The Raven (Brothers Grimm)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Raven is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 93 in their collections.

It is Aarne-Thompson type 401, the girl transformed into an animal.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A queen wished her naughty daughter would turn into a raven and fly away, so she could have some peace, and her wish was instantly fulfilled. She flew away to a forest.

In the forest, a man heard a raven tell him she was an enchanted princess, and he could deliver her if he went to a certain cottage and accepted no food from the old woman there; she would drive by in a carriage three times, and he could deliver her then. Each time, the old woman persuaded him to drink one glass, and he slept through his chances. The princess left him a bottle of wine, a loaf, and a piece of meat, all three of which were inexhaustible, put a gold ring with her name on his finger, and gave him a letter telling him he could deliver her at the golden castle of Stromberg.

The man wandered, looking for the castle, and found a giant who threatened to eat him, but the man fed him with his magical provisions. The giant looked through all his maps but could not find the castle. He asked him to wait until his brother came home, and the brother was able to find him, and carry him much of the way.

He walked toward the castle, which was on a glass mountain. He found three robbers fighting over three magical items: a stick that opened doors, an invisibility mantle, and a horse that could ride up the glass-mountain. The man said he would judge between them, but first he had to try them, to see if they did what they said, and took them to ride up the glass mountain himself. He used the stick and mantle to get into the castle and threw his ring into the princess's cup. She insisted on searching the castle, and he threw off the mantle. They were married.