Dame Gothel was an evil witch who once caught a man in her yard attempting to steal a Rapunzel plant for his pregnant wife. In exchange for the couples' unborn child that which she could raise as her own, Dame Gothel agreed to let the man go free. When the child, whom she named Rapunzel, was twelve years old, Dame Gothel locked her away in a tower and would only visit her once per day by announcing: "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, so that I may climb the golden stair". In some versions of the story, Rapunzel's hair magically grows long and beautiful again, once the prince touched it.