THE SEVEN RAVENS
By Brothers Grimm
Translated by Margaret Hunt
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.
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