Grimm's Fairy Tales | The Seven Ravens | The Blue Light

Enjoy this reading of two of the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales... "The Seven Ravens" and "The Blue Light"!

The Grimm Fairy Tales were originally a collection of over 200 folk tales, collected by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in Germany and published in the early 1800s... There are many different stories in the collection and many of them are indeed quite "grim", yet they form the backbones of so many of our familiar fairy tales today!

Transcript

Hello there.

Thank you so much for joining me for this reading of another couple of the Grimm's Fairy Tales.

This time,

The Seven Ravens and The Blue Light.

Perhaps you've heard some of the other recordings here of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

If not,

You can find quite a few of them gathered together in the Grimm's Fairy Tales playlist.

There were originally more than 200 different folktales gathered up by the Brothers Grimm in Germany,

Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm,

And they published their collection in the early 1800s,

So more than 200 years ago,

And yet so many of the themes and characters and stories that we hear about in these old folktales seem familiar even now.

They form the backbone of so many stories that we hear.

So before we get into these two particular stories,

Let's just take a moment here to have a nice,

Deep exhale.

Letting go of the day.

Letting go of whichever baggage we might be bringing along with us into this moment.

For right now,

There's nowhere else that we have to be,

And nothing else that we have to be doing.

So we can just relax,

Get ourselves comfortable,

And enjoy another couple of the Grimm's Fairy Tales.

The Seven Ravens.

There was once a man who had seven sons and,

Last of all,

One daughter.

Although the little girl was very pretty,

She was so weak and small that they thought she could not live.

But they said she should at once be christened.

So the father sent one of his sons in haste to the spring to get some water.

But the other six ran with him.

Each wanted to be first at drawing the water.

And so they were in such a hurry that all let their pictures fall into the well.

And they stood very foolishly looking at one another and did not know what to do,

For none dared go home.

In the meantime,

The father was uneasy and could not tell what made the young men stay so long.

Surely,

Said he,

The whole seven must have forgotten themselves over some game of play.

And when he had waited still longer,

And they yet did not come,

He flew into a rage and wished them all turned into ravens.

Scarcely had he spoken these words when he heard a croaking over his head and looked up and saw seven ravens,

As black as coal,

Flying round and round.

Sorry as he was to see his wish so fulfilled,

He did not know how what was done could be undone and comforted himself as well as he could for the loss of his seven sons with his dear little daughter,

Who soon became stronger and every day more beautiful.

For a long time,

She did not know that she had ever had any brothers.

For her father and mother took care not to speak of them before her.

But one day,

By chance,

She heard the people about her speak of them.

Yes,

Said they,

She is beautiful indeed.

But still,

Tis a pity that her brothers should have been lost for her sake.

Then she was much grieved and went to her father and mother and asked if she had any brothers and what had become of them.

So they dared no longer hide the truth from her,

But said it was the will of heaven and that her birth was only the innocent cause of it.

But the little girl mourned sadly about it every day and thought herself bound to do all she could to bring her brothers back.

And she had neither rest nor ease till,

At length,

One day she stole the way and set out into the wide world to find her brothers,

Wherever they might be,

And free them,

Whatever it might cost her.

She took nothing with her but a little ring which her father and mother had given her,

A loaf of bread in case she should be hungry,

A little pitcher of water in case she should be thirsty,

And a little stool to rest upon when she should be weary.

Thus she went on and on and journeyed till she came to the world's end.

Then she came to the sun,

But the sun looked much too hot and fiery,

So she ran away quickly to the moon,

But the moon was cold and chilly and said,

I smell flesh and blood this way.

So she took herself away in a hurry and came to the stars,

And the stars were friendly and kind to her,

And each star sat upon his own little stool.

But the morning star rose up and gave her a little piece of wood and said,

And said,

If you have not this little piece of wood,

You cannot unlock the castle that stands on the glass mountain,

And there your brothers live.

The little girl took the piece of wood,

Rolled it up in a little cloth,

And went on again until she came to the glass mountain and found the door shut.

Then she felt for the little piece of for the little piece of wood,

But when she unwrapped the cloth,

It was not there,

And she saw she had lost the gift of the good stars.

What was to be done?

She wanted to save her brothers and had no key of the castle of the glass mountain.

So this faithful little sister took a knife out of her pocket and cut off her little finger that was just the size of the piece of wood she had lost and put it in the door and opened it.

As she went in,

A little dwarf came up to her and said,

What are you seeking for?

I seek for my brothers,

The seven ravens,

Answered she.

Then the dwarf said,

My masters are not at home,

But if you will wait till they come,

Pray,

Step in.

Now the little dwarf was getting their dinner ready and he brought their food upon seven little plates and their drink in seven little glasses and set them upon the table and out of each little plate their sister ate a small piece and out of each little glass she drank a small drop.

But she let the ring that she had brought with her fall into the last glass.

On a sudden she heard a fluttering and croaking in the air and the dwarf said,

Here come my masters.

When they came in,

They wanted to eat and drink and looked for their little plates and glasses then said one after the other,

Who has eaten from my little plate and who's been drinking out of my little glass?

Well,

I ween,

Mortal lips have this way been.

When the seventh came to the bottom of his glass and found there the ring,

He looked at it and knew that it was his father's and mother's and said,

Oh that our little sister would but come,

Then we should be free.

When the little girl heard this,

For she stood behind the door all the time and listened,

She ran forward and in an instant all the ravens took their right form again and all hugged and kissed each other and went merrily home.

The Blue Light There was once upon a time a soldier who for many years had served the king faithfully,

But when the war came to an end could serve no longer because of the many wounds which he had received.

The king said to him,

You may return to your home,

I need you no longer and you will not receive any more money for he only receives wages who renders me service for them.

Then the soldier did not know how to earn a living,

Went away greatly troubled and walked the whole day until in the evening he entered a forest.

When darkness came on,

He saw a he saw a light which he went up to and came to a house wherein lived a witch.

Do give me one night's lodging and a little to eat and drink,

Said he to her,

Or I shall starve.

Uh-oh,

She answered,

Who gives anything to a runaway soldier?

Yet will I be compassionate and take you in if you will do what I wish.

What do you wish,

Said the soldier,

That you should dig all round my garden for me tomorrow.

The soldier consented and next day labored with all his strength but could not finish it by the evening.

I see well enough,

Said the witch,

That you can do no more today.

But I will keep you yet another night,

In payment for which you must tomorrow chop me a load of wood and chop it small.

Small.

The soldier spent the whole day in doing it and in the evening the witch proposed that he should stay one night more.

Tomorrow,

You shall only do me a very trifling piece of work.

Behind my house there is an old dry well into which my light has fallen.

It burns blue and never goes out and you shall bring it up again.

Next day the old woman took him to the well and let him down in a basket.

He found the blue light and made her a signal to draw him up again.

She did draw him up but when he came near the edge she stretched down her hand and wanted to take the blue light away from him.

No,

Said he,

Perceiving her evil intention.

I will not give you the light until I am standing with both feet upon the ground.

The witch fell into a passion,

Let him fall again into the well and went away.

The poor soldier fell without injury on the moist ground and the blue light went on burning went on burning but of what use was that to him?

He saw very well that he could not escape death.

He sat for a while very sorrowfully.

Then suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobacco pipe which was still half full.

This shall be my last pleasure,

Thought he,

Pulled it out,

Lit it at the blue light and began to smoke.

And began to smoke.

When the smoke had circled about the cavern,

Suddenly a little black dwarf stood before him and said,

Lord,

What are your commands?

What my commands are,

Replied the soldier,

Quite astonished.

I must do everything you bid me,

Said the little man.

Good,

Said the soldier,

Then in the first place help me out of this well.

The little man took him by the hand and led him through an underground passage,

But he did not forget to take the blue light with him.

On the way,

The dwarf showed him the treasures which the witch had collected and hidden there and the soldier took as much gold as he could carry.

When he was above,

He said to the little man,

Now,

Go and bind the old witch and carry her before the judge.

In a short time,

She came by like the wind,

Riding on a wild tomcat and screaming frightfully.

Nor was it long before the little man reappeared.

It is all done,

Said he,

And the witch is already hanging on the gallows.

What further commands has my lord,

Inquired the dwarf.

At this moment,

None,

Answered the soldier.

You can return home,

Only be at hand immediately if I summon you.

Nothing more is needed than that you should light your pipe at the blue light and I will appear before you at once.

Thereupon,

He vanished from his sight.

The soldier returned to the town from which he came.

He went to the best inn,

Ordered himself handsome clothes and then bade the landlord furnish him a room as handsome as possible.

When it was ready and the soldier had taken possession of it,

He summoned the little black mannequin and said,

I have served the king faithfully,

But he has dismissed me and left me to hunger.

And now I want to take my revenge.

What am I to do,

Asked the little man.

Late at night,

When the king's daughter is in bed,

Bring her here in her sleep.

She shall do servants work for me.

The mannequin said,

That is an easy thing for me to do,

But a very dangerous thing for you.

For if it is discovered,

You will fare ill.

When 12 o'clock had struck,

The door sprang open and the mannequin carried in the princess.

Aha,

Are you there,

Cried the soldier.

Get to your work at once.

Fetch the broom and sweep the chamber.

When she had done this,

He ordered her to come to his chair and then he stretched out his feet and said,

Pull off my boots.

And then he threw them in her face and made her pick them up again and clean and brighten them.

She,

However,

Did everything he bade her,

Without opposition,

Silently and with half shut eyes.

When the first cock crowed,

The mannequin carried her back to the royal palace and laid her in her bed.

Next morning,

When the princess arose,

She went to her father and told him that she had had a very strange dream.

I was carried through the streets with the rapidity of lightning,

Said she,

And taken into a soldier's room.

And I had to wait upon him like a servant,

Sweep his room,

Clean his boots,

And do all kinds of menial work.

It was only a dream and yet I am just as tired as if I really had done everything.

The dream may have been true,

Said the king.

I will give you a piece of advice.

Fill your pocket full of peas and make a small hole in the pocket and then if you are carried away again they will fall out and leave a track in the streets.

But unseen by the king,

The mannequin was standing beside him when he said that and heard all.

At night,

When the sleeping princess was again carried through the streets,

Some peas certainly did fall out of her pocket but they made no track,

For the crafty mannequin had just before scattered peas in every street there was.

And again the princess was compelled to do servant's work until cock crow.

Next morning,

The king sent his people out to seek the track but it was all in vain for in every street poor children were sitting picking up peas and saying it must have rained peas last night.

We must think of something else,

Said the king.

Keep your shoes on when you go to bed and before you come back from the place where you are taken,

Hide one of them there.

I will soon contrive to find it.

The black mannequin heard this plot and at night,

When the soldier again ordered him to bring the princess,

Revealed it to him and told him that he knew of no expedient to counteract this stratagem.

And that if the shoe were found in the soldier's house it would go badly with him.

Do what I bid you,

Replied the soldier and again this third night the princess was obliged to work like a servant.

But before she went away,

She hid her shoe under the bed.

Next morning,

The king had the entire town searched for his daughter's shoe.

It was found at the soldier's and the soldier himself,

Who at the entreaty of the dwarf had gone outside the gate,

Was soon brought back and thrown into prison.

In his flight,

He had forgotten the most valuable things he had,

The blue light and the gold and he had only one ducat in his pocket.

And now,

Loaded with chains,

He was standing at the window of his dungeon when he chanced to see one of his comrades passing by.

The soldier tapped at the pane of glass and when this man came up said to him,

Be so kind as to fetch me the small bundle I have left lying in the inn and I will give you a ducat for doing it.

His comrade ran thither and brought him what he wanted.

As soon as the soldier was alone again,

He lighted his pipe and summoned the black mannequin.

Have no fear,

Said the latter to his master.

Go wheresoever they take you and let them do what they will,

Only take the blue light with you.

Next day,

The soldier was tried the soldier was tried and though he had done nothing wicked,

The judge condemned him to death.

When he was led forth to die,

He begged a last favour of the king.

What is it?

Asked the king.

That I may smoke one more pipe on my way.

You may smoke three,

Answered the king,

But do not imagine that I will spare your life.

Then the soldier pulled out his pipe and lighted it at the blue light and as soon as a few wreaths of smoke had ascended,

The mannequin was there with a small cudgel in his hand and said,

What does my lord command?

Strike down to earth that false judge there and his constable and spare not the king who has treated me so ill.

Then the mannequin fell on them like lightning,

Darting this way and that way and whosoever was so much as touched by his cudgel fell to earth and did not venture to stir again.

To stir again.

The king was terrified.

He threw himself on the soldier's mercy and merely to be allowed to live at all,

Gave him his kingdom for his own and his daughter to wife.

You

Reviews

Oh fairy tales are strange… but I love a strong little girl… thank you!🙏🏼❤️