The Seven Ravens

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.
