The sister and the seven brothers

There was a man and a woman who were very poor and burdened with children. They had one sister and seven brothers. When they were a little older, they told their mother that it would be better if they went their own way, that they would do better that way. The mother let them go with great sorrow.

The sister and the seven brothers

After their departure she gave birth to a little girl and when this little girl was a little older she went one day to have fun in the neighborhood and after she had played some childish trick on her the neighbor said to her:
“You will be a good girl, too, like your brothers were.”

The child came home and said to his mother: “Mom, do I have brothers?”
The mother says yes.
" Where are they ?
-Oh ! gone somewhere. »

The girl said to him: “I have to go too, then. Give me a piece of canvas big enough to make seven shirts. »

And she left immediately. The mother was very sad, having already had seven children outside and the only one left wanted to leave. So she let her go.

The young girl went far, far, very far. She asked in a town if they knew of seven brothers who worked together. They tell him no. She went to a mountain and asked there too and was told in which house they lived. She entered this house and saw that all the cleaning had to be done and that there was no one at home. She made the beds, cleaned the whole house and put it in order. She prepared dinner and then hid in the ash hole. The brothers came home and were amazed to see all the cleaning done and dinner ready.

They began to look to see if there was anyone in the house, but they did not think to look in the ash hole and they went back to their work. Before nightfall the girl did all the rest of the work and prepared dinner just before her brothers returned and hid again in the ash hole. His brothers were very surprised and searched the house again, but found nothing.

They went to bed and the girl began to sew and sewed a whole shirt. She gave it to her older brother and she made a shirt like that every evening and took it to one of her brothers. They couldn't understand how it all happened. They always said they wouldn't sleep, but they fell asleep as soon as they were in bed. When it was the youngest's turn to receive the shirt, he said to his brothers: “I assure you that I will not fall asleep. » After he had gone to bed the young girl came and said to him, thinking that he was asleep:
“Your turn has finally come, my beloved brother. »

And she was about to put the shirt on the bed, when her brother said to her:
“So you are my sister, are you?” » And he kissed her.

She then told him that she had learned that she had brothers and that she had wanted to join them to help them. The other brothers stood up and rejoiced when they learned that it was their sister who had done all the cleaning.

The brothers forbade her to go to a neighbor's house, whatever happened. But one day, without thinking about it, as she had lingered at work, she ran to this house to get a little fire, to prepare dinner more quickly. She was received very well, this woman offered to give her everything she needed, but she said she only wanted a little fire.

This woman was a witch and gave him a bundle of herbs, telling him to put it as is in the water of the foot bath, as it was very relaxing. Every evening the seven brothers washed their feet at the same time in a large cauldron.

So she put these herbs in the cauldron and as soon as they had plunged their feet in they were transformed into six cows and the seventh into a Breton cow. The poor girl was in unspeakable pain. The poor always kissed their sister, but the young girl preferred the Breton one. Every day she took them to the field and stayed with them to guard them.

One day when she was in the field, the son of a king passed by and was very surprised to see such a beautiful girl there. He spoke to her and told her that he wanted to marry her. The girl told him that she was very poor and that it was impossible. The king said: “Yes, yes, yes, it’s all the same. »
The young girl made it a condition that, if she married him, he must never kill these cows and especially not the little Breton woman. The king promised her and they got married.

The princess came home with the cows, they were always treated well. The princess found herself pregnant and gave birth while the king was away. The witch came, took her out of her bed and threw her down a precipice that was in the king's lands and the witch got into the princess's bed. When the king returned home, he found her very changed and told her that he would not have recognized her. The princess told him that it was suffering that had made her like this, and, to cure her more quickly, he had to have the Breton cow killed.

The king said to him:
"What! Didn't you make me promise to never kill her? How can you ask me this? »

The witch considered her his worst enemy, and as she left him no peace, he sent a servant to fetch the cows. He found all seven of them near the precipice, bellowing, and he tried to lead them to the house, but he could not do so and he heard a voice, which said:
“It is not for me that I feel sorry, but for my child and for my husband and for my beloved cows. Who will care for them? »

The young man did not succeed (in bringing them back) and went to tell the king what was happening. The king himself went near the precipice and heard this voice. Quickly, he threw a long rope, and when he judged that she had had time to catch it, he pulled it and saw that they had the princess there. Judge the king's joy! She told her husband everything the witch had done to her, then and now.

The king went to the witch's bed and said to her:
“I know your wickedness now, and if you do not immediately change these cows into the handsome boys they were before, I will put you in a red-hot oven. »

The witch restored their human appearance, and, despite this, the king had her burned in a red-hot oven and threw her ashes into the air. The king lived happily with his wife and the seven brothers married ladies of the court and brought in their mother and all lived very happily together.