The Seven Ravens: A Brothers Grimm Tale

A family’s happiness turns to sorrow when seven brothers disappear after their father angrily wishes they would become ravens. Their little sister grows up without knowing where they have gone, but when she learns what happened, she refuses to accept that her brothers are lost forever.

Her search takes her far from home, beyond familiar places and towards a distant mountain made of glass. She must endure a difficult journey and make a painful sacrifice before she can reach the place where her brothers live. Even then, she must find a way to prove who she is.

The Seven Ravens follows a sister’s determination to reunite her family. It explores the consequences of anger, the strength of family bonds and the courage required to keep searching when the way forward seems almost impossible.

Seven Sons and a Long-Awaited Daughter

There was once a man who had seven sons but no daughter, although he wished very much to have one. At last, his wife gave birth to a girl, and the family rejoiced at the arrival of the child they had long hoped for.

Their happiness was mixed with worry, however, because the baby was small and sickly. She seemed so weak that her parents feared she might not survive. They decided that she should be baptised without delay.

The father sent one of his sons hurrying to a spring to fetch water for the baptism. The other six boys went with him. Each wanted to be the first to fill the vessel, and their eagerness led to a mishap: the jug fell into the well.

The seven brothers stood beside the well, uncertain about what to do. They had failed to bring back the water their father needed, and none of them dared return home to explain what had happened.

The Father’s Angry Wish

As the boys remained away, their father waited impatiently. He could not understand why they had taken so long to fetch the water. He began to suspect that they had become distracted by a game instead of carrying out the task he had given them.

Explore more stories from our Brothers Grimm Tales collection

His impatience turned to anger. Worried that his daughter might die without being baptised, he lost his temper and wished that all seven boys would turn into ravens.

His words had an immediate and terrible effect. He heard the sound of wings above him and looked up. Seven ravens, black as coal, were flying away.

The father had spoken in anger, but the transformation could not simply be undone. His sons were gone, and the family was left with the daughter whose baptism had caused the journey to the well.

The girl grew up without her brothers. She did not know the full story of their disappearance while she was young, but as she became older, she eventually learned that she had seven brothers who had been changed into ravens.

A Sister Decides to Find Her Brothers

When the girl discovered what had happened, she could not bear the thought of leaving her brothers lost forever. She resolved to search for them, even though she had no clear idea where they might be.

Her parents could not provide an easy solution. The brothers had flown away, and no ordinary journey could guarantee that she would find them. Nevertheless, the girl remained determined.

She prepared to leave home and seek her brothers wherever they might be. Her journey took her out into the wide world, far beyond the familiar surroundings of her family.

She travelled onwards, searching for some sign that might guide her. The distance was great, and the place where her brothers lived was not easy to reach. Yet she continued because the possibility of finding them mattered more to her than the comfort of remaining at home.

Her search was not a simple walk to a nearby village. It became a journey towards a place that seemed almost beyond the limits of the ordinary world.

The Journey Towards the Glass Mountain

The girl eventually reached the sun, but it was too hot and dangerous to help her. She went on to the moon, but the moon was cold and frightening. Neither could give her the help she needed.

She then approached the stars. One of them, the Morning Star, proved kinder than the others. It gave her a little chicken bone and told her that she would need it to open the Glass Mountain, where her brothers lived.

The girl continued until she reached the mountain. It rose before her as a formidable barrier, and the entrance could not be opened by ordinary means.

She took out the little bone the Morning Star had given her and tried to use it to open the door. But the bone was missing. Somewhere along her long journey, she had lost the very thing she needed most.

She stood before the mountain with her goal so close and yet apparently beyond her reach. She had travelled a great distance, endured the dangers of the sun and moon, and finally found the place where her brothers lived. Now she faced the possibility that she could go no farther.

The Sacrifice at the Mountain

The girl refused to turn back. If the little bone was the only way to open the entrance, she would have to find another way to achieve the same purpose.

She took a knife and cut off one of her little fingers. Using it in place of the missing bone, she managed to open the door of the Glass Mountain.

Her determination had carried her to the place she had sought, but reaching the entrance had required a painful sacrifice. She went inside, still hoping to find the brothers she had searched for across the world.

A House Without Its Owners

Inside the mountain, the girl found a house. It was strangely quiet, and no one appeared to be there. She looked around and discovered a small table with seven plates, seven cups and the things that belonged to seven people.

She took a little food and drink from each place. Then she dropped a ring she had brought with her into the last cup.

Afterwards, she hid herself and waited.

Before long, she heard a whirring of wings and the sound of ravens arriving. The seven birds entered the house and began to eat and drink. As they did so, they noticed that someone had been there.

They wondered who could have visited their home. They examined their plates and cups and realised that someone had taken a little food and drink from each.

When the seventh raven looked into his cup, he found the ring. He recognised it as a ring that had belonged to their parents and understood that the visitor might be their sister.

The Brothers Recognise Their Sister

The girl stepped out of her hiding place. The seven ravens saw her and knew that she was their sister. Their long separation had come to an end.

The girl’s search had brought her to the distant mountain, and the ring had helped her brothers recognise her. She had not abandoned them when she learned of their transformation, nor had she turned back when the journey became difficult.

The spell was broken, and the seven brothers regained their human forms. The family that had been separated by an angry wish could finally be reunited.

The girl had set out in search of her brothers without knowing whether she would find them. She had travelled far, sought help from the heavenly bodies, crossed the distance to the Glass Mountain and sacrificed a finger to enter it. Her determination had carried her through each obstacle.

At last, the brothers and their sister could leave their separation behind. The story ends with their reunion, bringing the girl’s long search to a joyful conclusion.

Explore our complete Historic Folklore & Fairy-Tale Collections archive.

Moral of the Story

The Seven Ravens highlights the strength of family love and the importance of perseverance. The sister does not abandon her brothers simply because their rescue seems difficult. Her journey also shows how a moment of uncontrolled anger can have consequences that reach far beyond the person who speaks in anger.

The tale reminds readers to think before speaking in anger and to value the people they love. It also celebrates the courage to continue pursuing a meaningful goal despite obstacles and setbacks.

Knowledge Check: Questions and Answers

1. How many sons did the man have before his daughter was born?
He had seven sons.

2. Why did the seven brothers go to the well?
Their father sent one of them to fetch water for their baby sister’s baptism, and the other six accompanied him.

3. What caused the brothers to become ravens?
Their father became angry when they failed to return promptly with the water and wished that they would all turn into ravens.

4. What did the sister receive from the Morning Star?
She received a little chicken bone that could help her open the entrance to the Glass Mountain.

5. What did the sister do when she discovered that she had lost the bone?
She cut off one of her little fingers and used it to open the door.

6. How did the brothers recognise their sister?
They found a ring belonging to their parents in one of their cups, which led them to recognise her when she appeared.

Source

Household Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, translated into English by Margaret Hunt and published in 1884. “The Seven Ravens” (KHM 25), originally published in the Grimms’ collection of fairy tales

Explore More Brothers Grimm Tales