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Grimms' Fairy Tales
The
Twelve Brothers
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.
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret
Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884), 1:37-42. |
