Once upon a time there was a king's son who felt like wandering around the world and took no one with him but a faithful servant. One day he got into a large forest, and when evening came, he could not find an inn and did not know where to spend the night. Then he saw a girl walking towards a small cottage, and when he came closer, he saw that the girl was young and beautiful. He approached her and said "dear child, can I and my servant find lodging in that little house for the night?" "Oh yes," said the girl in a sad voice, "I suppose you can, but I do not advise you to do so; do not go in." "Why should I not?" asked the king's son. The girl sighed and said, "My stepmother is up to evil arts; she does not mean well to strangers." Then he realized that he had come to the house of a witch, but because it was getting dark and he could not go any further, nor was he afraid, he entered. The old woman was sitting on an armchair by the fire, looking at the strangers with her red eyes. "Good evening," she crooned, acting all friendly, "settle down and rest." She blew on the coals, by which she was cooking something in a small pot. The daughter warned them to be careful not to eat or drink anything, for the old woman was brewing evil drinks. They slept quietly until early morning. When they were getting ready to leave and the king's son was already on horseback, the old woman said "wait, just a moment, I will give you a farewell potion first." While she fetched it, the king's son rode away, and the servant, who had to fasten his saddle tightly, was alone still present when the wicked witch came with the potion. "Bring this to your master" she said, but at that moment the glass cracked and the poison splashed onto the horse, and was so violent that the animal immediately fell down dead. The servant ran after his master and told him what had happened, but did not want to abandon the saddle and ran back to get it. But when he came to the dead horse, a raven was already sitting on it and eating away. "Who knows if we will find something better today," said the servant, killing the raven and taking it with him. Now they went on in the forest all day, but could not get out. At nightfall they found an inn and went inside. The servant gave the raven to the innkeeper to prepare for dinner. But they had fallen into a pit of murderers, and in the darkness twelve murderers came to kill and rob the strangers. But before they set to work, they sat down at table, and the innkeeper and the witch sat down with them, and together they ate a bowl of soup into which the flesh of the raven had been chopped. But no sooner had they swallowed a few mouthfuls than they all fell down dead, for the poison from the horse's flesh had communicated itself to the raven. There was now no one left in the house but the innkeeper's daughter, who meant well and had taken no part in the ungodly things. She opened all the doors to the stranger and showed him the accumulated treasures. But the king's son said she wanted to keep everything, he wanted nothing of it and rode on with his servant.