Rumpelstiltskin revisited

Rumpelstiltskin has always been a fun word for kids to say. It dances around the tongues of children across the world as they hear the fairy tale about a miniature magical man who turns straw into gold.

In the Appalachian region, a new name may soon come tumbling from the mouths of babes: Ferradiddledumday. It's the name of "a strange little runt of a man" who grants a farmer's daughter the ability to turn hay into gold in the Appalachian version of "Rumpelstiltskin."

Penhook resident and author Becky Mushko's short story "Ferradiddledumday" will be released this month after years of orally and dramatically spinning the tale for children in the region.

The folk tale draws heavily on the culture, speech and environment of the region. Already, it's garnered praise from one of Appalachia's best-known authors: Sharyn McCrumb.

In a review of Mushko's short story, New York Times-bestselling author McCrumb wrote: "If the story had happened here, it would have happened like this."

Mushko's tale closely follows the original story, but hers is peppered with regional elements. Wherein the original is centered around a miller's daughter, Mushko's is around a tobacco farmer's daughter.

The straw the king forces her to spin into gold becomes hay that she spins into gold in her own barn to pay the government's land taxes lest her family be kicked off their property.

And instead of marrying the king after spinning the straw to gold, Mushko's character marries a farmhand who plays the fiddle every night after supper.

"There's no king in Appalachia and this was logical," said Mushko. "I just wanted to keep it in the believable range, even though it's not believable at all."

To illustrate her Southern tale, Mushko enlisted the help of fellow lake author Bruce Rae, who also is an artist. Thirty-two pen-and-ink illustrations are scattered throughout the 56-page book.

"There were [scenes] that almost dictated a visual," said Rae. "And most of it is botanically and geologically correct, but there are liberties taken in sizes."

In one illustration showing Gillie, the protagonist, walking through the mountainside, Rae drew ticks and chiggers as large as the nearby snake's head so the insects wouldn't be lost in the picture.

The book will be available this month from Cedar Creek Publishing, a company that focuses on works by Virginia authors. Mushko said Cedar Creek is targeting the home-school market, so the book includes a study and discussion guide. It will be available at The General Store for $7.

Mushko, who was born in Roanoke and moved throughout Virginia, South Carolina and Massachusetts before settling in Penhook, said she has fallen in love with Appalachian history and culture.

She said she wanted to share that love with regional children who could call this book their own. Mushko said she also hopes it will spark an interest in children to learn more about the region.

"I'm hoping around here that a lot of grandparents will buy it for their grandchildren, will read it with their grandchildren and then will take their grandchildren to the Booker T. Washington National Monument and the Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum," said Mushko.

For more information about "Ferradiddledumday" or Becky Mushko, visit www.beckymushko.com.

LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly 721.4675 (ext. 406)