There were once a king and queen who lived happily and had twelve sons. The king told his wife, "If our thirteenth child is a girl, the twelve boys must die so that she may inherit everything." He had twelve coffins made, filled them with wood shavings and a death pillow, and locked them in a room, giving the key to the queen and forbidding her to speak of it.
The queen grieved all day. Her youngest son, Benjamin, asked why she was sad. She finally showed him the coffins and explained the king's decree. Benjamin comforted her, saying they would flee. The queen instructed her sons to go into the forest. One must always keep watch from the tallest tree, looking toward the castle tower. If she gave birth to a son, she would raise a white flag for their safe return. If a daughter was born, she would raise a red flag, and they must flee far away. She promised to pray for them every night.
After receiving her blessing, the brothers went into the forest. They took turns keeping watch. On the eleventh day, it was Benjamin's turn. He saw a flag raised—not white, but blood-red. Enraged, the brothers swore vengeance, vowing that wherever they found a girl, her red blood would flow.
They went deeper into the darkest part of the forest and found an empty, enchanted hut. They decided to live there, with Benjamin staying home to keep house while the others hunted for food. They lived this way for ten years.
Meanwhile, the daughter born to the queen grew up. She was kind, beautiful, and had a golden star on her forehead. One day, while helping with laundry, she found twelve small men's shirts. She asked her mother about them. With a heavy heart, the queen told her about her twelve brothers, showed her the coffins, and explained what had happened. The princess vowed to find her brothers.
She took the twelve shirts and journeyed into the great forest. After walking all day, she found the enchanted hut and met Benjamin inside. Astonished by her beauty and the star on her forehead, he asked who she was. She said she was a king's daughter seeking her twelve brothers and showed him the shirts. Benjamin revealed he was her youngest brother. They wept for joy and embraced.
Benjamin warned her of their oath to kill any girl they met. The princess said she would willingly die to save her brothers. Benjamin hid her under a tub. When the other brothers returned from hunting, Benjamin made them promise to spare the first maiden they met before revealing their sister. They were overjoyed to see her and welcomed her with love.
The princess stayed with Benjamin, helping with the housework while the others hunted. They lived together in great harmony.
One day, wishing to please her brothers, the princess picked twelve lilies (also called "students") from the garden of the enchanted house. The moment she plucked them, her brothers turned into twelve ravens and flew away, and the house and garden vanished. An old woman appeared and explained that the flowers were her brothers. The only way to break the spell was for the princess to remain completely silent—neither speaking nor laughing—for seven years. If she uttered a single word before the time was up, her brothers would die.
The princess resolved to save them. She climbed a tall tree, sat there spinning, and remained silent. A king hunting in the forest saw her, was captivated by her beauty, and asked her to be his wife. She nodded in agreement. He took her to his castle, and they were married. The queen remained silent and never smiled.
After a few years, the king's wicked mother began to slander the silent queen, accusing her of being a beggar with an evil conscience. Eventually, the king was persuaded and sentenced his wife to death by burning.
As the flames rose around her at the stake, the seven years ended. With a whirring sound, twelve ravens flew down, turned into her brothers upon touching the ground, and saved her. The princess could finally speak and explained everything to the king. He rejoiced at her innocence. They all lived happily together thereafter. The wicked stepmother was judged and met a terrible death in a barrel of boiling oil and venomous snakes.