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Grimms' Fairy Tales
The
Seven Ravens
There was once a man who had seven sons, and
still he had no daughter, however much he wished for one.
At length his wife again gave him hope of a child, and when
it came into the world it was a girl. The joy was great,
but the child was sickly and small, and had to be privately
baptized on account of its weakness. The father sent one
of the boys in haste to the spring to fetch water for the
baptism. The other six went with him, and as each of them
wanted to be first to fill it, the jug fell into the well.
There they stood and did not know what to do, and none of
them dared to go home. As they still did not return, the
father grew impatient, and said, "They have certainly
forgotten it for some game, the wicked boys!" He became
afraid that the girl would have to die without being baptized,
and in his anger cried, "I wish the boys were all turned
into ravens." Hardly was the word spoken before he
heard a whirring of wings over his head in the air, looked
up and saw seven coal-black ravens flying away. The parents
could not recall the curse, and however sad they were at
the loss of their seven sons, they still to some extent
comforted themselves with their dear little daughter, who
soon grew strong and every day became more beautiful. For
a long time she did not know that she had had brothers,
for her parents were careful not to mention them before
her, but one day she accidentally heard some people saying
of herself, "that the girl was certainly beautiful,
but that in reality she was to blame for the misfortune
which had befallen her seven brothers." Then she was
much troubled, and went to her father and mother and asked
if it was true that she had had brothers, and what had become
of them? The parents now dared keep the secret no longer,
but said that what had befallen her brothers was the will
of Heaven, and that her birth had only been the innocent
cause. But the maiden took it to heart daily, and thought
she must deliver her brothers. She had no rest or peace
until she set out secretly, and went forth into the wide
world to trace out her brothers and set them free, let it
cost what it might. She took nothing with her but a little
ring belonging to her parents as a keepsake, a loaf of bread
against hunger, a little pitcher of water against thirst,
and a little chair as a provision against weariness.
And now she went continually onwards, far, far to the very
end of the world. Then she came to the sun, but it was too
hot and terrible, and devoured little children. Hastily
she ran away, and ran to the moon, but it was far too cold,
and also awful and malicious, and when it saw the child,
it said, "I smell, I smell the flesh of men."
On this she ran swiftly away, and came to the stars, which
were kind and good to her, and each of them sat on its own
particular little chair. But the morning star arose, and
gave her the drumstick of a chicken, and said, "If
you thou hast not that drumstick thou canst not open the
Glass mountain, and in the Glass mountain are thy brothers."
The maiden took the drumstick, wrapped it carefully in
a cloth, and went onwards again until she came to the Glass
mountain. The door was shut, and she thought she would take
out the drumstick; but when she undid the cloth, it was
empty, and she had lost the good star's present. What was
she now to do? She wished to rescue her brothers, and had
no key to the Glass mountain. The good sister took a knife,
cut off one of her little fingers, put it in the door, and
succeeded in opening it. When she had gone inside, a little
dwarf came to meet her, who said, "My child, what are
you looking for?" "I am looking for my brothers,
the seven ravens," she replied. The dwarf said, "The
lord ravens are not at home, but if you will wait here until
they come, step in." Thereupon the little dwarf carried
the ravens' dinner in, on seven little plates, and in seven
little glasses, and the little sister ate a morsel from
each plate, and from each little glass she took a sip, but
in the last little glass she dropped the ring which she
had brought away with her.
Suddenly she heard a whirring of wings and a rushing through
the air, and then the little dwarf said, "Now the lord
ravens are flying home." Then they came, and wanted
to eat and drink, and looked for their little plates and
glasses. Then said one after the other, "Who has eaten
something from my plate? Who has drunk out of my little
glass? It was a human mouth." And when the seventh
came to the bottom of the glass, the ring rolled against
his mouth. Then he looked at it, and saw that it was a ring
belonging to his father and mother, and said, "God
grant that our sister may be here, and then we shall be
free." When the maiden, who was standing behind the
door watching, heard that wish, she came forth, and on this
all the ravens were restored to their human form again.
And they embraced and kissed each other, and went joyfully
home.
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret
Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884), 1:108-110. |
