The Twelve Brothers (Brothers Grimm)
Short summary
A medieval German kingdom. A king decreed that his twelve sons must die if his thirteenth child was a girl, so she alone could inherit the kingdom. He prepared twelve coffins. The queen warned her sons through Benjamin, the youngest. When a red flag signaled a daughter's birth, the brothers fled to a forest and vowed revenge on all girls.
Years later, the grown princess discovered twelve shirts and learned about her brothers. She ventured into the forest to find them.
She met Benjamin at their hut.
He recognized her and reunited her with the brothers. When she picked twelve lily flowers for them, they turned into ravens. To break the curse, she had to remain silent for seven years. A king married her despite her silence. His mother accused her of evil, and she was sentenced to burn. At the final moment:
Then a whirring sound was heard in the air, and twelve ravens came flying... and when they touched the earth they were her twelve brothers, whom she had delivered
She explained everything to the king. They all lived happily, and the evil stepmother died horribly.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The kings decree and the brothers exile
A king and queen lived happily together with their twelve sons. When the queen became pregnant with a thirteenth child, the king made a cruel declaration.
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
He ordered twelve coffins to be made and locked them in a secret room. The queen grieved until her youngest son Benjamin asked about her sadness.
Life in the enchanted forest
The queen revealed the king's plan and instructed her sons to flee to the forest. She would raise a white flag if she bore a son, or a red flag if she bore a daughter. When the red flag appeared, the brothers became angry and swore vengeance against all girls. They found an enchanted hut where they lived for ten years, with Benjamin keeping house while the others hunted.
The sisters quest to find her brothers
The daughter grew up beautiful and good-hearted. During a great washing, she discovered twelve men's shirts and learned about her brothers from her mother.
Dear mother, weep not, I will go and seek my brothers... I am a king's daughter, and am seeking my twelve brothers, and I will walk as far as the sky is blue
She took the twelve shirts and ventured into the forest. At evening, she found the enchanted hut where Benjamin lived. When she showed him the shirts, he recognized her as his sister. However, he warned her that his brothers had sworn to kill any maiden they encountered. She willingly offered to die to save them, but Benjamin hid her under a tub until he could convince his brothers to spare her.
Reunion and the fateful flowers
When the eleven brothers returned from hunting, Benjamin made them promise mercy before revealing their sister. They rejoiced and welcomed her with love. She stayed with them, helping Benjamin with household tasks while the others continued hunting. The brothers lived in harmony with their sister, who brought order and comfort to their home.
One day, the sister prepared a beautiful entertainment for her brothers. In the garden belonging to the enchanted house grew twelve lily flowers. Wishing to give each brother pleasure, she plucked all twelve flowers to present them during dinner.
But at the selfsame moment that she plucked the flowers the twelve brothers were changed into twelve ravens, and flew away over the forest
The house and garden vanished, leaving the maiden alone in the wild forest. An old woman appeared and explained that the flowers were her brothers, now transformed forever into ravens.
The curse and the test of silence
I will willingly die, if by so doing I can deliver my twelve brothers... thou must be dumb for seven years, and mayst not speak or laugh
The old woman revealed there was only one way to break the curse: the sister must remain silent for seven years, neither speaking nor laughing. If she spoke even one word before the time ended, her brothers would die. The maiden resolved to free her brothers and climbed a high tree where she sat spinning in complete silence.
Marriage, trial, and redemption
A king hunting in the forest discovered the beautiful maiden with the golden star on her forehead. Charmed by her beauty, he asked her to be his wife. She nodded silently, and he carried her home for a magnificent wedding, though the bride neither spoke nor smiled.
After a few years, the king's wicked mother began slandering the young queen, calling her a common beggar who practiced evil tricks. She convinced the king that his wife's silence and lack of laughter indicated a bad conscience. Eventually, the king sentenced his wife to death by burning. As she was bound to the stake and the fire began to consume her clothes, the seven years expired. Twelve ravens flew down and transformed back into her brothers, who extinguished the flames and freed her.
Now able to speak, she explained her silence to the king, who rejoiced to learn of her innocence. They all lived in unity until their deaths, while the wicked stepmother was executed by being placed in a barrel filled with boiling oil and venomous snakes.