Ronja, the Robber's Daughter : Episode List

Two rival forest bandit clans, the Mattis and the Borkas, fight each other for treasure from their victims and divide the forest in two. On a stormy night Ronja is born to Mattis, leader of the bandits of the forest castle and his wife Lovis; on the same day the castle is split in two by a lightning bolt, creating "Hell's Gap." Mattis, ecstatic about his daughter, calls Ronja the clan's greatest treasure.

The bandits overjoyed at Ronja's birth find priority in her care and watching her grow up rather than robbing travelers in the forest. Meanwhile Borkas and his clan decrease their attacks on travelers as well. Years later Mattis and Lovis decide Ronja's old enough to venture into the forest on her own, permitting her to leave the castle walls for the first time. Ronja is warned about various dangers such as the Gray Dwarfs before she is sent on her way for the day.

Excited to see the outside world, Ronja observes the sights and sounds of the forest with enthusiasm and wonder. She eventually falls asleep despite her father's instruction to come back home before dark. Ronja wakes up during the night to find herself surrounded by Gray Dwarfs, small nocturnal creatures who are hostile to humans. She is eventually rescued by her father and the other bandits who come looking for her. Ronja learns to be brave and confident in the face of danger.

In the quiet autumn, Ronja inquires about the goods her father and the robbers collect, not knowing they steal from others, much to her father's dismay about revealing the truth; however they manage to deflect the question, keeping Ronja ignorant about the matter. Meanwhile guards have begun hunting Borka and his robbers, pushing them out of their part of the forest. Ronja is warned about the Borkas Bandits and told that they are scoundrels, though she has never met one.

The red-haired boy begins conversing with Ronja, boldly claiming he knows who she is. When Ronja inquires about who he is and how he got on the split side of the castle, the boy introduces himself as Birk Borkason. He reveals that he and his parents as well as his father's twelve robbers, the Borkas Bandits, moved in the night before and it is now Borkas' Keep.

After spending the whole night on edge and standing guard the Mattis Robbers confront the Borkas Bandits. The two clans stand opposite of one another across the divide of Hell's Gap, insulting one another. Borka then explains he and his clan cannot stay in the forest anymore since soldiers are hunting for them. When Mattis rebukes him for stealing a place to stay, Borka counters with how Mattis has always been taking without asking.

Ronja is annoyed her place of solitude is ruined by Birk and wants nothing to do with him. She tells Birk to leave her forest alone to which Birk says the animals belong to themselves and no one else, same with the woods. Ronja counters she has no problem sharing the wood with the animals just not with Birk and then runs off. When a mist settles over the forest Birk finds Ronja so she can lead him back to the castle.

Mattis and his robbers attempt to find a way to Borka's side of the castle but are thwarted each time. In the meantime the forest has become safer for travelers due to the decrease in robberies and the guards search for the Borkas only to find their old abandoned hideout. The Mattis robbers grow restless inside the castle and fight with one another over petty disagreements.

Winter arrives and the Mattis Robbers are depressed with the endless snow shoveling and being pent up in the castle. Eager to tryout her new snow clothes Ronja starts a snowball fight with the robbers before returning to work. Mattis calls Ronja back in to present her with a pair of skis from his childhood. Ronja then goes out of the castle to try out her skis and over the next few days masters their use.

Ronja thinks about what will happen to her if it starts snowing again while she is stuck. Meanwhile the Rumphobs have fashioned her foot into a swing for their baby's cradle to rock him to sleep as she struggles, wiggling her foot. A harpy spots Ronja and starts taunting and threatening her before attempting to free her in order to make Ronja her slave. The harpy tries to fly away with her in vain but promises to return the following day with her sisters to help her.

Ronja wakes up with a fever and the robbers are worried since it's the first time she's been sick in her life. Mattis becomes emotional and dramatic, saying she's going to die and Ronja reassures him it's nothing and could have been worse, not mentioning getting stuck and nearly freezing to death. Lovis nurses Ronja back to health after three days in bed.

Ronja manages to create a small opening in the rubble and soon hears a whistled tune. Recognizing the song from when Birk whistled it, she begins whistling it back. Birk then calls out unseen to her from the other side and Ronja asks if he meant he would be her brother; Birk responds that it is good to hear his sister's voice and it'd be nice to see her.

Birk secretly adds what food Ronja gives him to his family's storeroom, giving the Borkas Robbers more food to last. Birk asks how many times Ronja plans on saving his life and Ronja swears as many as he saves hers. Both agree they dependent on one another and can't be without the other. As winter draws closer to its end Lovis has the reluctant Robbers go into the snow for a delousing treatment and mid-thaw snow bath.

Ronja and Birk enjoy the sunny arrival of spring in the forest and decided to try to capture wild horses. They set their sights on two young stallions and attempt to tame them after roping them, naming them Rascal and Reckless. While Mattis raids a trading party traveling through the forest Borka appears, asking for half the treasure as his men are weak from the harsh weather.

Time passes and Bumper heals from his wound from the Borkas' arrow. However Mattis is set on retaliating against the Borkas despite Ronja and Lovis' reasoning. Ronja is anxious every time the robbers go out and wonders if all her happy days in the forest are gone. Ronja meets Birk in the forest and the two of them mull over how both their fathers are too stubborn to change and their happy springtime is ruined.

The next morning the Mattis Robbers and Borkas Robbers meet at Hell's Gap, each on their own side. Mattis presents Birk, battered and bruised, before an outraged Undis and grim-faced Borka. Borka understands that Mattis wants them out of the castle but calls the other's actions underhanded and unspeakable. Mattis demands that they leave at once but Borka requests to let him find a safe place to move first by summer's end and promises to go if Birk is returned to him.

For three days Ronja looks for Birk in the forest but doesn't find him while Mattis refuses to eat and remains in bed in a catatonic state. The Mattis Robbers are restless and downhearted as their raiding has been put on hold until Mattis is better while Ronja wonders where Birk is and feels lonely. On the fourth day Ronja finds Birk in the forest and he tells her he's moving out of Borka's Keep and into the forest as he can't stand his parents' nagging anymore.

Ronja and Birk awaken at dawn in the cave due to the cold and start their day together "free." When Birk resolves to fetch his crossbow for protection Ronja decides to make herself a bow by using Birk's knife. The two go about the forest to fetch supplies and return to the cave only to hear something inside. Together they enter the cave and realize it's only Gray Dwarfs so they drive them out of the cave by screaming.

Early the next morning after their first night on their own Ronja and Birk catch fish for food. Ronja notices a wound on Birk's foot and decides to gather moss to help with future injuries, knowing her mother's treatments. A few days later Birk asks Ronja for his knife but Ronja remarks he had it last and the two argue, insisting the other has it.

Putting their trivial fight behind them, Ronja and Birk live together peacefully in the forest through the summer. While they milk Lia their two young stallions come over to investigate. Ronja stubbornly decides to try riding the wild horses again, only to be thrown off.

Lil Klippen greets the two at their cave, presenting a bundle full of bread loaves Lovis prepared. Ronja is excited to see her friend and offers Birk some bread but he silently wanders off, leaving Lil Klippen alone to ask Ronja to come home. Ronja asks how things are and if Mattis has talked about her but Lil Klippen says Mattis has forbidden her name being spoken and things are melancholy.

Ronja and Birk try to escape the river current as they are swept toward the waterfall as the harpies fly overhead. Ronja almost doesn't make it but Birk helps her to shore and the two exhausted children rest. When they get back to the cave Lovis is waiting for them. Birk storms past without a word and when Ronja asks if he'll greet her mother he remarks he doesn't greet uninvited guests.

Ronja wakes up from a nightmare of Birk being frozen in the lake, prompted by the chill of winter around her. Birk and Ronja try to keep warm as autumn becomes colder. Birk remarks that Ronja will soon leave him as it's becoming colder and return to her family. Ronja goes off to get water and finds Mattis crying at the river.

Mattis orchestrates a jailbreak, rescuing Pelle and two of Borka's men from the Sheriff. Ronja and Birk talk about the rescue as they play together in the forest. Mattis grumbles about Birk constantly being around the castle but admits he gave his word. That night Noddle-Pete warns the sheriff will win if the clans do not unite and tells Mattis to make amends with Borka.

Mattis and Borka face off in the Wild Beast Match to best the other in order to become the united clans' chief. The two proceed to wrestle and grabble one another, managing to out do the other only to lose the upper hand repeatedly. The two chiefs batter one another until they're black and blue, using petty means such as punching, pulling ears and biting.

Mattis brags to the bedridden Noddle-Pete of the robber's success as united tribes. Ronja and Birk observe the changes in the forest as winter approaches. Meanwhile Noddle-Pete enjoys seeing the peaceful relations between the clans as he waits for his time. Mattis worries over Noddle-Pete's health while Lovis says he's simply suffering from old age and there is nothing to keep death at bay.