Fairy tale; Seven Ravens

THE SEVEN RAVENS

There was once a man who had seven sons, and last of all one daughter. Although the little girl was very pretty, she was so weak and small that they thought she could not live; but they said she should at once be christened.

So the father sent one of his sons in haste to the spring to get some water, but the other six ran with him. Each wanted to be first at drawing the water, and so they were in such a hurry that all let their pitchers fall into the well, and they stood very foolishly looking at one another, and did not know what to do, for none dared go home. In the meantime the father was uneasy, and could not tell what made the young men stay so long. ‘Surely,’ said he, ‘the whole seven must have forgotten themselves over some game of play’; and when he had waited still longer and they yet did not come, he flew into a rage and wished them all turned into ravens. Scarcely had he spoken these words when he heard a croaking over his head, and looked up and saw seven ravens as black as coal flying round and round. Sorry as he was to see his wish so fulfilled, he did not know how what was done could be undone, and comforted himself as well as he could for the loss of his seven sons with his dear little daughter, who soon became stronger and every day more beautiful.

For a long time she did not know that she had ever had any brothers; for her father and mother took care not to speak of them before her: but one day by chance she heard the people about her speak of them. ‘Yes,’ said they, ‘she is beautiful indeed, but still ‘tis a pity that her brothers should have been lost for her sake.’ Then she was much grieved, and went to her father and mother, and asked if she had any brothers, and what had become of them. So they dared no longer hide the truth from her, but said it was the will of Heaven, and that her birth was only the innocent cause of it; but the little girl mourned sadly about it every day, and thought herself bound to do all she could to bring her brothers back; and she had neither rest nor ease, till at length one day she stole away, and set out into the wide world to find her brothers, wherever they might be, and free them, whatever it might cost her.

She took nothing with her but a little ring which her father and mother had given her, a loaf of bread in case she should be hungry, a little pitcher of water in case she should be thirsty, and a little stool to rest upon when she should be weary. Thus she went on and on, and journeyed till she came to the world’s end; then she came to the sun, but the sun looked much too hot and fiery; so she ran away quickly to the moon, but the moon was cold and chilly, and said, ‘I smell flesh and blood this way!’ so she took herself away in a hurry and came to the stars, and the stars were friendly and kind to her, and each star sat upon his own little stool; but the morning star rose up and gave her a little piece of wood, and said, ‘If you have not this little piece of wood, you cannot unlock the castle that stands on the glass-mountain, and there your brothers live.’ The little girl took the piece of wood, rolled it up in a little cloth, and went on again until she came to the glass-mountain, and found the door shut. Then she felt for the little piece of wood; but when she unwrapped the cloth it was not there, and she saw she had lost the gift of the good stars. What was to be done? She wanted to save her brothers, and had no key of the castle of the glass-mountain; so this faithful little sister took a knife out of her pocket and cut off her little finger, that was just the size of the piece of wood she had lost, and put it in the door and opened it.

As she went in, a little dwarf came up to her, and said, ‘What are you seeking for?’ ‘I seek for my brothers, the seven ravens,’ answered she. Then the dwarf said, ‘My masters are not at home; but if you will wait till they come, pray step in.’ Now the little dwarf was getting their dinner ready, and he brought their food upon seven little plates, and their drink in seven little glasses, and set them upon the table, and out of each little plate their sister ate a small piece, and out of each little glass she drank a small drop; but she let the ring that she had brought with her fall into the last glass.

On a sudden she heard a fluttering and croaking in the air, and the dwarf said, ‘Here come my masters.’ When they came in, they wanted to eat and drink, and looked for their little plates and glasses. Then said one after the other,

‘Who has eaten from my little plate? And who has been drinking out of my little glass?’

‘Caw! Caw! well I ween

Mortal lips have this way been.’

When the seventh came to the bottom of his glass, and found there the ring, he looked at it, and knew that it was his father’s and mother’s, and said, ‘O that our little sister would but come! then we should be free.’ When the little girl heard this (for she stood behind the door all the time and listened), she ran forward, and in an instant all the ravens took their right form again; and all hugged and kissed each other, and went merrily home.

“Instructions”

Your Fairy-tale paper (5 pages Text) citation page will be (6 page) must present the deeper message from your fairy-tale.

You should rely heavily on Examples from your fairytale—these should include actions, sayings and objects which you will present from your fairytale. There should be no rehash of the plot unless it illustrates of demonstrates the deeper meaning.

Example: Little Red Cap takes a trip to her Grandmother’s house. (Mentioning this is merely rehashing plot) unless you then say symbolically she goes from her parent’s home to the home of her grandmother, who lives outside of town, and who also represents a concept of an older, aged woman. The two women represent to aspects of age—childhood and adulthood—innocence and experiences—which are also represented by several aspects including the food which is cake and wine—which is also representational in the very journey Red takes, from the safety of her home, to the unknown of the forest—from a child to grandmother—which Red might one day become—and which the grandmother once was a child also.

1. All of this should be written professionally and academically.

2.There are no contractions in this paper.

3.There are no “I’s” in this paper.

4.You should quote a minimum of four times in this paper.

5.You will use one image in your paper—which I will instruct you on the proper format.

6.In-Text Citations must be correct.

7.You should show me the four types of in-text quotations in your work.

8.You will give me a works cited page at the end of your paper. This is a page by itself and not part of the text of your paper. This is a page by itself.

9.The Works Cited page must include a citation for your fairytale, a citation for your image and a second source which you must quote a minimum of twice in your fairytale. (You know how to search for a source—you might not find something directly on your fairytale, but you might find something on the deeper meaning in your fairytale and apply it to your fairytale.) You might need to think outside the box on this one, but I have faith you can find something to use and quote from. Don’t wait until the last minute.)

10. You may use the sheet on symbols and quote from it as a source, but this is not your second source—if you do not find a second source you will be penalized 10 points for a lack of source.