The seven ravens
by Brothers Grimm
The Seven Ravens
Once there is a family. They have seven boys. Then a little baby girl comes. She is very small. The family loves her.
One day the brothers go out. They do not come back. The father is sad. He is worried. He says angry words. He does not mean them. But the words have magic. The seven boys turn into big black birds. The birds fly away.
The family is very sad. But the little sister grows. She grows big and strong.
One day the girl hears something. She has seven brothers. They are lost. She wants to find them.
She asks her father. She asks her mother. They tell her about the brothers. The girl says, "I will find them!"
She takes a special ring. She walks far, far away. She looks for her brothers.
She asks the Sun for help. The Sun is too hot. She asks the Moon for help. The Moon is too cold. She asks the Stars for help. The Stars are kind! The Stars smile at her.
The kind Star gives her a key. It is a small magic key. The Star says, "Go to the big shiny mountain. Your brothers are there."
She walks and walks. She finds the big shiny mountain. But oh no! She lost the little key!
The girl is very brave. She puts her hand on the door. She wishes very hard. She loves her brothers so much. The door opens!
She goes inside the mountain. She finds a little room. She sees seven little plates. She sees seven little cups. She waits for her brothers. She puts her ring in the last cup.
Seven black birds fly in. They look at the plates. They look at the cups. The last bird looks in his cup. He sees the ring!
The bird says, "This is our ring! Is our sister here?" The girl comes out. She says, "I am here! I am your sister!"
The birds become boys again. Seven brothers! They hug their little sister. They laugh. They cry happy tears. They all walk home together. The father and mother see them. They hold all the children close. And they are all happy together.
Original Story
The seven ravens A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm 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. * * * * *
Moral of the Story
True love and self-sacrifice can break even the most powerful curses and restore what was lost.
Characters
The Maiden ★ protagonist
Sickly and small at birth, but grew strong and more beautiful every day.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing for travel; carries a keepsake ring, a loaf of bread, a pitcher of water, and a small chair.
Determined, courageous, self-sacrificing, loving.
The Father ◆ supporting
Not specified, but implied to be a head of a household.
Attire: Period-appropriate clothing for a man of the household.
Impatient, quick-tempered, regretful, loving.
The Seven Ravens ◆ supporting
Coal-black ravens, later transformed back into human brothers.
Attire: As ravens, no clothing. As humans, implied simple clothing.
Mischievous (as boys), hungry (as ravens), hopeful (as ravens), loving (as brothers).
The Little Dwarf ○ minor
Small stature, as implied by 'little dwarf'.
Attire: Not specified, but likely simple, rustic clothing.
Helpful, observant, perhaps a bit gruff.
The Morning Star ○ minor
A star, personified.
Attire: Not applicable, but sits on its 'own particular little chair'.
Kind, helpful, wise.
Locations
Family Home
A home where a large family resides, initially filled with joy at the birth of a daughter, then sorrow and later secrecy.
Mood: Initially joyful, then anxious, sorrowful, and later secretive and burdened.
The father curses his sons into ravens; the daughter grows up unaware of her brothers; she learns the truth and decides to leave.
The Spring/Well
A source of water, likely a natural spring or a well, where the sons were sent to fetch water for the baptism.
Mood: Hasty, then confused and fearful.
The seven sons drop the jug into the well and are afraid to return home, leading to their father's curse.
The Glass Mountain
A mountain made of glass with a shut door, requiring a special key or sacrifice to enter.
Mood: Mysterious, challenging, and a place of destiny.
The maiden arrives, realizes she lost the key, and sacrifices her finger to open the door to her brothers.
Interior of the Glass Mountain (Ravens' Dwelling)
A dwelling inside the Glass Mountain, inhabited by a dwarf and the seven raven-brothers, furnished with small plates and glasses.
Mood: Anticipatory, then surprised, and finally joyous and reuniting.
The maiden leaves clues for her brothers; the ravens return, discover the ring, and are transformed back into humans, reuniting with their sister.
Story DNA
Moral
True love and self-sacrifice can break even the most powerful curses and restore what was lost.
Plot Summary
A father, frustrated by his seven sons' delay in fetching baptism water for their sickly new sister, curses them into ravens. Years later, the now-grown daughter learns of her brothers' fate and embarks on a perilous quest to save them. After seeking guidance from celestial bodies and losing a magical key, she sacrifices her own finger to enter the Glass Mountain where her brothers reside. By leaving her family ring in one of their glasses, she reveals her identity, breaking the curse and restoring her brothers to human form, allowing them to joyfully return home.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects common anxieties of the era, such as infant mortality and the importance of religious rites, as well as the strong bonds of family.
Plot Beats (15)
- A man and woman have seven sons, then a sickly daughter whose baptism is rushed.
- The father sends a son for baptism water; all seven sons go, drop the jug, and fail to return.
- The father, impatient and fearing his daughter will die unbaptized, curses his sons, turning them into seven ravens.
- The parents mourn but find comfort in their daughter, who grows strong and beautiful.
- The daughter, now grown, overhears that she is blamed for her brothers' disappearance.
- She confronts her parents, learns the truth, and resolves to find and free her brothers.
- She sets out on a journey with a few provisions and her parents' ring.
- She encounters the Sun (too hot), the Moon (too cold and malicious), and the Stars (kind).
- The Morning Star gives her a chicken drumstick, stating it's the key to the Glass Mountain where her brothers are.
- Upon reaching the Glass Mountain, she discovers she lost the drumstick.
- She cuts off her own finger to use as a key to open the Glass Mountain door.
- Inside, a dwarf tells her the ravens are out but invites her to wait; she eats from their plates and drops the ring in the seventh glass.
- The ravens return, notice their food and drink have been touched, and the seventh raven finds the ring.
- Recognizing the ring, the seventh raven wishes for his sister, prompting her to reveal herself.
- The curse is broken, the brothers transform back, and they all return home joyfully.
