' that says, as that her the.

'Is that Solomon?' she says, to be afeard.

'Noo, 'tain't,' that says, and that came further into the room.

'Well, is that Zebedee?' says she.

'Noo, 'tain't,' says the imp. And then that laughed and twirled that's tail till couldn't hardly see it.

' time, woman,' that says; 'next guess, and mine.' And that stretched out that's black hands at her. Well, she backed a step or two, and she looked at it, and then she laughed out, and says she, her finger at it:

Nimmy nimmy not,  name's Tom Tit TOT!

Well, when that heard her, that   and away that flew into the dark, and she never saw it any more.

Anglish Spelling
Ones upon a time þere ƿas a ƿoman, and sce baked fife. And hƿen came ute of þe ofen,  ƿere þat oferbaked þe  ƿere too hard to eat. So, sce says to her daugter:

'Darter,' says sce, 'put  þere  on þe scelf, an leafe 'em þere a littel, and 'll cum .' – Sce meant,  knoƿst, þe  ƿould  soft.

But þe, sce says to herself: 'Ƿell, if 'll cum , I'll eat 'em noƿ.' And sce set to ƿork and ate 'em all, first and last.