The Twelve Brothers

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　Once upon a time there were a king and a queen. They lived happily together and had twelve children, all boys. One day the king said to his wife, "If our thirteenth child, which you are soon going to bring into the world, is a girl, then the twelve others shall die, so that her wealth may be great, and so that she alone may inherit the kingdom."

　　Indeed, he had twelve coffins¹ made. They were filled with wood shavings and each was fitted with a coffin² pillow. He had them put in a locked room, and gave the key to the queen, ordering her to tell no one about them.

　　The mother sat and mourned the entire day, until the youngest son —— who was always with her, and who was named Benjamin after the Bible —— said to her, "Dear mother, why are you so sad?"

　　"Dearest child," she answered, "I cannot tell you."

　　However, he would not leave her in peace, until she unlocked the room and showed him the coffins, already filled with wood shavings.

　　Then she said, "My dearest Benjamin, your father had these coffins made for you and your eleven brothers. If I bring a girl into the world, you are all to be killed and buried in them."

　　As she spoke³ and cried, her son comforted her, saying, "Don't cry, dear mother. We will take care of ourselves and run away."

　　Then she said, "Go out into the woods with your eleven brothers. One of you should climb the highest tree that you can find. Keep watch there and look toward the castle tower. If I give birth to a little son, I will raise a white flag. If I give birth to a little daughter, I will raise a red flag, and then you should escape as fast as you can, and may God protect you. I will get up every night and pray for you, in the winter that you may warm yourselves near a fire, and in the summer that you may not suffer from the heat."

　　After she had blessed her children, they went out into the woods. One after the other of them kept watch, sitting atop the highest oak tree and looking toward the tower. After eleven days had passed, and it was Benjamin's turn, he saw that a flag had been raised. It was not the white one, but instead the red blood-flag, decreeing that they all were to die.

　　When the boys heard this they became angry and cried out, "Are we to suffer death for the sake of a girl! We swear that we will take revenge. Wherever we find a girl, her red blood shall flow."

　　Then they went deeper into the woods, and in its middle, where it was darkest, they found a little bewitched house that was empty.

　　They said, "We will live here. You, Benjamin, you are the youngest and weakest. You shall stay at home and keep house. We others will go and get things to eat."

　　Thus they went into the woods and shot rabbits, wild deer, birds, and doves, and whatever they could eat. These they brought to Benjamin, and he had to prepare them to satisfy their hunger. They lived together in this little house for ten years, but the time passed quickly for them.

　　The little daughter that their mother, the queen, had given birth to was now grown up. She had a good heart, a beautiful face, and a golden star on her forehead.

　　Once on a large washday she saw twelve men's shirts in the laundry and asked her mother, "Whose are these twelve shirts? They are much too small for father."

　　The queen answered with a heavy heart, "Dear child, they belong to your twelve brothers."

　　The girl said, "Where are my twelve brothers? I have never even heard of them."

　　She answered, "Only God knows where they are. They are wandering about in the world."

　　Then she took the girl, unlocked the room for her, and showed her the twelve coffins with the wood shavings and the coffin pillows.

　　"These coffins," she said, "were intended for your brothers, but they secretly ran away before you were born," and she told her how everything had happened.

　　Then the girl said, "Dear mother, don't cry. I will go and look for my brothers."

　　Then she took the twelve shirts and went forth⁴ into the great woods. She walked the entire day, in the evening coming to the bewitched little house.

　　She went inside and found a young lad, who asked, "Where do you come from, and where are you going?"

　　He was astounded⁵ that she was so beautiful, that she was wearing royal clothing, and that she had a star on her forehead.

　　"I am a princess and am looking for my twelve brothers. I will walk on as long as the sky is blue, until I find them." She also showed him the twelve shirts that belonged to them.

　　Benjamin saw that it was his sister, and said, "I am Benjamin, your youngest brother."

　　She began to cry for joy, and Benjamin did so as well. They kissed and embraced one another with great love.

　　Then he said, "Dear sister, I must warn you that we have agreed that every girl whom we meet must die."

　　She said, "I will gladly die, if I can thus redeem⁶ my twelve brothers."

　　"No," he answered, "you shall not die. Sit under this tub until our eleven brothers come, and I will make it right with them."

　　She did this, and when night fell they came home from the hunt. As they sat at the table eating, they asked, "What is new?"

　　Benjamin said, "Don't you know anything?"

　　"No," they answered.

　　He continued speaking, "You have been in the woods while I stayed at home, but I know more than you do."

　　"Then tell us," they shouted.

　　He answered, "If you will promise me that the next girl we meet shall not be killed."

　　"Yes," they all shouted. "We will show her mercy. Just tell us."

　　Then he said, "Our sister is here," and lifted up the tub. The princess came forth in her royal clothing and with the golden star on her forehead, so beautiful, delicate, and fine.

　　They all rejoiced, falling around her neck and kissing her, and they loved her with all their hearts.

　　Now she stayed at home with Benjamin and helped him with the work. The eleven went into the woods and captured wild game, deer, birds, and doves, so they would have something to eat. Their sister and Benjamin prepared it all. They gathered wood for cooking, herbs for the stew⁷, and put the pot onto the fire so a meal was always ready when the eleven came home. She also kept the house in order, and made up the beds white and clean. The brothers were always satisfied, and they lived happily with her.

　　One time the two of them had prepared a good meal at home, and so they sat together and ate and drank and were ever so happy. Now there was a little garden next to the bewitched house, and in it there were twelve lilies, the kind that are called "students." Wanting to bring some pleasure to her brothers, she picked the twelve flowers, intending to give one to each of them when they were eating. But in the same instant that she picked the flowers, the twelve brothers were transformed into twelve ravens⁸, and they flew away above the woods. The house and the garden disappeared as well.

　　Now the poor girl was alone in the wild woods. Looking around, she saw an old women standing⁹ next to her.

　　The old woman said, "My child, what have you done?" Why did you not leave the twelve white flowers standing? Those were your brothers, and now they have been transformed into ravens forever."

　　The girl said, crying, "Is there no way to redeem them?"

　　"No," said the old woman, "There is only one way in the world, and it is so difficult that you will never redeem them. You must remain silent for twelve whole years, neither speaking nor laughing. If you speak a single word, even if all but one hour of the seven years has passed, then it will all be for nothing, and your brothers will be killed by that one word."

　　Then the girl said in her heart, "I know for sure that I will redeem my brothers."

　　She went and found a tall tree and climbed to its top, where she sat and span, without speaking and without laughing.

　　Now it came to pass that a king was hunting in these woods. He had a large greyhound that ran to the tree where the girl was sitting. It jumped about, yelping¹⁰ and barking up the tree. The king came, saw the beautiful princess with the golden star on her forehead, and was so enchanted¹¹ by her beauty that he shouted up to her, asking her to become his wife. She gave him no answer, but nodded with her head. Then he himself climbed the tree, carried her down, set her on his horse, and took her home with him.

　　Their wedding was celebrated¹² with great pomp and joy, but the bride neither spoke nor laughed.

　　After they had lived a few years happily together, the king's mother, who was a wicked woman, began to slander¹³ the young queen, saying to the king, "You have brought home a common beggar woman for yourself. Who knows what kind of godless things she is secretly doing. Even if she is a mute and cannot speak, she could at least laugh. Anyone who does not laugh has an evil conscience."

　　At first the king did not want to believe this, but the old woman kept it up so long, accusing her of so many wicked things, that the king finally let himself be convinced, and he sentenced her to death.

　　A great fire was lit in the courtyard, where she was to be burned to death. The king stood upstairs at his window, looking on with crying eyes, for he still loved her dearly. She had already been bound to the stake, and the fire was licking at her clothing with its red tongues, when the last moment of the seven years passed.

　　A whirring sound was heard in the air, and twelve ravens approached, landing together. As they touched the earth, it was her twelve brothers, whom she had redeemed¹⁴. They ripped the fire apart, put out the flames, and freed their sister, kissing and embracing her.

　　Now that she could open her mouth and speak, she told the king why she had remained silent and had never laughed.

　　The king rejoiced to hear that she was innocent, and they all lived happily together until they died. The wicked stepmother was brought before the court and placed in a barrel filled with boiling oil and poisonous snakes, and she died an evil death.

　从前有一个国王和一个王后，他们幸福地生活在一起，并且生了十二个孩子，可这十二个孩子全是男孩。国王对王后说：「你快要生第十三个孩子了。要是这个孩子是个女孩，我就下令杀掉那十二个男孩，好让她得到更多的财产，并且让她继承王位。」国王不只是说说而已，他甚至让人做了十二副棺材，在棺材里装满刨花，还在里面放上一个小寿枕。他让人把棺材全部锁进一个密室，把秘室的钥匙交给王后，不许她告诉任何人。

　　做母亲的现在整天坐在那里伤心，终於有一天，一直和她呆在一起的最小的儿子——她给他起了个《圣经》上的名字便雅明——问她：「亲爱的妈妈，你为甚么这样忧伤？」「亲爱的孩子，」她回答，「我不能告诉你。」可是便雅明老是缠着王后，终於逼得她打开了密室，让他看了那十二副里面装满了刨花的棺材。她随后说：「我亲爱的便雅明，这些棺材是你父亲为你和你的十一个哥哥准备的，因为如果我生下一个小妹妹，你们就会被杀死，用这些棺材埋葬掉。」她边说边哭，便雅明安慰她说：「别哭了，亲爱的妈妈，我们不会被杀死的。我们可以逃走。」可是王后说：「你和十一个哥哥逃到森林里去吧！你们要时刻派人在能找到的最高的树上放哨，注视城堡里的高塔。如果我生下的是个小弟弟，我就升起一面白旗，你们就可以回来了。如果我生下的是个小妹妹，我就升起一面红旗，你们就赶紧远走高飞，愿上帝保佑你们。我每天晚上都会起来为你们祈祷，祈祷你们在冬天能有炉火暖暖身子，祈祷你们在夏天不要中暑。」

　　在接受了母亲的祝福之后，十二位王子便来到了森林里。他们一个个轮流放哨，坐在最高的橡树上，望着王宫里的高塔。十一天过去了，轮到便雅明放哨。他看到高塔上升起了一面旗子，可这旗子不是白色的，而是血红色的，这意味着他们只有死路一条。当便雅明的哥哥们听到这个消息后都气坏了，说：「难道要我们大家为一个女孩去死吗？我们发誓要为自己报仇，不管在甚么地方，只要见到女孩，就一定让她流出鲜红的血液！」

　　於是，他们便向森林的深处走去，在森林中最黑暗的地方发现了一座被人使了魔法的小空屋。他们说：「我们就住在这里。便雅明，你是我们当中年纪最小、身子最弱的，所以你就呆在家里看家，我们其他人出去找吃的东西。」随后，他们走进林子去射野兔、野鹿、各种各样的鸟和鸽子，并且寻找任何可以吃的东西，一起带回来给便雅明，让他做好了给大家填肚子。他们在这小屋子里一起生活了十年，并没有感到时间很长。

　　王后生下的小姑娘现在也长大了。她心地善良，美丽可爱，额头上还有一颗金色的星星。一天大扫除，她看到洗的衣服里有十二件男衬衣，便问她的妈妈：「这些衬衣是谁穿的呀？它们太小了，肯定不是爸爸穿的。」王后心情沉重地回答：「亲爱的孩子，这些是你十二个哥哥的衣服。」小姑娘说：「我的十二个哥哥在哪里呀？我怎么从来没有听说过他们呀？」王后回答：「他们四处流浪，只有上帝才知道他们在哪里。」说着，王后把小姑娘带到密室那里，打开门，让她看了里面装着刨花和寿枕的十二副棺材。她说：「这些棺材是为你的哥哥们准备的，但他们在你出世前偷偷逃跑了。」王后把事情的的经过原原本本地告诉了小姑娘，而小姑娘则说：「不要伤心，亲爱的妈妈。我去把哥哥们找回来。」

　　於是，她带上那十二件衬衣，迳直向森林走去。她走了整整一天，傍晚时来到了这座被人使了魔法的小屋。她走进小屋，看到里面有个少年。看到她长得非常漂亮，而且身上穿着华丽的衣服，额头上还有一颗金色的星星，少年感到很惊讶，便问：「你从哪里来？要到哪里去？」她回答：「我是公主，在寻找我的十二个哥哥。哪怕是走到天涯海角，我也一定要找到他们。」她说着便拿出他们的十二件衬衣给他看，便雅明这才知道她是他的妹妹。他说：「我叫便雅明，是你最小的哥哥。」公主高兴得哭了起来，便雅明也流下了热泪。他们亲热地又是亲吻又是拥抱。过了一会儿，便雅明说：「亲爱的妹妹，我们还有一件麻烦事。我们十二个人发过誓，要杀掉我们见到的任何一个姑娘，因为我们就是为了一个女孩而被迫逃离王国的。」她说：「只要能救我的十二个哥哥，我愿意去死。」

　　「不行，」便雅明回答，「你不会死的。你先躲在这只桶下面，等十一个哥哥回来，我会说服他们的。」

　　於是，公主便躲到了桶下面。晚上，另外十一位王子打猎回来时，便雅明已经把晚饭做好了。他们在桌子旁坐下来，边吃边问：「有甚么新闻吗？」便雅明说：「难道你们甚么也不知道？」「没有，」他们回答。便雅明说：「你们去了森林，我一个人呆在家里，可我知道的却比你们知道的还要多。」「快告诉我们吧，」他们嚷道。他说：「不过你们得向我保证，决不杀死见到的第一个女孩。」「好的，」他们一起说，「我们饶了她。快把新闻告诉我们吧。」

　　便雅明说：「我们的妹妹来了！」然后，他提起木桶，公主从里面走出来了。只见她穿着华丽的衣服，额头上有一颗金色的星星，显得非常美丽、温柔、文雅。他们一个个喜出望外，搂着她的脖子，亲吻她，真心实意地爱她。

　　从此，她便和便雅明呆在家里，帮他做家务。十一个哥哥去森林里打猎，抓来鹿、斑鸠和别的鸟，让小妹妹和便雅明仔细烧好了填肚子。小姑娘出去捡柴火，採来花草当蔬菜，把锅子放在火塘上，总是在十一个哥哥回来之前把饭菜做好。她还收拾小屋，给小床铺上了漂漂亮亮、乾乾净净的床单。哥哥们对她非常满意，和她快乐地生活在一起。

　　有一天，留在家里的公主和便雅明做了一顿非常丰盛的饭菜，等着哥哥们回来后一起坐下来开心地又吃又喝。这座被人使了魔法的屋子有个小花园，里面开着十二朵百合花。公主想让哥哥们高兴一下，便摘下了那十二朵花，准备在吃晚饭时送给每位哥哥一朵。但是，就在她摘下那些百合花的同时，十二个哥哥变成了十二只乌鸦，从森林上空飞了过去。屋子和花园也立刻消失了，荒凉的森林里现在只剩下了公主一个人。她朝四周看了看，见身边站着一位老太婆。老太婆说：「我的孩子，瞧你都干了些甚么！你为甚么不让那些花长在那儿呢？那些花就是你的哥哥呀。他们现在要永远变成乌鸦了。」

　　小姑娘哭着问：「难道没有办法救他们了吗？」

　　「没有，」老太婆说，「这个世界上只有一个办法能救你的哥哥们，可这个办法太难了，你不会愿意用这个办法救他们的，因为你要做七年哑巴，不能说话也不能笑。要是你说了一个字，哪怕是离七年只有一个小时，你的一切努力都会付诸东流——他们会因你说了一个字而全部死掉。」

　　公主心中想：「我知道，我一定能救活我的哥哥们。」於是，她就走到一棵大树旁，爬上去坐在上面纺纱，既不说话也不笑。说来也巧，一位年轻的国王打猎来到了这座森林。国王有条大狼犬，牠跑到公主坐着的大树下，不停地围着大树跳上跳下，对着姑娘吠叫不止。国王跟了过来，看到了额头上有金色星星的美丽公主，一下子就被她的美貌迷住了。他大声问她愿不愿意做他的妻子。她没有开口回答，但微微点了点头。於是，国王便亲自爬到树上，把她抱下来放到马背上，带着她回到宫中。庄严的婚礼壮观而又热闹，可新娘却既不说话也不欢笑。他们一起幸福地生活了好几年。国王的母亲是个邪恶的女人，开始说新王后的坏话了，她对国王说：「你带回来的姑娘是个穷要饭的。谁知道她在搞甚么鬼名堂呢！就算她是个哑巴，就算她不会说话，可她总能笑一笑吧？从来不笑的人一定心肠很坏！」国王起初不相信这些话，可他的母亲一直在他的面前念叨，而且总是说王后干了这样那样的坏事，到后来，国王终於被蒙住了，而且判了王后死刑。

　　王宫的院子里点燃了一大堆火，王后将被这堆火烧死。国王站在楼上的窗口前，眼泪汪汪地看着，因为他仍然深深地爱着王后。就在王后被紧紧地绑在火刑架上，红红的火舌开始吞噬她的衣裳时，七年的最后一刹那终於过去了。空中传来了一阵呼啦呼啦的声音，十二只乌鸦飞到这里落了下来。牠们刚落地就变成了王后的十二个哥哥。他们拆掉火堆，扑灭火焰，把他们的好妹妹放了下来，并且亲吻她、拥抱她。王后现在终於能开口说话了，她把自己当哑巴、从来不笑的原因告诉了国王。国王知道她清白无辜后，非常高兴，与她幸福地生活在一起，直到白发千古。国王那邪恶的母亲受到了审判，被塞进一只装着沸油和毒蛇的大桶，死得很惨。

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