The Love of Siblings - The Twelve Brothers
"The Twelve Brothers" - a Brothers' Grimm story exemplifies in an admirable way the sacrifice for loved ones. I'll let you be charmed by the story keeping in mind the moral of it: love your family!
Do you have siblings? What is your relationship like with them? Is your love for them enough where you would willingly die for them?
Once there was a king and his queen who had twelve sons and now the queen was expecting her thirteenth child. Before entering this world, the child's father approached his wife and announced if she gave birth to a daughter, he would have his twelve sons killed so there sister's possessions would be great and that the kingdom in its entirety would belong only to her. The king had twelve coffins made and taken to a locked room; he then gave the key to the lock to his wife and instructed her to remain quiet about the matter. The queen's heart was saddened and grieved; her youngest son Benjamin, who was constantly with her, saw this on the face of his mother and inquired why she was so sad?
In the beginning, the queen refused to tell him but as he saw her sadness remain he persisted and his mother took him to the locked room where the twelve empty open coffins sat one beside another. She told him of his father's plan if she brought a daughter into the world; Benjamin looked to his mother and bade her not to be sad for he would inform his brothers and together they would flee from their father. The queen gave instructions to her son Benjamin that he and his eleven brothers were to flee into the nearby forest, search out the tallest tree, and at all times one of them was to be sitting in the very top of the tree keeping watch toward towards the tower of their father's castle. Upon the birth of her next child, the queen would let her sons know if they had a brother by the raising of a white flag; if however they had a sister, the queen would raise a red flag and all twelve of her sons were to run for their lives.
The queen then blessed each of her sons who fled for the forest; the tallest tree they found was a great oak. Eleven days passed in the forest for the brothers and on the twelfth day Benjamin climbed to the very top of the oak and set his eyes on his father's tower. He saw a flag being raised; the color was a blood like red color that announced his death and the death of his eleven brothers. Once known that they had to flee for their lives the brothers swore that if a maiden crossed their paths her blood would run. All twelve brothers began their fast trek into the deepest part of the forest whereupon they found abandoned shelter that had been bewitched. The brother made the shelter their home, and Benjamin the caretaker of the home; the eleven oldest hunted and brought back their killings to Benjamin to prepare and cook.
For ten years the brothers dwelt together in the forest; during this time, their sister had been growing into a beautiful girl with a good heart; on her forehead a golden star rested. One day, the young princess noticed twelve shirts, that would have been worn by men, among some laundry, and she asked her mother to whom the shirts belonged? She had noticed that each shirt could not belong to her father for they were too small; the queen told her of her brothers and what had happened before she was born; she took her daughter into the locked room where the twelve coffins still sat. As the queen began to weeping, her daughter comforted her with the words that she would go out and search for her brothers.
The young princess took the twelve shirts and entered into the forest; that entire day she searched for her brothers and instead found a hut like shelter that she entered and found a boy. Upon seeing this young maiden dressed in royal garments with a golden star on her forehead, enter into the hut, Benjamin inquired of her from she had come and where was she going? She replied that she was the king's daughter and that she was seeking for her twelve brothers. She showed Benjamin the twelve shirts, upon seeing them; Benjamin realized that this girl was truly his sister. He told her that he was Benjamin her youngest brother. The young princess and Benjamin embraced and wept out of joy and love for one another; Benjamin then remembered the pact he and his brothers had made if a maiden crossed their paths.
Benjamin told his sister of the pact; she answered that she would willingly die if her death would save her twelve brothers. Benjamin would not let this take place; he hid his sister underneath a tub and there she remained until her eleven brothers returned from hunting. Night came, and Benjamin had prepared dinner, as the eleven brothers were sitting around a table eating their dinner they asked Benjamin what news there was? Benjamin replied, "You do not know?" "No," was their reply. "Here I have been at home all day, and you have been out in the forest, and you are telling me that I know more than you do?" "Tell us," the eleven cried out to their youngest brother. Benjamin promised that he would tell them only if they promised that they would not kill the first maiden who met them. The brothers promised, and Benjamin announced that their sister was among them; Benjamin lifted up the tub his sister had been hiding under.
Upon seeing their sister for the first time, all eleven brothers rejoiced with a great joy, embraced her, and loved her as siblings should. The young princess remained with her brothers and assisted Benjamin with the many household chores. Near the bewitched hut, there was a garden belonging to it, in it stood twelve lily flowers in full blossom. The young princess, wanting to please her brothers, plucked each lily to give to them that night while they dined. As the young princess plucked each flower, one by one her brothers transformed into ravens and flew away and the bewitched hut and its garden disappeared. As the young princess watched this scene unfold and come to an end, an old woman appeared standing next to her, "What did you do?" replied the old woman to the princess. "The lilies were your brothers who will now remain ravens forever!"
The princess wept out to the old woman, "Is there no way I can save them?" "One," replied the old woman, "but it is impossible for you could not make a sound for the next seven years; if you uttered one sound, that sound would kill your brothers." The princess asked for a tree and placed herself in it and begun to spend her hours doing nothing but spinning. One day, a king was hunting in the forest with his mighty greyhound that smelt the scent of a human. The mighty greyhound followed his nose to the tree that the princess was sitting in, placed his mighty paws against the trunk of the tree, and began to bark and whine at her. The king came to see what his dog was barking at and saw the fair princess up in the tree. Her beauty forced him to ask her to be his wife, and she agreed with a nod of her head. The king climbed up to her, gently brought her down, and sat her on his horse. A couple of years passed and the now married queen had not spoken a word to her husband. The king's evil step-mother began to become suspicious of her daughter-in-law and started insulting her in front of her husband. She informed her son that his wife was nothing but a commoner and accused her of being full of evil tricks that she practiced in secret; one who is dumb might not be able to speak, but they can laugh. The king ignored his step-mother in the beginning but as she persisted he began to believe her; once his belief contained no doubt, he had his wife sentenced to death by fire.
As the king stood looking out a window as his wife was being tied to a stake, tears began rolling down his face for he still loved his wife. The fire began to reach up toward the hem of her clothes, at this very moment the seven years of not being able to utter a sound ended. Twelve ravens appeared and began descending down to where the queen was beginning to burn. As the raven's claws touched the ground, they immediately transformed into the men they had once been. The Queens twelve brothers began to immediately disperse the fire underneath her, after freeing her; she told her husband why she had not uttered a sound these years that they had been married.
Once there was a king and his queen who had twelve sons and now the queen was expecting her thirteenth child. Before entering this world, the child's father approached his wife and announced if she gave birth to a daughter, he would have his twelve sons killed so there sister's possessions would be great and that the kingdom in its entirety would belong only to her. The king had twelve coffins made and taken to a locked room; he then gave the key to the lock to his wife and instructed her to remain quiet about the matter. The queen's heart was saddened and grieved; her youngest son Benjamin, who was constantly with her, saw this on the face of his mother and inquired why she was so sad?
In the beginning, the queen refused to tell him but as he saw her sadness remain he persisted and his mother took him to the locked room where the twelve empty open coffins sat one beside another. She told him of his father's plan if she brought a daughter into the world; Benjamin looked to his mother and bade her not to be sad for he would inform his brothers and together they would flee from their father. The queen gave instructions to her son Benjamin that he and his eleven brothers were to flee into the nearby forest, search out the tallest tree, and at all times one of them was to be sitting in the very top of the tree keeping watch toward towards the tower of their father's castle. Upon the birth of her next child, the queen would let her sons know if they had a brother by the raising of a white flag; if however they had a sister, the queen would raise a red flag and all twelve of her sons were to run for their lives.
The queen then blessed each of her sons who fled for the forest; the tallest tree they found was a great oak. Eleven days passed in the forest for the brothers and on the twelfth day Benjamin climbed to the very top of the oak and set his eyes on his father's tower. He saw a flag being raised; the color was a blood like red color that announced his death and the death of his eleven brothers. Once known that they had to flee for their lives the brothers swore that if a maiden crossed their paths her blood would run. All twelve brothers began their fast trek into the deepest part of the forest whereupon they found abandoned shelter that had been bewitched. The brother made the shelter their home, and Benjamin the caretaker of the home; the eleven oldest hunted and brought back their killings to Benjamin to prepare and cook.
For ten years the brothers dwelt together in the forest; during this time, their sister had been growing into a beautiful girl with a good heart; on her forehead a golden star rested. One day, the young princess noticed twelve shirts, that would have been worn by men, among some laundry, and she asked her mother to whom the shirts belonged? She had noticed that each shirt could not belong to her father for they were too small; the queen told her of her brothers and what had happened before she was born; she took her daughter into the locked room where the twelve coffins still sat. As the queen began to weeping, her daughter comforted her with the words that she would go out and search for her brothers.
The young princess took the twelve shirts and entered into the forest; that entire day she searched for her brothers and instead found a hut like shelter that she entered and found a boy. Upon seeing this young maiden dressed in royal garments with a golden star on her forehead, enter into the hut, Benjamin inquired of her from she had come and where was she going? She replied that she was the king's daughter and that she was seeking for her twelve brothers. She showed Benjamin the twelve shirts, upon seeing them; Benjamin realized that this girl was truly his sister. He told her that he was Benjamin her youngest brother. The young princess and Benjamin embraced and wept out of joy and love for one another; Benjamin then remembered the pact he and his brothers had made if a maiden crossed their paths.
Benjamin told his sister of the pact; she answered that she would willingly die if her death would save her twelve brothers. Benjamin would not let this take place; he hid his sister underneath a tub and there she remained until her eleven brothers returned from hunting. Night came, and Benjamin had prepared dinner, as the eleven brothers were sitting around a table eating their dinner they asked Benjamin what news there was? Benjamin replied, "You do not know?" "No," was their reply. "Here I have been at home all day, and you have been out in the forest, and you are telling me that I know more than you do?" "Tell us," the eleven cried out to their youngest brother. Benjamin promised that he would tell them only if they promised that they would not kill the first maiden who met them. The brothers promised, and Benjamin announced that their sister was among them; Benjamin lifted up the tub his sister had been hiding under.
Upon seeing their sister for the first time, all eleven brothers rejoiced with a great joy, embraced her, and loved her as siblings should. The young princess remained with her brothers and assisted Benjamin with the many household chores. Near the bewitched hut, there was a garden belonging to it, in it stood twelve lily flowers in full blossom. The young princess, wanting to please her brothers, plucked each lily to give to them that night while they dined. As the young princess plucked each flower, one by one her brothers transformed into ravens and flew away and the bewitched hut and its garden disappeared. As the young princess watched this scene unfold and come to an end, an old woman appeared standing next to her, "What did you do?" replied the old woman to the princess. "The lilies were your brothers who will now remain ravens forever!"
The princess wept out to the old woman, "Is there no way I can save them?" "One," replied the old woman, "but it is impossible for you could not make a sound for the next seven years; if you uttered one sound, that sound would kill your brothers." The princess asked for a tree and placed herself in it and begun to spend her hours doing nothing but spinning. One day, a king was hunting in the forest with his mighty greyhound that smelt the scent of a human. The mighty greyhound followed his nose to the tree that the princess was sitting in, placed his mighty paws against the trunk of the tree, and began to bark and whine at her. The king came to see what his dog was barking at and saw the fair princess up in the tree. Her beauty forced him to ask her to be his wife, and she agreed with a nod of her head. The king climbed up to her, gently brought her down, and sat her on his horse. A couple of years passed and the now married queen had not spoken a word to her husband. The king's evil step-mother began to become suspicious of her daughter-in-law and started insulting her in front of her husband. She informed her son that his wife was nothing but a commoner and accused her of being full of evil tricks that she practiced in secret; one who is dumb might not be able to speak, but they can laugh. The king ignored his step-mother in the beginning but as she persisted he began to believe her; once his belief contained no doubt, he had his wife sentenced to death by fire.
As the king stood looking out a window as his wife was being tied to a stake, tears began rolling down his face for he still loved his wife. The fire began to reach up toward the hem of her clothes, at this very moment the seven years of not being able to utter a sound ended. Twelve ravens appeared and began descending down to where the queen was beginning to burn. As the raven's claws touched the ground, they immediately transformed into the men they had once been. The Queens twelve brothers began to immediately disperse the fire underneath her, after freeing her; she told her husband why she had not uttered a sound these years that they had been married.
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