| 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 while playing 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, looked up and saw seven coal-black ravens flying away. | |
| The parents could not withdraw 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 save her brothers. She had no | |
| rest or peace until she set out secretly, and went forth into the | |
| wide world to search for 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. At 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 have not that | |
| drumstick you can not open the glass mountain, and in the glass | |
| mountain are your 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. | |