Once upon a time there was a king and a queen. They lived happily together and had twelve children, but all of them were boys. The King said to the Queen, "You are going to have your thirteenth child. If the child were a girl, I would order the twelve boys to be killed, so that she might have more property and become king." He even had twelve coffins made. They were filled with shavings and a little pillow was placed inside. He had them all locked in a secret room, and gave the Queen the key of it, and she was not to tell anyone.

The mother now sat and mourned all day, until one day the youngest son, who had always been with her, and whom she had given the Biblical name Benjamin, said to her, "Dear mother, why are you so sad?" "Dear boy," she answered, "I cannot tell you." At last she opened the room and showed him the twelve coffins filled with shavings. Then she said, "My dear Benjamin, your father prepared these coffins for you and your eleven brothers, for if I bear a little sister, you will be killed and buried in these coffins." As she spoke and wept, Benjamin comforted her, saying, "Do not cry, dear mother, we shall not be killed. We can run away." But the Queen said, "Go into the forest with your eleven brothers. Keep watch on the tallest tree you can find, and watch the tower of the castle. If I have a baby brother, I'll raise a white flag and you can come back. If I give birth to a little sister, I will raise a red flag, and you will fly away as fast as you can, god bless you. I get up every night and pray for you, that you will have a fire to warm you in the winter, and that you will not get sunstroke in the summer."

After receiving their mother's blessing, the twelve princes went into the forest. One by one they kept watch and sat on the tallest oak tree, looking out at the tower of the palace. Eleven days passed, and It was Benjamin's turn to watch. He saw a flag go up from the tower, but it was not white, it was blood red, and that meant they had to die. When Benjamin's brothers heard this, they were furious and said, "Are we to die for a girl? We swear to avenge ourselves, that wherever we see a girl, she shall bleed red blood!"

So they went deeper into the forest, and in the darkest part of it they found a little bewitched, empty house. "This is where we live," they said. Benjamin, you are the youngest and the weakest of us, so you will stay at home and watch the house while the rest of us go out to get something to eat." Then they went into the woods and shot hares and wild deer and birds and doves, and hunted for anything they could eat, and brought it back to Benjamin so that he could make it for them all. The ten years they had lived together in this little house did not seem a long time.

The little girl who had been born to the Queen was now grown up. She was kind and beautiful and had a golden star on her forehead. One big cleaning day she saw twelve men's shirts in the laundry and asked her mother, "Whose are these shirts? They're too small for dad." "Dear child," the Queen answered with a heavy heart, "they belong to your twelve brothers." The girl said, "Where are my twelve brothers? Why have I never heard of them?" "Only God knows where they are," the Queen answered. Then she took the little girl to the chamber of secrets, opened it, and showed her the twelve coffins with the shavings and pillows. "These coffins were for your brothers," she said, "but they stole away before you were born." The queen told the little girl all that had happened, and the little girl said, "Don't be sad, dear mother. I will go and find my brothers."

So she took the twelve shirts and went straight into the woods. She walked all day, and in the evening she came to the bewitched cottage. She went into the hut and saw a boy inside. He was surprised to see how beautiful she was, that she was dressed in fine clothes, and that she had a golden star on her forehead. "Where do you come from? Where to?" She answered, "I am a princess and am looking for my twelve brothers. I'll go to the ends of the earth to find them." Then she showed him twelve of their shirts, and Benjamin knew that she was his sister. And he said, My name is Benjamin, and I am thy youngest brother. The princess began to cry for joy, and Benjamin also shed tears. They kissed and embraced affectionately. After a while Benjamin said, "Dear sister, we have one more matter to deal with. Twelve of us took an oath to kill any girl we saw, because it was for that girl that we were forced to flee the kingdom." "I will die," she said, "if I can save my twelve brothers."

"No," Benjamin replied, "you will not die. Hide under this bucket until the eleven brothers come back, and I will persuade them."

So the princess hid under the bucket. That evening, when the other eleven princes returned from hunting, Benjamin had supper ready. As they sat down at the table and ate, they asked, "What's new?" "Don't you know anything?" he asked. "No," they replied. He said, "You went into the forest and I stayed at home alone, but I know more than you do." "Tell us," they cried. "But you must promise me that you will not kill the first girl you see," he said. "All right," they said together, "we'll spare her. Tell us the news."

Benjamin said, "Here is our sister!" Then he picked up the bucket, and out came the princess. She was gorgeously dressed, with a golden star on her forehead, and looked very beautiful, gentle, and gentle. They were all overjoyed and threw their arms around her neck and kissed her and loved her with all their hearts.

From then on she stayed at home with Benjamin and helped him with the housework. The eleven brothers went hunting in the forest, and they caught deer, turtledoves, and other birds, and the little sister and Benjamin cooked them carefully to eat. The little girl went out and gathered wood for the fire, flowers for vegetables, put the pot on the fire, and always had the meal ready before the eleven came home. She also made up the cottage, and put nice, clean sheets on the little beds. Her brothers were very pleased with her and lived happily with her.

One day the princess and Benjamin, who had been left at home, cooked a wonderful meal and waited until their brothers came back and sat down together to eat and drink happily. The enchanted house had a small garden in which there were twelve lilies. The princess wanted to please her brothers, so she picked the twelve flowers, intending to give one to each of them at supper. But at the same time as she picked the lilies, the twelve brothers were changed into twelve ravens and flew away over the forest. The house and garden vanished, and the princess was now alone in the wild forest. She looked around and saw an old woman standing beside her. "My child," said the old woman, "what have you done? Why don't you let those flowers grow there? Those flowers are your brothers. They're going to be ravens forever now."

The girl wept and asked, "Is there no way to save them?"

"No," said the old woman, "there is but one way in the world to save your brothers, and it is so difficult that you will not want to save them in this way, for you will be dumb for seven years, and you will not be able to speak or laugh. If you say one word, even one hour before seven years, all your efforts will be for naught -- they will all die because you say one word."

The princess said to herself, "I know I can save my brothers." So she went to a big tree, climbed up, and sat down to spin without speaking or laughing. It so happened that a young king came to the forest hunting. The king had a big dog which ran to the tree where the princess was sitting. It jumped up and down round the tree and barked at the girl. The king followed her, and when he saw the beautiful princess with the golden star on her forehead, he was struck by her beauty. He asked her aloud if she would be his wife. She did not answer, but nodded slightly. So the king himself climbed up the tree, lifted her down, put her on his horse, and carried her home. The solemnity of the wedding was full of pomp and excitement, but the bride neither spoke nor laughed. They lived happily together for several years. The king's mother, who was an evil woman, began to speak ill of the new queen, and said to him, "The girl you have brought home is a poor beggar. Who knows what she's up to! Even if she were dumb, even if she could not speak, could she at least smile? He who never laughs must have a very bad heart! ' The king did not believe it at first, but his mother kept repeating it to him, and said that the Queen had done all sorts of bad things, until at last the king was deceived, and sentenced her to death.

A great fire was lit in the courtyard of the palace, and the Queen was to be killed by it. The King stood at an upstairs window and looked on with tears in his eyes, for he still loved her dearly. The last moment of the seven years passed, just as the Queen was bound to the stake, and the red tongues of fire began to devour her clothes. There was a whooshing sound in the air, and twelve ravens flew to the spot and landed. As soon as they landed, they became the twelve brothers of the Queen. They tore down the fire, put out the flames, set their little sister free, and kissed and embraced her. At last the Queen could speak, and she told the king why she had never laughed and was mute. When the king knew she was innocent, he was overjoyed, and lived happily with her until the age of grey hair passed. The wicked mother of the king was brought to trial, packed into a VAT of boiling oil and poisonous snakes, and died a terrible death.

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen. They lived happily together and had twelve children, but all of them were boys. The King said to the Queen, "You are going to have your thirteenth child. If the child were a girl, I would order the twelve boys to be killed, so that she might have more property and become king." He even had twelve coffins made. They were filled with shavings and a little pillow was placed inside. He had them all locked in a secret room, and gave the Queen the key of it, and she was not to tell anyone.

The mother now sat and mourned all day, until one day the youngest son, who had always been with her, and whom she had given the Biblical name Benjamin, said to her, "Dear mother, why are you so sad?" "Dear boy," she answered, "I cannot tell you." At last she opened the room and showed him the twelve coffins filled with shavings. Then she said, "My dear Benjamin, your father prepared these coffins for you and your eleven brothers, for if I bear a little sister, you will be killed and buried in these coffins." As she spoke and wept, Benjamin comforted her, saying, "Do not cry, dear mother, we shall not be killed. We can run away." But the Queen said, "Go into the forest with your eleven brothers. Keep watch on the tallest tree you can find, and watch the tower of the castle. If I have a baby brother, I'll raise a white flag and you can come back. If I give birth to a little sister, I will raise a red flag, and you will fly away as fast as you can, god bless you. I get up every night and pray for you, that you will have a fire to warm you in the winter, and that you will not get sunstroke in the summer."

After receiving their mother's blessing, the twelve princes went into the forest. One by one they kept watch and sat on the tallest oak tree, looking out at the tower of the palace. Eleven days passed, and It was Benjamin's turn to watch. He saw a flag go up from the tower, but it was not white, it was blood red, and that meant they had to die. When Benjamin's brothers heard this, they were furious and said, "Are we to die for a girl? We swear to avenge ourselves, that wherever we see a girl, she shall bleed red blood!"

So they went deeper into the forest, and in the darkest part of it they found a little bewitched, empty house. "This is where we live," they said. Benjamin, you are the youngest and the weakest of us, so you will stay at home and watch the house while the rest of us go out to get something to eat." Then they went into the woods and shot hares and wild deer and birds and doves, and hunted for anything they could eat, and brought it back to Benjamin so that he could make it for them all. The ten years they had lived together in this little house did not seem a long time.

The little girl who had been born to the Queen was now grown up. She was kind and beautiful and had a golden star on her forehead. One big cleaning day she saw twelve men's shirts in the laundry and asked her mother, "Whose are these shirts? They're too small for dad." "Dear child," the Queen answered with a heavy heart, "they belong to your twelve brothers." The girl said, "Where are my twelve brothers? Why have I never heard of them?" "Only God knows where they are," the Queen answered. Then she took the little girl to the chamber of secrets, opened it, and showed her the twelve coffins with the shavings and pillows. "These coffins were for your brothers," she said, "but they stole away before you were born." The queen told the little girl all that had happened, and the little girl said, "Don't be sad, dear mother. I will go and find my brothers."

So she took the twelve shirts and went straight into the woods. She walked all day, and in the evening she came to the bewitched cottage. She went into the hut and saw a boy inside. He was surprised to see how beautiful she was, that she was dressed in fine clothes, and that she had a golden star on her forehead. "Where do you come from? Where to?" She answered, "I am a princess and am looking for my twelve brothers. I'll go to the ends of the earth to find them." Then she showed him twelve of their shirts, and Benjamin knew that she was his sister. And he said, My name is Benjamin, and I am thy youngest brother. The princess began to cry for joy, and Benjamin also shed tears. They kissed and embraced affectionately. After a while Benjamin said, "Dear sister, we have one more matter to deal with. Twelve of us took an oath to kill any girl we saw, because it was for that girl that we were forced to flee the kingdom." "I will die," she said, "if I can save my twelve brothers."

"No," Benjamin replied, "you will not die. Hide under this bucket until the eleven brothers come back, and I will persuade them."

So the princess hid under the bucket. That evening, when the other eleven princes returned from hunting, Benjamin had supper ready. As they sat down at the table and ate, they asked, "What's new?" "Don't you know anything?" he asked. "No," they replied. He said, "You went into the forest and I stayed at home alone, but I know more than you do." "Tell us," they cried. "But you must promise me that you will not kill the first girl you see," he said. "All right," they said together, "we'll spare her. Tell us the news."

Benjamin said, "Here is our sister!" Then he picked up the bucket, and out came the princess. She was gorgeously dressed, with a golden star on her forehead, and looked very beautiful, gentle, and gentle. They were all overjoyed and threw their arms around her neck and kissed her and loved her with all their hearts.

From then on she stayed at home with Benjamin and helped him with the housework. The eleven brothers went hunting in the forest, and they caught deer, turtledoves, and other birds, and the little sister and Benjamin cooked them carefully to eat. The little girl went out and gathered wood for the fire, flowers for vegetables, put the pot on the fire, and always had the meal ready before the eleven came home. She also made up the cottage, and put nice, clean sheets on the little beds. Her brothers were very pleased with her and lived happily with her.

One day the princess and Benjamin, who had been left at home, cooked a wonderful meal and waited until their brothers came back and sat down together to eat and drink happily. The enchanted house had a small garden in which there were twelve lilies. The princess wanted to please her brothers, so she picked the twelve flowers, intending to give one to each of them at supper. But at the same time as she picked the lilies, the twelve brothers were changed into twelve ravens and flew away over the forest. The house and garden vanished, and the princess was now alone in the wild forest. She looked around and saw an old woman standing beside her. "My child," said the old woman, "what have you done? Why don't you let those flowers grow there? Those flowers are your brothers. They're going to be ravens forever now."

The girl wept and asked, "Is there no way to save them?"

"No," said the old woman, "there is but one way in the world to save your brothers, and it is so difficult that you will not want to save them in this way, for you will be dumb for seven years, and you will not be able to speak or laugh. If you say one word, even one hour before seven years, all your efforts will be for naught -- they will all die because you say one word."

The princess said to herself, "I know I can save my brothers." So she went to a big tree, climbed up, and sat down to spin without speaking or laughing. It so happened that a young king came to the forest hunting. The king had a big dog which ran to the tree where the princess was sitting. It jumped up and down round the tree and barked at the girl. The king followed her, and when he saw the beautiful princess with the golden star on her forehead, he was struck by her beauty. He asked her aloud if she would be his wife. She did not answer, but nodded slightly. So the king himself climbed up the tree, lifted her down, put her on his horse, and carried her home. The solemnity of the wedding was full of pomp and excitement, but the bride neither spoke nor laughed. They lived happily together for several years. The king's mother, who was an evil woman, began to speak ill of the new queen, and said to him, "The girl you have brought home is a poor beggar. Who knows what she's up to! Even if she were dumb, even if she could not speak, could she at least smile? He who never laughs must have a very bad heart! ' The king did not believe it at first, but his mother kept repeating it to him, and said that the Queen had done all sorts of bad things, until at last the king was deceived, and sentenced her to death.

A great fire was lit in the courtyard of the palace, and the Queen was to be killed by it. The King stood at an upstairs window and looked on with tears in his eyes, for he still loved her dearly. The last moment of the seven years passed, just as the Queen was bound to the stake, and the red tongues of fire began to devour her clothes. There was a whooshing sound in the air, and twelve ravens flew to the spot and landed. As soon as they landed, they became the twelve brothers of the Queen. They tore down the fire, put out the flames, set their little sister free, and kissed and embraced her. At last the Queen could speak, and she told the king why she had never laughed and was mute. When the king knew she was innocent, he was overjoyed, and lived happily with her until the age of grey hair passed. The wicked mother of the king was brought to trial, packed into a VAT of boiling oil and poisonous snakes, and died a terrible death.