The Juniper Tree by Brothers Grimm

"The Juniper Tree" is a German fairy tale published in Low German by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812. The story contains themes of child abuse, murder, cannibalism and biblical symbolism and is one of the Brothers Grimm's darker and more mature fairy tales.

Once upon a time, there was a wealthy couple who had been married for many years but were childless. They prayed every day for a child, and one day, the woman was standing under a juniper tree in her courtyard when she cut her finger and a drop of blood fell to the ground. A beautiful bird then appeared from the tree and sang a song that foretells the woman's pregnancy.

A few months later, the woman gave birth to a son, who they named Juniper. Juniper grew up to be a kind and gentle boy, but his stepmother was jealous of him and wanted him out of the way. One day, she tricked him into going into the woods with her and then killed him. She chopped him up into pieces and cooked him into a stew, which she then served to his father.

The father didn't know that he was eating his own son, but Juniper's ghost appeared to him in a dream and told him what had happened. The father was horrified and threw up the stew.

Juniper's bones were buried under the juniper tree, and from the tree grew a beautiful singing bird. The bird would fly around the countryside, singing about how his mother had been killed and his father had eaten him.

One day, the bird flew to a mill and landed on a linden tree. The miller's apprentices heard the bird singing and were amazed by its beauty. They asked the bird to sing again, and the bird agreed. As the bird sang, the miller's apprentices began to chop down the linden tree.

The bird saw what was happening, and it flew away. The apprentices chased after it, but they could not catch it. The bird flew back to the juniper tree and sang its song one last time. Then, it disappeared into the tree.

The next day, the rich man went to the juniper tree and found a beautiful young man sitting under it. The young man was Juniper, who had been restored to life by the magic of the tree. The rich man was overjoyed to see his son again, and he welcomed him home.

Juniper lived happily ever after with his father and his stepmother. Marlene, the stepmother's daughter, was also present when Juniper returned home. She was initially afraid of him, but she eventually came to love him as a brother. Marlene was also the one who ultimately brought about the stepmother's downfall. She overheard her stepmother plotting to kill Juniper again, and she told her father what she had heard. The father was furious, and he banished the stepmother from his home.

Juniper, Marlene, and their father lived happily ever after. Marlene learned the importance of forgiveness, and she came to love Juniper as a brother. The stepmother was punished for her crimes, and she was never able to harm Juniper again.