The Twelve Brothers

There was once a king and a queen who lived happily together and had twelve children, all boys. Then the king said to his wife, "If the thirteenth child you are about to bring into the world is a girl, the twelve boys must die, so that her inheritance may be great and the kingdom may fall to her alone." He also had twelve coffins made, already filled with wood shavings, and in each lay a little pillow for the dead.

He had them taken into a locked room, then gave the queen the key and told her not to speak of this to anyone.

The mother now sat and wept all day long, until her youngest son, who was always with her and whom she had named Benjamin, said to her, "Dear mother, why are you so sad?"

"Dearest child," she answered, "I cannot tell you." But he gave her no rest until she went and unlocked the room and showed him the twelve coffins ready filled with shavings. Then she said, "My dearest Benjamin, your father had these coffins made for you and your eleven brothers, for if I give birth to a little girl, you are all to be killed and buried in them." And as she wept, the son comforted her and said, "Weep not, dear mother, we will save ourselves and go away." But she said, "Go into the forest with your eleven brothers, and let one sit constantly on the highest tree you can find and keep watch, looking toward the tower here in the castle.

If I give birth to a little son, I will raise a white flag, and then you may venture to come back. But if I bear a daughter, I will hoist a red flag, and then flee as quickly as you can, and may the good God protect you.

And every night I will rise and pray for you—in winter that you may warm yourselves at a fire, and in summer that you may not faint in the heat."

After she had blessed her sons, they went out into the forest. They took turns keeping watch, sitting on the highest oak and looking toward the tower. When eleven days had passed and it was Benjamin's turn, he saw a flag being raised. But it was not the white flag; it was the blood-red flag that announced they were all to die. When the brothers heard this, they were very angry and said, "Are we all to suffer death for the sake of a girl? We swear we will take revenge! Wherever we find a girl, her red blood shall flow."

Then they went deeper into the forest, and in the middle of it, where it was darkest, they found a little enchanted hut that stood empty. So they said, "Here we will live. And you, Benjamin, who are the youngest and weakest, shall stay home and keep house.

We others will go out and get food." Then they went into the forest and shot hares, wild deer, birds, and pigeons—whatever there was to eat. They brought it to Benjamin, who had to cook it for them so they could satisfy their hunger.

They lived together for ten years in the little hut, and the time did not seem long to them.

The little daughter the Queen had given birth to was now grown up. She was good-hearted and fair-faced, and had a golden star on her forehead. Once, when there was a big washing, she saw twelve men's shirts among the things and asked her mother, "To whom do these twelve shirts belong?

They are far too small for father." Then the queen answered with a heavy heart, "Dear child, they belong to your twelve brothers." The maiden said, "Where are my twelve brothers? I have never heard of them." She replied, "God knows where they are.

They are wandering about the world." Then she took the maiden and opened the chamber for her and showed her the twelve coffins with the shavings and the little pillows. "These coffins," she said, "were meant for your brothers, but they went away secretly before you were born." And she told her how everything had happened.

Then the maiden said, "Dear mother, weep not. I will go and seek my brothers."

So she took the twelve shirts and went out, straight into the great forest. She walked the whole day, and in the evening she came to the enchanted hut. She entered and found a young boy, who asked, "Where do you come from, and where are you going?" He was astonished that she was so beautiful, wore royal garments, and had a star on her forehead.

She answered, "I am a king's daughter and am seeking my twelve brothers, and I will walk as far as the sky is blue until I find them." She also showed him the twelve shirts that belonged to them.

Then Benjamin saw that she was his sister and said, "I am Benjamin, your youngest brother." And she began to weep for joy, and Benjamin wept too, and they kissed and hugged each other with the greatest love. But after this he said, "Dear sister, there is still one difficulty.

We have agreed that every maiden we meet shall die, because we had to leave our kingdom on account of a girl." Then she said, "I will willingly die if by doing so I can save my twelve brothers."

"No," he answered, "you shall not die. Sit down under this tub until our eleven brothers come, and then I will soon come to an agreement with them."

She did so. When it was night, the others came from hunting, and their dinner was ready. As they were sitting at the table eating, they asked, "What news is there?" Benjamin said, "Don't you know anything?" "No," they answered. He continued, "You have been in the forest and I have stayed home, yet I know more than you do." "Tell us then!" they cried. He answered, "But promise me that the first maiden who meets us shall not be killed." "Yes," they all cried, "she shall be spared. Just tell us."

Then he said, "Our sister is here," and he lifted up the tub, and the king's daughter came out in her royal garments with the golden star on her forehead, and she was beautiful, delicate, and fair. Then they all rejoiced, fell on her neck, and kissed and loved her with all their hearts.

Now she stayed home with Benjamin and helped him with the work. The eleven went into the forest and caught game, deer, birds, and wood pigeons for food, and the little sister and Benjamin took care to prepare it for them. She gathered wood for cooking and herbs for vegetables, and put the pots on the fire so that dinner was always ready when the eleven came. She also kept the little house tidy and put clean white covers on the little beds, and the brothers were always content and lived in great harmony with her.

One time the two at home had prepared a beautiful meal, and when they were all together, they sat down and ate and drank and were full of joy. There was a little garden belonging to the enchanted house where twelve lilies grew.

She wanted to please her brothers, so she plucked the twelve flowers, thinking she would give each brother one during dinner. But the very moment she plucked the flowers, the twelve brothers were changed into twelve ravens and flew away over the forest, and the house and garden also vanished.

Now the poor maiden was alone in the wild forest, and when she looked around, an old woman was standing near her who said, "My child, what have you done? Why did you not leave the twelve white flowers growing?

They were your brothers, and now they are changed into ravens forever." The maiden said, weeping, "Is there no way to save them?"

"No," said the woman, "there is only one way in all the world, and it is so hard that you will not save them by it. You must be silent for seven years, and may not speak or laugh. If you speak a single word, even if only one hour of the seven years is left, everything is in vain, and your brothers will die because of that one word."

Then the maiden said in her heart, "I know for sure that I will set my brothers free," and she went and found a tall tree and sat in it and spun, and did not speak or laugh.

Now it happened that a king was hunting in the forest. He had a great greyhound that ran to the tree where the maiden was sitting, and jumped around, whining and barking at her. Then the king came by and saw the beautiful king's daughter with the golden star on her forehead, and was so charmed by her beauty that he called out to ask if she would be his wife.

She made no answer, but nodded her head a little. So he climbed up the tree himself, carried her down, placed her on his horse, and brought her home. Then the wedding was celebrated with great splendor and joy, but the bride neither spoke nor smiled.

When they had lived happily together for a few years, the king's mother, who was a wicked woman, began to slander the young queen and said to the king, "This is a common beggar girl you have brought home. Who knows what wicked things she does in secret!

Even if she is dumb and cannot speak, she could still laugh once. But those who do not laugh have bad consciences." At first the king did not believe it, but the old woman urged this so long and accused her of so many evil things that at last the king let himself be persuaded and sentenced her to death.

Now a great fire was lit in the courtyard where she was to be burned. The king stood at an upper window and watched with tearful eyes, because he still loved her so much. When she was tied to the stake and the fire was licking at her clothes with its red tongue, the last moment of the seven years expired.

Then a whirring sound was heard in the air, and twelve ravens came flying toward the place and sank downward. When they touched the earth, they were her twelve brothers, whom she had saved. They tore the fire apart, put out the flames, set their dear sister free, and kissed and embraced her.

And now, since she dared to open her mouth and speak, she told the king why she had been silent and had never laughed. The king rejoiced when he heard that she was innocent, and they all lived in great unity until their death.

The wicked stepmother was brought before the judge and put into a barrel filled with boiling oil and venomous snakes, and died an evil death.