Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale - The Raven

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Starting point is 00:00:46 please go to sleepcove.com slash support. That's sleepcove.com slash support. If you can't support the show right now, please subscribe with a bell to get alerts on all new free content thank you have you ever gazed in wonder at the great pyramid have you marvelled at the golden face of Tudankhamun or admired the delicate features of Queen Nefertiti if you have you'll probably like the History of Egypt podcast every week we explore tales of this ancient culture the history of Egypt is available

Starting point is 00:01:31 wherever you get your podcasting fix. Come, let me introduce you to the world of ancient Egypt. Hi and welcome to Sleep Cove, the largest sleep podcast in the world. With me, Christopher Fitton. Most people who listen don't follow or subscribe, so please remember to do so now. Tonight, I'm reading one of the first. fairy tales to be put to paper from the brother's grim called the raven. In a distant kingdom, a queen's careless wish turns her young daughter into a raven who flies away into the forest.

Starting point is 00:02:28 Year later, a man hears the raven's call and sets out to find her. His journey is filled with challenges, strange encounters and magical help. I really hope you enjoy this story told in a relaxing style. Begin the Raven. There was once a queen who had a little daughter, still too young to run alone. One day, the child was very troublesome and the mother could not quiet it. do what she could. She grew impatient and seeing the ravens flying round the castle, she opened the window and said, I wish you were a raven and would fly away. Then I should have a little peace.

Starting point is 00:03:36 Scarcely were the words out of her mouth when the child in her arms was too turned into a raven and flew away from her through the open window. The bird took its flight to a dark wood and remained there for a long time parents could hear nothing of their child. Long after this, a man was making his way through the wood when he heard a raven calling, and he followed the sound of the voice. As he drew near, the raven said, I am by birth, a king's daughter, but I am now under the spell of some enchantment. You can, however, set me free.

Starting point is 00:04:41 What am I to do? He asked. She replied. Go farther into the wood until you come to a house. Wherein lives an old woman. She will offer you food and drink, but you must not take of either. If you do, you will fall into a deep sleep and will not be able to help me. In the garden behind the house is a large tan heap you must stand.

Starting point is 00:05:19 and watch for me. I shall drive there in my carriage at 2 o'clock in the afternoon for three successive days. The first day, it will be drawn by full white, the second by full chestnut, and the last by four black horses. But if you fail to keep awake, and I find you. you sleeping, I shall not be set free. The man promised to do all that she wished, Mother Raven said, I know even now that you will take something from the woman and be unable to save me. The man assured her again that he would on no account touch a thing to eat or drink.

Starting point is 00:06:20 When he came to the house and went inside, the old woman, met him, and said, poor man, how tired you are, come in and rest, and let me give you something to eat and drink. No, answered the man, I will neither eat nor drink. But she would not leave him alone. and urged him saying, If you were not eat anything, at least you might take a draught of wine, one drink counts for nothing.

Starting point is 00:07:01 And at last, he allowed himself to be persuaded and drank. As it drew towards the appointed hour, he went outside into the garden and mounted the tan heap to await the raven. Suddenly, a feeling of fatigue came over him, and unable to resist it, he lay down for a little while. Fully determined, however, to keep awake. But in another minute, his eyes closed of that own accord, and he fell into such a deep sleep that all the noises in the world would not have awakened him.

Starting point is 00:07:50 At two o'clock, the raven came driving along, drawn by her four white horses. But even before she reached the spot, she said to herself, sighing, I know he has sworn of the sleep. When she entered the garden, there she found him, as she had feared,

Starting point is 00:08:14 lying on the ton heap, fast asleep. She got out of her carriage and went to him. She called him and shook him, but it was all in vain. He still continued sleeping. Where the next day at noon,

Starting point is 00:08:33 the old woman came to him again, with food and drink, which he at first refused. At last, overcome by her persistent entreaties that he would take something he lifted the glass and drunk again towards two o'clock

Starting point is 00:08:57 he went into the garden and on to the tan heap to watch for the raven he had not been there long before he began to feel so tired that his lives seemed hardly able to support him, and he could not stand upright any longer, so again he lay down and fell fast asleep.

Starting point is 00:09:25 As the raven drove along her four chestnut horses, she said sorrowfully to herself, I know he has fallen asleep. She went as before to look for him, but he slept. and it was impossible to awaken him. The following day, the old woman said to him, What is this? You are not eating or drinking anything. Do you want to kill yourself? He answered, I may not, and will not, either eat or drink.

Starting point is 00:10:07 As she put down the dish of food and the glass of wine in front of him. And when he smelt the wine, he was unable to resist the temptation and took a deep draught. When the hour came round again, he went as usual onto the tannheap in the garden to await the king's daughter. But he felt even more overcome with weariness than on the two previous days and throwing himself down. He slept like along. At 2 o'clock, the raven could be seen approaching, and this time her coachman and everything about her, as well as her horses, were black.

Starting point is 00:11:01 She was sadder than ever as she drove along and said mournfully, I know he has fallen asleep and will not be able to set me free. She found him sleeping heavenly, and all her efforts to awaken him were of no avail. Then she placed beside him a loaf and some meat and a flask of wine of such a kind that however much he took of them, they would never grow less. After that, she drew a gold ring on which her name was engraved, off her finger, and put it upon one of his. Finally, she laid a letter near him, in which, after giving him particulars of the food and drink, she had left for him, she finished with the following words. I see that as long as you remain here, you will never be able to set me free. If, however, you still wish to do so, come to the Golden Castle of Stromberg.

Starting point is 00:12:25 This is well within your power to accomplish. She then returned to her carriage and drove to the Golden Castle of Stromberg. When the man awoke and found that he had been sleeping, he was grieved at heart and said,

Starting point is 00:12:51 she has no doubt been here and driven away again. And it is now too late for me to save her that his eyes fell on the things which were lying beside him. He read the last.

Starting point is 00:13:08 and knew from it all that had happened. We rose up without delay, eager to start on his way and to reach the castle of Stromberg, but he had no idea in which direction he ought to go. He travelled about a long time in search of it, and came at last to a dark forest, through which he went on walking for 14 days and still could not find a way out. Once more the night came on and worn out, he lay down under a bush and fell asleep. Again the next day he pursued his way through the forest and that evening, thinking to rest again. He lay down as before, but he heard such a howling and waning that he found it

Starting point is 00:14:15 impossible to sleep. He waited till it was darker, and people had begun to light up their houses, and then seeing a little glimmer ahead of him, he went towards it. He found that the light came from a house, which looked smaller than it really was, from the contrast of its height, with that of an immense giant who stood in front of it. He thought to himself, if the giant sees me going in, my life will not be worth much. However, after a while, he summoned up courage. and went forward. When the giant saw him, he called out.

Starting point is 00:15:11 It is lucky, for you you have come, for I have not had anything to eat for a long time. I can have you now for my supper. I would rather you let that alone, said the man, for I do not willingly. give myself up to be eaten. If you are wanting food, I have enough to satisfy your hunger. If that is so, replied the giant, I will leave you in peace. I only thought of eating you because I had nothing else. So they went indoors together and sat down, and the man brought

Starting point is 00:16:04 out the bread, meat and wine, which although he had eaten and drunk of them, were still and consumed. A joint was pleased with a good cheer, and ate and drank to his heart's content. When he had finished his supper, the man asked him if he could direct him to the castle of Stromberg. The giant said, I will look on my map, all the towns, villages and houses.

Starting point is 00:16:43 So he fetched his map and looked for the castle but could not find it. Never mind, he said, I have larger maps upstairs in the cupboard and will look on those. But they searched in vain for the castle

Starting point is 00:17:01 was not marked even on these. The man now thought he should like to continue his journey, but the giant begged him to remain for a day or too longer until the return of his brother, who was away in search of provisions. When the brother came home, they asked him about the castle of Stromberg, And he told them he would look on his own maps as soon as he had eaten and appeased his hunger. Accordingly, when he had finished his supper, they all went up together to his room and looked through his maps. But the castle was not to be found when he fetched other older maps.

Starting point is 00:18:01 They went on looking for the castle until at last they found it, but it was many thousand miles away. How shall I be able to get there? asked the man. I have two hours to spare, to the giant, and I will carry you into the neighbourhood of the castle. I must then return to look after the child, who is. is in our care. The giant thereupon carried the man to within about a hundred leagues of the castle, where he left him saying, You will be able to walk the remainder of the way yourself. The man journeyed on day and night, till he reached the golden castle of Strumber's, He found it, situated however on a glass mountain, and looking up from the foot, he saw the enchanted maiden drive round her castle and then go inside.

Starting point is 00:19:20 He was overjoyed to see her, to get to the top of the mountain, but the sides were so slippery that every time he attempted to climb, he fell back again. When he saw that it was impossible to reach her, he was greatly grieved and said to himself, I will remain here and wait for her. So he built himself a little hut, and there he sat, and every day, he saw the king's daughter driving round her,

Starting point is 00:20:06 castle, but still was unable to get nearer to her. Looking out from his hut one day, he saw three robbers fighting, and he called out to them, God be with you. They stopped when they heard the call, but looking round and seeing nobody, they went on again with her fighting, which now became more furious. God be with you, he cried again, and again they paused and looked about, but seeing no one went back to their fighting. A third time he called out,

Starting point is 00:20:55 God be with you, and then thinking he should might to show the cause of dispute between the three men He went out and asked them why they were fighting so angrily with each other. One of them said that he had found a stick and that he had but to strike it against any door, through which he wished to pass, and it immediately flew open. Another told him that he'd found a cloak, which rendered its wearer in visit. and the third had caught a horse which would carry its rider over any obstacle and even of the

Starting point is 00:21:45 glass mountain. They had been unable to decide whether they would keep together and have the things in common or whether they would separate. On hearing this, the man said, I will give you something in exchange. for those three things, not money, for that I have not got, but something that is of far more value. I must first, however, prove whether all you have taught me about your three things is true. The robbers, therefore, made him get on the horse, and handled him the stick and the cloak, and when he'd put this round him, he was no longer visible.

Starting point is 00:22:39 Then he fell upon them with the stick, and meet them one after another, crying, There, you idle vagabonds, you have got what you deserve. Are you satisfied now? After this, he rode up the glass mountain. When he reached the gate of the castle, he found it close. but he gave it a blow with his stick, and it flew wide open at once, and he passed through. He mounted the steps and entered the room, where the maiden was sitting, with the golden goblets full of wine in front of her. She could not see him, for he still wore his cloak.

Starting point is 00:23:27 He took the ring, which she had given him off his finger, and threw it into his coat. He could not see him, the goblet, so that it rang as it touched the bottom. That is my own ring, she exclaimed, And if that is so the man must also be here who is coming to set me free. She sought him about the castle and could find him nowhere. Meanwhile, he'd gone outside again and mounted his horse and thrown off the cloak. when therefore she came to the castle gate she saw him and cried aloud for joy

Starting point is 00:24:10 then he dismounted and took her in his arms and she kissed him and said now you have indeed set me free and tomorrow we will celebrate our marriage

Guided Sleep Meditation & Sleep Hypnosis from Sleep Cove - A Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale - The Raven

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