The Seven Ravens

A man had seven sons, but he also longed to have a daughter. At last his wife was expecting a child again, and the child that was born was a girl. They were overjoyed, but the child was very small and weak. Because she was sickly, she had to be christened right away.

The father sent one of his sons hurrying to the spring to fetch water for the christening. The other six ran with him. Because each of them wanted to be the first to fill the jug, the jug fell into the well. They stood there not knowing what to do, and none of them dared to go home. When the boys did not come back, the father grew impatient: "They must have forgotten all about it playing some game, those idle boys!" He was afraid his daughter would die before she was christened, and he cried out in anger: "I wish they'd all turn into ravens!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he heard a whirring of wings in the air above his head. Looking up, he saw seven coal-black ravens flying away. The parents could not take back the curse. They were very sad to have lost their seven sons. But their dear daughter comforted them a little. She soon grew strong and became more beautiful every day.

For a long time the girl did not know she had brothers, because her parents had always kept it from her. But one day she happened to hear people talking: "The girl really is beautiful, but her seven brothers' misfortune happened because of her." The girl was very upset; she went to her parents and asked whether she had brothers and what had become of them. Her parents could no longer keep the secret, but they told her it was the will of heaven and that her birth had been only the occasion of it.

But the girl thought about it every day and believed that she must set her brothers free. She could find no peace, and at last she secretly left home and set out into the wide world. She wanted to find her brothers and free them, whatever it cost. She took nothing with her but a little ring as a keepsake from her parents, a loaf of bread against hunger, a little jug of water against thirst, and a little stool against weariness.

She walked on and on, far, far away, to the very end of the world. She came to the sun, but the sun was too hot and terrible, and it ate little children. She hurried away from it and ran to the moon. But the moon was too cold, and gloomy, and wicked. When it saw the child, it said, "I smell human flesh." She ran away from there quickly too and went to the stars. The stars were very kind and friendly to her; each of them sat on its own little chair. The morning star stood up and gave the girl a little chicken bone: "Without this bone you can't open the glass mountain. Your brothers are inside the glass mountain."

The girl took the bone, wrapped it carefully in a cloth, and walked on until she came to the glass mountain. The gate was shut. She wanted to take out the bone, but when she unwrapped the cloth, she found that the bone was gone; she had lost the good stars' gift. What was she to do now? She wanted to free her brothers, but she had no key to the glass mountain. The good-hearted girl took a knife, cut off her own little finger, put it in the gate and managed to open it.

When she went inside, a little dwarf came to meet her: "My child, what are you looking for?" "I'm looking for my brothers, the seven ravens." "The lord ravens are not at home," said the dwarf, "but you can wait here for them to come." Then the dwarf brought in the ravens' supper on seven little plates and in seven little cups. The girl ate a bite from each plate and drank a sip from each cup. And into the last cup she dropped the ring she had brought with her.

Suddenly a whirring and rushing of wings was heard in the air. "The lord ravens are flying home," said the dwarf. The ravens came in and wanted to eat and drink, and they looked at their plates and cups. One said to another: "Who has been eating from my plate? Who has been drinking from my cup? That was a human mouth." When the seventh raven drained his cup, the ring rolled into his beak. He looked at it and recognised it as their parents' ring. "God grant that our sister were here; then we'd be set free," he said.

When the girl, who was standing behind the door, heard this wish, she stepped forward. At that moment all the ravens took on their human form again. They hugged and kissed one another and went home full of joy. When their parents saw their seven sons and their brave daughter, they wept for happiness. And that day the father learned something too: a word spoken in anger can send even the people we love most flying far away. But love and courage can bring them back, even from the end of the world.