The Raven is a mysterious fairy tale from Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm. It tells the story of a little Princess who is accidentally transformed into a raven after her mother, exhausted by her crying, speaks words she does not truly mean.
The enchanted Princess lives deep in a dark forest until a traveler hears her cries. She tells him that she is a King’s daughter and explains how he can break the enchantment.
To rescue her, the man must follow a difficult set of instructions and resist the temptations of an old woman who tries to make him eat and drink. When he fails three times, the Princess leaves him a golden ring, food, wine, and a letter directing him to the mysterious Golden Castle of Stromberg.
His journey then becomes an even greater adventure involving a giant, a glass mountain, three magical objects, and an enchanted Princess.
This unusual Grimm fairy tale is a story about perseverance, temptation, courage, magical transformation, and never giving up on someone who needs help.
Original Story
There was once a Queen who had a little daughter who was still a baby.
One day, the child was so restless that her mother could get no peace, no matter what she tried. At last, the Queen lost patience.
Seeing a flight of ravens passing over the castle, she opened the window and said to her child,
“Oh, that you were a raven and could fly away, so that I might have some peace!”
No sooner had she spoken these words than the child was transformed into a raven.
The raven fluttered from her mother’s arms, flew out of the window, and disappeared into a dark forest.
There she remained for a long time, and her parents knew nothing of what had become of her.
Excerpt from: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Walter Crane, translated by Lucy Crane, Macmillan and Company, 1886.
One day, a man was traveling through the forest.
He heard a raven crying and followed the sound.
When he came closer, the raven spoke to him.
“I was born a King’s daughter,” she said, “and I have been enchanted. But you can set me free.”
“What must I do?” asked the man.
“Go deeper into the forest,” she answered. “You will find a house with an old woman sitting inside. She will offer you food and drink, but you must not take anything. If you eat or drink, you will fall into a deep sleep and will not be able to set me free.”
“In the garden behind the house, you will find a large heap of tan. Stand on it and wait for me.”
“On the first day, I will come around the middle of the day in a carriage drawn by four white horses. On the second day, I will come with four red horses. On the third day, I will come with four black horses.”
“But you must remain awake. If you fall asleep, you will fail to break the enchantment.”
The man promised to follow her instructions.
But the raven sadly added,
“Ah, I fear that you will not be able to save me. I am almost certain that the old woman will persuade you to take something from her.”
The man promised again that he would not eat or drink anything.
He then continued deeper into the forest until he found the house.
The old woman came outside when she saw him.
“My poor traveler,” she said. “You look exhausted. Come inside and rest. Have something to eat and drink.”
“No,” said the man. “I will have nothing.”
But the old woman would not stop asking.
“Even if you do not want food, at least take one drink from this cup.”
Eventually, the man gave in.
He took a drink.
Later that afternoon, around two o’clock, he went into the garden and stood on the heap of tan, waiting for the raven.
At first, he tried to remain awake.
But soon he became extremely tired.
He lay down for only a moment.
Before he realized it, his eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
At two o’clock, the raven arrived in a carriage drawn by four white horses.
She was already sad because she knew that the man would probably be asleep.
When she reached the garden, there he lay.
She shook him and called to him, but he would not wake.
The next day, the old woman again brought him food and drink.
This time, the man refused to eat.
But the old woman kept persuading him until he finally drank from the cup again.
At about two o’clock, he went into the garden and stood on the heap of tan.
Again, he became terribly tired.
Again, he fell asleep.
The raven arrived in a carriage drawn by four red horses.
She was sad to see that the man was asleep again.
She went to him, shook him, and called to him, but nothing could wake him.
On the third day, the old woman came to him.
“What is wrong with you?” she asked. “Do you wish to die? You will neither eat nor drink!”
“I cannot and will not eat or drink,” the man answered.
But the old woman placed food and wine in front of him.
The delicious smell reached him, and he could no longer resist.
He took a deep drink.
When the hour approached, he went once again into the garden and stood upon the heap of tan.
As the time passed, he became more and more tired.
At last, he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
At two o’clock, the raven arrived for the third and final time.
This time she came in a carriage drawn by four black horses. Everything about the carriage was black.
She was very sad because she knew that the man had fallen asleep again and would not be able to free her.
She shook him and called to him, but she could not wake him.
Then she placed a loaf of bread, some meat, and a flask of wine beside him.
“Now,” she thought, “it does not matter how much he eats or drinks.”
She also took a golden ring from her finger and placed it on his finger. Her name was engraved upon it.
Finally, she left him a letter.
In it, she explained what she had done and wrote:
“I see that you cannot save me here. But if you truly wish to free me, come to the Golden Castle of Stromberg. I believe that, if you try, you can succeed.”
Then she climbed back into her carriage and disappeared toward the Golden Castle of Stromberg.
When the man woke, he was heartbroken to discover that the raven had come and gone without him being able to free her.
Then he saw the things she had left behind.
He read the letter.
Without wasting another moment, he set off to find the Golden Castle of Stromberg.
He did not know where it was, but he traveled for a long time.
Eventually, he came to another dark forest.
For two weeks he wandered through it, unable to find his way out.
One evening, exhausted, he lay down beneath some bushes and fell asleep.
The next day he continued walking.
That evening, as he was preparing to rest, he heard strange howls and cries.
He could not sleep.
When the hour came for lamps to be lit, he noticed a small light shining through the trees.
He followed it and discovered that it came from a little house.
But standing in front of the house was an enormous giant.
The man was frightened.
“If I go inside and the giant sees me,” he thought, “I may lose my life.”
But at last he gathered his courage and entered.
The giant saw him immediately.
“I am glad you have come,” said the giant. “I have not had anything to eat for a long time. I shall make a good supper of you!”
“That may be,” replied the man, “but I doubt that you would enjoy me very much. Besides, if you are hungry, I have food that can satisfy you.”
“If that is true,” said the giant, “you have nothing to fear. I only wanted to eat you because I had nothing better.”
The man brought out bread, meat, and wine.
The giant ate happily.
Afterward, the man asked,
“Can you tell me where the Golden Castle of Stromberg is?”
“I will look at my map,” said the giant.
He brought out a map showing towns, villages, and houses throughout the land.
But the Golden Castle of Stromberg was not there.
“Never mind,” said the giant. “I have larger maps upstairs.”
They searched those maps too.
Still, they could not find the castle.
The man wanted to continue his journey, but the giant asked him to stay until his brother returned.
When the brother arrived, they asked him about the Golden Castle of Stromberg.
“I will look at my maps after I have eaten,” he said.
After his meal, they searched his maps.
At last, they found the castle.
But it was thousands of miles away.
“How will I ever get there?” asked the man.
“I can carry you part of the way,” said the giant.
So the giant carried him until he was within about a hundred hours’ journey of the castle.
“You can travel the rest of the way yourself,” said the giant.
Then he returned home.
The man continued traveling day and night.
At last, he reached the Golden Castle of Stromberg.
The castle stood on top of a huge mountain made of glass.
The man looked up and saw the enchanted Princess driving around the mountain before disappearing through the castle gates.
He was overjoyed.
He immediately began climbing the mountain.
But the glass was so slippery that every time he climbed upward, he slid back down.
At last, he realized that he could not reach the castle.
So he decided to wait.
He built himself a small hut at the foot of the mountain and stayed there.
For an entire year, he watched the Princess drive around the mountain every day.
Yet he could never reach her.
One day, he saw three robbers fighting nearby.
“Mercy on us!” he cried.
The robbers stopped for a moment, but then began fighting again.
The man called out once more.
“Mercy on us!”
Again they stopped.
Finally, he went over to them and asked why they were fighting.
The first robber explained that he had found a magical stick that could open any door simply by knocking on it.
The second had found a magical cloak that could make its wearer invisible.
The third had a wonderful horse that could ride over anything—even the glass mountain.
The robbers were fighting because they could not agree whether to share the magical objects or keep them separately.
“I have an idea,” said the man. “I have no money, but I have something more valuable to offer. However, I must test the magical objects first.”
The robbers agreed.
The man mounted the magical horse.
They placed the cloak around him and gave him the magical stick.
Immediately, he became invisible.
Then he used the stick to give the three robbers a good beating.
“Now,” he called, “perhaps you will stop fighting!”
The man then rode the magical horse up the glass mountain.
When he reached the castle gates, they were locked.
He raised the magical stick and knocked on the door.
The door opened immediately.
The man entered the castle and climbed the stairs.
At last, he reached a great room.
There sat the Princess with a golden cup and wine before her.
She could not see him because he was wearing the invisible cloak.
The man approached her.
Then he removed the golden ring she had given him and dropped it into her cup.
The ring made a clear sound as it struck the cup.
The Princess looked down.
“This is my ring!” she cried. “The man who is supposed to set me free must be here!”
She searched the entire castle, but she could not find him.
The man had already gone outside.
He mounted the magical horse and removed the invisible cloak.
When the Princess looked out of the castle, she saw him.
She cried out with joy.
The man dismounted and took her in his arms.
The Princess kissed him and said,
“You have finally set me free from my enchantment. Tomorrow we shall be married.”
And so the long enchantment was finally broken, and the brave man and the Princess could begin a new life together.
What Children Can Learn From This Story
- Perseverance matters. The man fails several times but refuses to give up on the enchanted Princess.
- Temptation can make difficult tasks even harder. The old woman’s food and drink repeatedly distract him from his important mission.
- Courage helps us overcome fear. The man enters the giant’s house even though he is afraid.
- Patience can lead to success. He waits for an entire year at the foot of the glass mountain before finding another way to reach the castle.
- Using different skills together can solve difficult problems. The magical horse, cloak, and stick each have a different purpose, and the man uses them cleverly to reach the Princess.
Vocabulary
- Enchanted — Placed under a magical spell.
- Fluttered — Moved or flew lightly and quickly, like a bird’s wings.
- Temptation — A strong desire to do something, especially something you know you should resist.
- Heap — A pile of something collected together.
- Carriage — A horse-drawn vehicle used for traveling.
- Perseverance — Continuing to try even when something is difficult.
- Giant — A very large and powerful imaginary creature.
- Invisible — Unable to be seen.
- Enchantment — A magical spell that changes or controls someone or something.
- Discovered — Found something that was previously unknown or hidden.
Questions for Children
- Why did the Queen’s words transform her baby daughter into a raven?
- What happened when the traveler heard the raven crying in the forest?
- Why did the Princess warn the man not to eat or drink anything at the old woman’s house?
- What happened when the man drank from the old woman’s cup?
- Why did the Princess come with white horses, then red horses, and finally black horses?
- What happened when the man reached the Golden Castle of Stromberg?
- Why could the man not climb the glass mountain?
- What happened when the man met the three robbers?
- How did the magical horse, cloak, and stick help the man?
- How did the man finally prove to the Princess that he had come to rescue her?
- Why was perseverance important in this story?
- What was the lesson of the story?
Moral / Lesson
Do not give up when something truly matters. Courage, patience, and perseverance can help us overcome obstacles that seem impossible.
The traveler makes mistakes and fails to rescue the Princess during all three of his first opportunities. Instead of giving up, however, he follows the Princess’s final instructions and continues searching for the Golden Castle of Stromberg.
His journey is long and difficult. He must cross forests, meet a giant, discover the castle, wait for a year, and finally find a clever way to climb the glass mountain.
The story reminds children that success does not always come on the first try. Sometimes we need to learn from our mistakes, remain patient, and find a new solution when the first plan does not work.
Read more: Household Stories By the Brothers Grimm…
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