The Twelve Brothers

There were once on a time a king and a queen who lived happily together
and had twelve children, but they were all boys. Then said the King to
his wife, "If the thirteenth child which thou art about to bring into
the world, is a girl, the twelve boys shall die, in order that her
possessions may be great, and that the kingdom may fall to her alone."
He caused likewise twelve coffins to be made, which were already filled
with shavings, and in each lay the little pillow for the dead, and he
had them taken into a locked-up room, and then he gave the Queen the
key of it, and bade her not to speak of this to any one.

The mother, however, now sat and lamented all day long, until the
youngest son, who was always with her, and whom she had named Benjamin,
from the Bible, said to her, "Dear mother, why art thou so sad?"

"Dearest child," she answered, "I may not tell thee." But he let her
have 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, thy father has had these coffins made for thee and for thy
eleven brothers, for if I bring a little girl into the world, you are
all to be killed and buried in them." And as she wept while she was
saying this, the son comforted her and said, "Weep not, dear mother, we
will save ourselves, and go hence." But she said, "Go forth into the
forest with thy eleven brothers, and let one sit constantly on the
highest tree which can be found, and keep watch, looking towards the
tower here in the castle. If I give birth to a little son, I will put
up 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 fly hence as quickly as you
are able, and may the good God protect you. And every night I will rise
up and pray for you--in winter that you may be able to warm yourself at
a fire, and in summer that you may not faint away in the heat."

After she had blessed her sons therefore, they went forth into the
forest. They each kept watch in turn, and sat on the highest oak and
looked towards the tower. When eleven days had passed and the turn came
to Benjamin, he saw that a flag was being raised. It was, however, not
the white, but the blood-red flag which announced that they were all to
die. When the brothers heard that, they were very angry and said, "Are
we all to suffer death for the sake of a girl? We swear that we will
avenge ourselves!--wheresoever we find a girl, her red blood shall
flow."

Thereupon they went deeper into the forest, and in the midst of it,
where it was the darkest, they found a little bewitched hut, which was
standing empty. Then said they, "Here we will dwell, and thou Benjamin,
who art the youngest and weakest, thou shalt stay at 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, and whatsoever
there was to eat; this they took to Benjamin, who had to dress it for
them in order that they might appease their hunger. They lived together
ten years in the little hut, and the time did not appear long to them.

The little daughter which their mother the Queen had given birth to,
was now grown up; she was good of heart, and fair of face, and had a
golden star on her forehead. Once, when it was the great washing, she
saw twelve men's shirts among the things, and asked her mother, "To
whom do these twelve shirts belong, for they are far too small for
father?" Then the Queen answered with a heavy heart, "Dear child, these
belong to thy twelve brothers." Said the maiden, "Where are my twelve
brothers, I have never yet 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 pillows for the head. "These coffins,"
said she, "were destined for thy brothers, but they went away secretly
before thou wert born," and she related to her how everything had
happened; then said the maiden, "Dear mother, weep not, I will go and
seek my brothers."

So she took the twelve shirts and went forth, and straight into the
great forest. She walked the whole day, and in the evening she came to
the bewitched hut. Then she entered it and found a young boy, who
asked, "From whence comest thou, and whither art thou bound?" and was
astonished that she was so beautiful, and wore royal garments, and had
a star on her forehead. And 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 likewise showed him the twelve shirts
which belonged to them. Then Benjamin saw that she was his sister, and
said, "I am Benjamin, thy youngest brother." And she began to weep for
joy, and Benjamin wept also, and they kissed and embraced each other
with the greatest love. But after this he said, "Dear sister, there is
still one difficulty. We have agreed that every maiden whom we meet
shall die, because we have been obliged to leave our kingdom on account
of a girl." Then said she, "I will willingly die, if by so doing I can
deliver my twelve brothers."

"No," answered he, "thou shalt not die, seat thyself beneath this tub
until our eleven brothers come, and then I will soon come to an
agreement with them."

She did so, and when it was night the others came from hunting, and
their dinner was ready. And as they were sitting at table, and eating,
they asked, "What news is there?" Said Benjamin, "Don't you know
anything?" "No," they answered. He continued, "You have been in the
forest and I have stayed at home, and 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 have mercy, only do tell us."

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

Now she stayed at home with Benjamin and helped him with the work. The
eleven went into the forest and caught game, and deer, and birds, and
wood-pigeons that they might have food, and the little sister and
Benjamin took care to make it ready for them. She sought for the wood
for cooking and herbs for vegetables, and put the pans on the fire so
that the dinner was always ready when the eleven came. She likewise
kept order in the little house, and put beautifully white clean
coverings on the little beds, and the brothers were always contented
and lived in great harmony with her.

Once on a time the two at home had prepared a beautiful entertainment,
and when they were all together, they sat down and ate and drank and
were full of gladness. There was, however, a little garden belonging to
the bewitched house wherein stood twelve lily flowers, which are
likewise called students. She wished to give her brothers pleasure, and
plucked the twelve flowers, and thought she would present each brother
with one while at dinner. But at the self-same moment that she plucked
the flowers the twelve brothers were changed into twelve ravens, and
flew away over the forest, and the house and garden vanished likewise.
And 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 hast thou done? Why didst thou not leave the twelve white flowers
growing? They were thy brothers, who are now for evermore changed into
ravens." The maiden said, weeping, "Is there no way of delivering
them?"

"No," said the woman, "there is but one in the whole world, and that is
so hard that thou wilt not deliver them by it, for thou must be dumb
for seven years, and mayst not speak or laugh, and if thou speakest one
single word, and only an hour of the seven years is wanting, all is in
vain, and thy brothers will be killed by the one word."

Then said the maiden in her heart, "I know with certainty that I shall
set my brothers free," and went and sought a high tree and seated
herself in it and span, and neither spoke nor laughed. Now it so
happened that a king was hunting in the forest, who had a great
greyhound which ran to the tree on which the maiden was sitting, and
sprang about it, whining, and barking at her. Then the King came by and
saw the beautiful King's daughter with the golden star on her brow, and
was so charmed with her beauty that he called to ask her if she would
be his wife. She made no answer, but nodded a little with her head. So
he climbed up the tree himself, carried her down, placed her on his
horse, and bore her home. Then the wedding was solemnized with great
magnificence and rejoicing, 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 whom thou hast brought
back with thee. Who knows what impious tricks she practises secretly!
Even if she be dumb, and not able to speak, she still might laugh for
once; but those who do not laugh have bad consciences." At first the
King would 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.

And now a great fire was lighted in the courtyard in which she was to
be burnt, and the King stood above at the window and looked on with
tearful eyes, because he still loved her so much. And when she was
bound fast to the stake, and the fire was licking at her clothes with
its red tongue, the last instant of the seven years expired. Then a
whirring sound was heard in the air, and twelve ravens came flying
towards the place, and sank downwards, and when they touched the earth
they were her twelve brothers, whom she had delivered. They tore the
fire asunder, extinguished the flames, set their dear sister free, and
kissed and embraced her. And now as she dared to open her mouth and
speak, she told the King why she had been dumb, 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 step-mother was
taken before the judge, and put into a barrel filled with boiling oil
and venomous snakes, and died an evil death.
