Postcard History

A note to Postcard History Readers,
Many of you have written some very inspiring comments on pieces I have written in the past. For those, I thank you.

My last contribution to Postcard History was nearly a year ago when I wrote about a man I greatly admire – Joyce Kilmer. Also, some time ago, I contributed an essay based on the lives and work of two men who were the Brothers Grimm.

The following is somewhat an encore of the Grimm piece because, recently I discovered a complete set of UvaChrom postcards (Series 320) entitled Die Sieben Raben. With only a little fanfare, please enjoy the story of The Seven Ravens.

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The Seven Ravens is a folk tale first recorded by the Brothers Grimm that brings family values and many other human emotions into play in a fanciful way. The story begins with a couple who have seven sons. When a daughter is finally born, she is frail and weak and the family fears that she will die without a proper baptism. Her brothers are sent to fetch the water needed for her baptism, but their task is sidetracked when selfish feelings reel up among the boys. The seven are inadvertently transformed into ravens by their father in a fit of frustration.

The sister grows to be a healthy and beautiful woman. When she learns the fate of her brothers, she vows to rescue them. In doing so she finds herself face to face with the sun, moon, and stars. She sheds her own blood to nullify the curse.

Since the tale ends happily, I’ll let these beautiful postcards (the magnificent artwork is that of Oskar Herrfurth (1862-1934) and the Grimm Brothers entertain you.

The Seven Ravens
(in the vernacular)

In a place far away and long ago, a man and his wife were blessed with seven sons. The couple longed for a daughter and after some time, the wife again gave her husband the hope for another child. When it came into the world it was a girl. Their joy was great, but the child was sickly, very weak, and small. The girl was unable to venture away from home so it was necessary to baptize her privately. The father sent one of the boys to a spring to fetch water for the baptism and admonished him to hurry.

The son departed on his errand with the other six boys behind him. Each of them wanted to be first to fill the jug with water, but in the excitement the jug fell into the well. They were sadly ashamed and had no idea how to solve their problem. “Perhaps,” said one of them, “we should not go home.”

And none of them did. When they did not return, the father grew impatient, and said, “They have certainly forgotten their task and have become involved in some game. Those wicked boys! I curse them.” He became afraid that the girl would have to die without being baptized, and in his anger cried, “I wish my sons would all turn into ravens.”

No sooner than the words were spoken, the man and his wife heard a flutter of wings over their heads. They looked up and saw seven coal-black ravens flying away. The parents did not remember the curse no matter how they tried – for it was made in anger. They were very sad at the loss of their seven sons, but they to some extent comforted themselves with their dear little daughter, who soon grew strong and every day became more beautiful.

For a very long time she did not know that she had brothers, for her parents were careful not to mention their sons before her. However, one day she accidentally heard some people talking abut her, and one remarked, “that the girl was certainly beautiful, but that in reality she was to blame for the misfortune which had befallen her seven brothers.” What she overheard troubled her. For peace of mind, she went to her father and mother and asked if it was true that she had seven brothers. She demanded to know what become of them.

The parents could no longer keep their horrible secret. They told their daughter that what had befallen her brothers was the will of Heaven, and that her birth had only been the incident that brought about the curse.

The maiden took all that she had learned to heart. Daily, she had thoughts about how she could deliver her brothers from the forgotten curse. She had no rest nor peace until she set out secretly and went into the wide world to trace down her brothers and set them free. Let it cost what it might.

She took nothing with her but a little ring that was her parents’ marriage keepsake, a loaf of bread against hunger, a little pitcher of water against thirst, and a little chair as a provision against weariness.

As she went on, into the world, she went constantly onwards, far, far, far and away to the very end of the world. When she came to the sun, the sun would not help because it was too hot and terrible, and devoured little children. Knowing what would happen, the girl hastily ran away, and ran to the moon.

The moon would not help either, it was far too cold, and like the sun, the moon was also awful and malicious, and when the moon saw the child, it said, “I smell, I smell the flesh of a person from away.” Upon hearing the moon’s thoughts, she ran away, again, and in due time she came to the stars, which were kind and good to her, and each of them sat on its own peculiar little chair.

The girl felt comfortable among the stars. They were understanding and they cared about her. They talked and talked. Upon her telling of her search for her seven brothers, many of the stars gasped and expressed great compassion.

After telling of the trials and tribulations of the search, of how the sun was too hot and the moon was too cold, the Morning Star stood and presented their new friend and fellow traveler with a drumstick of a chicken. Without rite nor ceremony the Morning Star told the girl, “You must take this drumstick and use it to open the Glass Mountain. Without the drumstick you cannot succeed. Open the Glass Mountain and inside the Glass Mountain is where you will find the seven who are your brothers.”

The maiden took the drumstick, wrapped it carefully in a cloth, and went onwards again until she came to the Glass Mountain. The door was closed, and she thought she would take out the drumstick; but when she undid the cloth, it was empty, and she had lost the Morning Star’s present. What was she to do?

She wished to rescue her brothers, but she had lost the key to the Glass Mountain. The girl thought of many things she could do and finally settled on taking a knife to cut off one of her little fingers because it looked so much like the drumstick given to her by the Morning Star.

She put her severed little finger into the door and was greatly surprised that the door opened wide.

When she got inside a dwarf walked up to greet her. He asked only one question, “My child, what are you looking for?”

She replied, “I am looking for my brothers, the seven ravens.”

The dwarf told her, “Sadly my dear, the ravens are not at home, but you may wait here until they return, step in.”

Minutes later the dwarf carried the ravens’ dinner into the room and arranged it upon the table on seven little plates and in seven little glasses. Forgetting her manners, the little sister ate a morsel from each plate, and from each little glass she took a sip, but in the last glass she dropped the ring which she had brought with her.

Suddenly she heard a flutter of wings and a rushing in the air, and the dwarf announced that, “The ravens are flying home.” As they arrived, each wanted to eat and drink, and looked for their little plates and glasses. Then said one after the other, “Who has eaten something from my plate? Who has drunk out of my glass? It was a human mouth. To whom does it belong?”

Finally, when the seventh raven came to the bottom of his glass, the ring rolled against his mouth.

When he looked at it, he saw that it was a ring that was a keepsake of his father’s and mother’s, he spoke to the others and said, “May God grant that our sister is here with us and that we shall be free.”

While all that was happening their sister was standing behind the door listening, and when she heard her youngest brother’s plea, she came forth, and at once, all the ravens were restored and became the girl’s brothers again.

They embraced and kissed and went joyfully home.