The Seven Ravens

Once upon a time there was a man who had seven sons, but no daughter, no matter how much he wished for one. At last his wife gave him hope of another child, and when the baby was born it was a girl.

Everyone was overjoyed, but the child was weak and tiny, so the parents decided to have her baptized right away. The father sent one of his boys to fetch water from the spring. The other six went with him, and each wanted to be the first to fill the jug.

In their hurry, the jug fell into the well. The boys stood there, not knowing what to do, and none of them dared to go home. When they did not return, the father grew impatient. "They have surely forgotten and are playing some game, the wicked boys!" he exclaimed.

He was afraid that the baby would die without being baptized, and in his anger he cried out, "I wish the boys were all turned into ravens!" No sooner had he spoken than he heard a whirring of wings above his head. He looked up and saw seven coal-black ravens flying away.

The parents could not undo the curse. Though they were sad to lose their seven sons, they found comfort in their little daughter, who soon grew strong and more beautiful every day. For a long time she did not know she had had brothers, for her parents never spoke of them.

But one day she heard some people say, "That girl is certainly beautiful, but really she is to blame for the misfortune that befell her seven brothers." This troubled her deeply. She went to her parents and asked if it was true that she had had brothers, and what had become of them.

The parents could no longer hide the truth. They told her that what had happened was the will of heaven, and that her birth had only been the innocent cause. But from that day on, the girl could think of nothing else. She believed she must rescue her brothers.

She had no rest or peace until she set out secretly into the wide world to find them and set them free, no matter what it cost. She took nothing with her but a little ring from her parents as a keepsake, a loaf of bread for hunger, a small pitcher of water for thirst, and a little chair for when she grew tired.

And so she walked on and on, far, far away, to the very end of the world. First she came to the sun, but it was too hot and terrible, and it devoured little children.

She hurried away and ran to the moon, but it was far too cold, and it looked mean and cruel. When the moon saw her, it said, "I smell, I smell the flesh of a human." So she ran away quickly and came to the stars.

The stars were kind and good to her. Each star sat on its own little chair. Then the morning star rose and gave her a little chicken drumstick. It said, "Without this drumstick you cannot open the Glass Mountain, and inside the Glass Mountain are your brothers." The girl took the drumstick, wrapped it carefully in a cloth, and went on until she reached the Glass Mountain.

The door was shut. She unwrapped the cloth to take out the drumstick, but it was empty. She had lost the morning star's gift. What could she do now? She wanted to rescue her brothers, but she had no key to the Glass Mountain.

So the brave sister took a knife, cut off one of her little fingers, put it into the door, and it opened. Inside, a little dwarf came to meet her. "My child, what are you looking for?" he asked. "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 inside." Then the dwarf brought in the ravens' dinner, on seven little plates and in seven little glasses.

The little sister ate a bite from each plate and took a sip from each glass. In the last glass she dropped the ring she had brought from home. Suddenly she heard a whirring of wings and a rushing through the air.

The dwarf said, "Now the lord ravens are flying home." They came in, wanting to eat and drink. They looked at their little plates and glasses. One after another said, "Who has eaten from my plate? Who has drunk from my glass?

It was a human mouth." When the seventh raven reached the bottom of his glass, the ring rolled against his beak. He looked at it and saw it was a ring from their father and mother.

He said, "God grant that our sister might be here, and then we would be free." The girl, who was standing behind the door listening, heard this wish and stepped forward. At once all the ravens turned back into their human form. They embraced and kissed each other, and went joyfully home.