The Seven Ravens

Listen Ad Free https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
There was once a man who had seven sons, but
never a daughter, no matter how much he wished for one.
At length, his wife had a child, and it was
a daughter. The joy was great, but the child was
sickly and small, and so weak that it had to
be baptized at once. The father sent one of the
boys in a hurry to the spring to fetch water
for the baptism. The other six boys ran along with him,

(00:22):
and as each strove to be the first to fill
the jug, it fell into the spring. There they stood
and did not know what to do. None of them
dared to go home. When they did not come back,
the father grew impatient and said they had forgotten all
about it in a game of play the wicked boys.
Soon he grew afraid lest the child should die without
being baptized, and he cried out in anger, I wish

(00:44):
the boys were all turned into ravens. Hardly was the
word spoken before he heard a whirring of wings in
the air above his head. He looked up and saw
seven cold black ravens flying high and away. The parents
could not recall the curse. They grieved over the loss
of their seven sons, yet they comforted themselves somewhat with

(01:04):
their dear little daughter, who soon grew strong and every
day more beautiful. For a long time she did not
know that she had had brothers. Her parents were careful
not to mention them before her. But one day she
chanced to overhear some people talking about her and saying
that the maiden is certainly beautiful, but really to blame
for the misfortune of her seven brothers. Then she was

(01:26):
much troubled and went to her father and mother and
asked if it was true that she had had brothers,
and what was become of them. The parents did not
dare to keep the secret longer, and said that her
birth was only the innocent cause of what had happened
to her brothers. But the maiden laid it daily to heart,
and thought that she must deliver her brothers. She had
no peace and rest until she set out secretly and

(01:48):
went forth into the wild world to seek them out
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 onward, far, far, to the very end

(02:09):
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 all so awful and malicious,
And when it saw the child, it said, I smell,
I smell the flush of men. On this she ran
swiftly away and came to the stars, which were kind

(02:30):
and good to her, and each of them sat on
its own little chair. But the morning star arose and
gave her the drumstick of a chicken, and said, if
you have not that drumstick, you cannot 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 onward again until she came to the glass mountain.

(02:50):
The door was shut, and she thought that she would
take out the drumstick, but when she undid the cloth,
it was empty. She had lost the good stars present.
What was she to do? I do now? She wished
to rescue her brothers, and had no key to the
glass mountain. The good little sister took a knife, cut
off one of her little fingers, put it in the door,
and succeeded in opening it. When she had got inside,

(03:13):
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 wish to
wait here until they come, step in. Thereupon the little
dwarf carried the raven's dinner in on seven little plates
and in seven little glasses. The little sister ate a

(03:35):
morsel from each plate, and from each little glass she
took a sip. But in the last little glass she
dropped the ring which he 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

(03:58):
has eaten something for my 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 little
sister may be here, and then we shall be free.

(04:19):
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.
End of the Seven Ravens by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm