Headcanon Theory: Rumpelstiltskin is Regina's Actual Father! (Once Upon A Time)

Hello, and welcome to my first blogpost. Like many people, I am quite the fan of Once Upon A Time. I'm going to start this blog with a headcanon I've held for a while now that I hope will blow the minds of every Oncer reading this.

One of the best things about Once Upon A Time, at least to me, is how they have put all these classic fairy tale characters, mostly the Disney adaptations, in the same world together and at times conflated some of them in the same character in interesting ways. For example, Cora is not only the miller's daughter from the tale "Rumpelstiltskin," but also the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and the mother of Regina, the Evil Queen from Snow White. Rumpelstiltskin is not only the titular character from the tale "Rumpelstiltskin" but the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, and oddly enough the crocodile from Peter Pan.

Speaking of Cora and Rumpelstiltskin, we got their backstory in Season 2's "The Miller's Daughter," and it revealed quite a bit about the nature of the relationship between Cora and Rumpelstiltskin. This revelation has led me to theorize something about the nature of Rumpelstiltskin and Regina's relationship that as of yet has not been proven or disproved on the show itself.

I submit to you that Rumpelstiltskin is Regina's actual, factual biological father.

I believe that the episode "The Miller's Daughter" provides the evidence for this being the case.

So, "The Miller's Daughter" is OUAT's rendition of the tale of "Rumpelstiltskin" though it features some elements of "Cinderella" as well. (Which is ironic because because Season 1's "The Price of Gold" was OUAT's rendition of Cinderella that included elements of "Rumpelstiltskin.")

Anyway, Rumpelstiltskin appears to a young Cora after she has been locked in a tower after boasting to King Xavier that she can weave straw into gold. Rumple makes his usual deal with Cora. He will spin the straw into gold in exchange for Cora's fist born child. Here is where things begin to deviate from the original story. Cora instead demands that Rumple teach her how to spin straw into gold herself. It's in the process of Rumple teaching Cora to spin straw into gold that it is implied that they become intimate.

Rumple and Cora Getting sexy.

The next day, Cora proves she can indeed weave straw into gold and is engaged to the king's son Prince Henry. Despite this though, Cora and Rumple continue their relationship, and it's apparently quite physical. As they plan to run away together, Rumple even changes the terms of their agreement so that first born child she owes him is also his child.

Sealing that promise.

It is then that Cora wants Rumple to teach her how to use magic to rip out a person's heart. It is implied that she intends to rip out King Xavier's heart and crush his life out. Instead, it's revealed that Cora ripped out her own heart because she intends to go through with the marriage with Prince Henry. She loved Rumple so much she had to rip out her own heart to stop. 

Take a look inside. It's my heart in a box!

Anyway, Cora's last flashback of the episode features her with an infant Regina. 

And here lies the crux of this argument. It is not clear how long after Cora's last time together with Rumpelstiltskin this takes place. It could be years later, or it could be that Regina was born within nine months of Cora's last time with Rumple. I like to believe the later. But why is that? Well, Regina is quite magically gifted. Being the daughter of one of the most powerful magical beings in the Enchanted Forest could explain why that is. But I have my own reasons for thinking so.

It actually has a lot to do with Regina's son Henry. 

You see, Henry starts out the show as what is known as a catalyst hero. That's a type of hero that inspires a change in others. In Season 1's case, that was obviously his natural mother Emma. However, slowly but surely, Henry is becoming a hero in his own right. This can be especially seen in the fourth season finale "Operation Mongoose." What does any of this have to do with Regina being Rumple's daughter you may ask. Well, it is also revealed in Season 2 that Rumple's son Baelfire eventually made his way to the Land Without Magic and became Neal Cassady, Emma's former lover and the man who sired Henry. That makes Rumpelstiltskin his grandfather. 

If it is the case as I suspect that Regina is also Rumpelstiltskin's offspring, that mean she's Henry's biological half-aunt as well as his adoptive mother. So, why is that important? Well, as I was saying before, Henry is becoming a hero in his own right. One of things seen in the Hero's Journey motif is that the hero is often raised by someone who isn't his parents because they're dead or were forced to abandon them. Ofttimes, this is an aunt and uncle. You can see this in both Harry Potter and Star Wars. So, as Henry is also a hero, he must adhere to the Hero's Journey motif. He's already been abandoned by his parents. He just needed to be raised by an aunt. That is the case if Regina is indeed his aunt by being Rumpelstiltskin's daughter. 

I would love nothing more than seeing this theory confirmed on Once Upon A Time in the upcoming season. We'll just have to wait and see. 

What do you all think of my headcanon that Regina might be Rumpelstiltskin's daughter? Are there any other clues on the show that may further prove or this disprove this theory? 

God bless you all. And God bless America.