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.
* * * END * * *
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