The Six Swans

Author: Brothers Grimm

Age6–10
Reading time13 min
LevelAdvanced

Introduction

This is a moving story about holding on for love, belonging to the folk type 'the maiden who seeks her brothers' (ATU 451). Andersen's famous 'The Wild Swans' is a literary retelling of the same type — only there the princess sews shirts of nettles, while the Grimms use aster-flowers. To break the spell on her brothers, the sister must go a full six years without speaking or laughing, sewing six flower-shirts one stitch at a time. The most touching part is the 'imperfect happy ending': because the last shirt lacks its left sleeve, the youngest brother keeps a swan's wing where his left arm should be — the cost of her task is visible and cannot be undone. The tale's weight lies in this: rather than break her silence, the sister lets herself be branded a cannibal and led to the stake, for a single word would doom her brothers forever. (Note for parents: this tale has stolen babies and a burning at the stake; you may focus on the theme of endurance and love.)

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Once on a time a king was hunting in a great wood, and he pursued a wild animal so eagerly that none of his people could follow him. When evening came he stood still, and looking round him he found that he had lost his way; and seeking a path, he found none. Then all at once he saw an old woman with a nodding head coming up to him; and it was a witch.

"My good woman," said he, "can you show me the way out of the wood?"

"Oh yes, my lord king," answered she, "certainly I can; but I must make a condition, and if you do not fulfil it, you will never get out of the wood again, but die there of hunger."

"What is the condition?" asked the king.

"I have a daughter," said the old woman, "who is as fair as any in the world, and if you will take her for your bride, and make her queen, I will show you the way out of the wood."

The king consented, because of the difficulty he was in, and the old woman led him into her little house, and there her daughter was sitting by the fire. She received the king just as if she had been expecting him, and though he saw that she was very beautiful, she did not please him, and he could not look at her without an inward shudder. Nevertheless, he took the maiden before him on his horse, and the old woman showed him the way, and soon he was in his royal castle again, where the wedding was held.

The king had been married before, and his first wife had left seven children, six boys and one girl, whom he loved better than all the world, and as he was afraid the step-mother might not behave well to them, and perhaps would do them some mischief, he took them to a lonely castle standing in the middle of a wood. There they remained hidden, for the road to it was so hard to find that the king himself could not have found it, had it not been for a clew of yarn, possessing wonderful properties, that a wise woman had given him; when he threw it down before him, it unrolled itself and showed him the way.

And the king went so often to see his dear children, that the queen was displeased at his absence; and she became curious and wanted to know what he went out into the wood for so often alone. She bribed his servants with much money, and they showed her the secret, and told her of the clew of yam, which alone could point out the way; then she gave herself no rest until she had found out where the king kept the clew, and then she made some little white silk shirts, and sewed a charm in each, as she had learned witchcraft of her mother. And once when the king had ridden, to the hunt, she took the little shirts and went into the wood, and the clew of yarn showed her the way. The children seeing some one in the distance, thought it was their dear father coming to see them, and came jumping for joy to meet him. Then the wicked queen threw over each one of the little shirts, and as soon as the shirts touched their bodies, they were changed into swans, and flew away through the wood. So the queen went home very pleased to think she had got rid of her stepchildren; but the maiden had not run out with her brothers, and so the queen knew nothing about her.

The next day the king went to see his children, but he found nobody but his daughter.

"Where are thy brothers?" asked the king.

"Ah, dear father," answered she, "they are gone away and have left me behind," and then she told him how she had seen from her window her brothers in the guise of swans fly away through the wood, and she showed him the feathers which they had let fall in the courtyard, and which she had picked up. The king was grieved, but he never dreamt that it was the queen who had done this wicked deed, and as he feared lest the maiden also should be stolen away from him, he wished to take her away with him. But she was afraid of the step-mother, and begged the king to let her remain one more night in the castle in the wood.

Then she said to herself, "I must stay here no longer, but go and seek for my brothers." And when the night came, she fled away and went straight into the wood. She went on all that night and the next day, until she could go no longer for weariness. At last she saw a rude hut, and she went in and found a room with six little beds in it; she did not dare to lie down in one, but she crept under one and lay on the hard boards and wished for night. When it was near the time of sun-setting she heard a rustling sound, and saw six swans come flying in at the window. They alighted on the ground, and blew at one another until they had blown all their feathers off, and then they stripped off their swan-skin as if it had been a shirt. And the maiden looked at them and knew them for her brothers, and was very glad, and crept from under the bed. The brothers were not less glad when their sister appeared, but their joy did not last long.

"You must not stay here," said they to her; "this is a robbers' haunt, and if they were to come and find you here, they would kill you."

"And cannot you defend me?" asked the little sister.

"No," answered they, "for we can only get rid of our swan-skins and keep our human shape every evening for a quarter of an hour, but after that we must be changed again into swans." Their sister wept at hearing this, and said, "Can nothing be done to set you free?"

"Oh no," answered they, "the work would be too hard for you. For six whole years you would be obliged never to speak or laugh, and make during that time six little shirts out of aster-flowers. If you were to let fall a single word before the work was ended, all would be of no good." And just as the brothers had finished telling her this, the quarter of an hour came to an end, and they changed into swans and flew out of the window.

But the maiden made up her mind to set her brothers free, even though it should cost her her life. She left the hut, and going into the middle of the wood, she climbed a tree, and there passed the night. The next morning she set to work and gathered asters and began sewing them together: as for speaking, there was no one to speak to, and as for laughing, she had no mind to it; so she sat on and looked at nothing but her work. When she had been going on like this for a long time, it happened that the king of that country went a-hunting in the wood, and some of his huntsmen came up to the tree in which the maiden sat. They called out to her, saying, "Who art thou?" But she gave no answer. "Come down," cried they; "we will do thee no harm." But she only shook her head. And when they tormented her further with questions she threw down to them her gold necklace, hoping they would be content with that. But they would not leave off, so she threw down to them her girdle, and when that was no good, her garters, and one after another everything she had on and could possibly spare, until she had nothing left but her smock. But all was no good, the huntsmen would not be put off any longer, and they climbed the tree, carried the maiden off, and brought her to the king.

The king asked, "Who art thou? What wert thou doing in the tree?" But she answered nothing. He spoke to her in all the languages he knew, but she remained dumb: but, being very beautiful, the king inclined to her, and he felt a great love rise up in his heart towards her; and casting his mantle round her, he put her before him on his horse and brought her to his castle. Then he caused rich clothing to be put upon her, and her beauty shone as bright as the morning, but no word would she utter. He seated her by his side at table, and her modesty and gentle mien so pleased him, that he said, "This maiden I choose for wife, and no other in all the world," and accordingly after a few days they were married.

But the king had a wicked mother, who was displeased with the marriage, and spoke ill of the young queen. "Who knows where the maid can have come from?" said she, "and not able to speak a word! She is not worthy of a king!" After a year had passed, and the queen brought her first child into the world, the old woman carried it away, and marked the queen's mouth with blood as she lay sleeping. Then she went to the king and declared that his wife was an eater of human flesh. The king would not believe such a thing, and ordered that no one should do her any harm. And the queen went on quietly sewing the shirts and caring for nothing else. The next time that a fine boy was born, the wicked step-mother used the same deceit, but the king would give no credence to her words, for he said, "She is too tender and good to do any such thing, and if she were only not dumb, and could justify herself, then her innocence would be as clear as day." When for the third time the old woman stole away the new-born child and accused the queen, who was unable to say a word in her defence, the king could do no other but give her up to justice, and she was sentenced to suffer death by fire.

The day on which her sentence was to be carried out was the very last one of the sixth year of the years during which she had neither spoken nor laughed, to free her dear brothers from the evil spell. The six shirts were ready, all except one which wanted the left sleeve. And when she was led to the pile of wood, she carried the six shirts on her arm, and when she mounted the pile and the fire was about to be kindled, all at once she cried out aloud, for there were six swans coming flying through the air; and she saw that her deliverance was near, and her heart beat for joy.

The swans came close up to her with rushing wings, and stooped round her, so that she could throw the shirts over them; and when that had been done the swanskins fell off them, and her brothers stood before her in their own bodies quite safe and sound; but as one shirt wanted the left sleeve, so the youngest brother had a swan's wing instead of a left arm. They embraced and kissed each other, and the queen went up to the king, who looked on full of astonishment, and began to speak to him and to say, "Dearest husband, now I may dare to speak and tell you that I am innocent, and have been falsely accused," and she related to him the treachery of the step-mother, who had taken away the three children and hidden them. And she was reconciled to the king with great joy, and the wicked step-mother was bound to the stake on the pile of wood and burnt to ashes. And the king and queen lived many years with their six brothers in peace and joy.

Vocabulary from "The Six Swans"

12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.

pursued(pursue)B2

/pəˈsjuːd/v.

Chased after someone or something in order to catch it.

追赶；追逐；追捕。

He pursued a wild animal so eagerly that none of his people could follow him.
他如此急切地追逐一头野兽，以至于随从们都跟丢了。

conditionB1

/kənˈdɪʃn/n.

Something that must be agreed to or done before something else can happen.

条件；前提。

Certainly I can; but I must make a condition, and if you do not fulfil it, you will never get out of the wood again.
当然可以；但我必须提一个条件，如果您不满足它，您就永远别想走出这片森林。

mischiefB2

/ˈmɪstʃɪf/n.

Harm, or naughty behaviour that causes trouble.

伤害；祸害；恶作剧。

As he was afraid the step-mother might not behave well to them, and perhaps would do them some mischief.
因为担心继母可能不会善待他们，甚至会加害于他们。

bribed(bribe)B2

/braɪbd/v.

Gave someone money to get them to do something dishonest.

贿赂；收买。

She bribed his servants with much money, and they showed her the secret.
她用重金收买仆人，仆人泄露了秘密。

guiseC1

/ɡaɪz/n.

An outward form or appearance that hides what is real.

外表；伪装；样子。

She told him how she had seen from her window her brothers in the guise of swans fly away through the wood.
她告诉他，自己在窗前看到哥哥们变成天鹅的样子飞越了森林。

wearinessB2

/ˈwɪərinəs/n.

The state of being very tired.

疲倦；疲惫。

She went on all that night and the next day, until she could go no longer for weariness.
她走了整整一夜又一天，直到累得再也走不动了。

alighted(alight)C1

/əˈlaɪtɪd/v.

Came down and settled, as a bird does.

（鸟）落下；停歇。

They alighted on the ground, and blew at one another until they had blown all their feathers off.
它们落在地上，互相吹气，直到吹掉所有的羽毛。

hauntC1

/hɔːnt/n.

A place where a person or group often goes or lives.

常去之地；出没的地方；巢穴。

This is a robbers' haunt, and if they were to come and find you here, they would kill you.
这是强盗的巢穴，如果他们回来发现你在这里，会杀了你的。

deceitB2

/dɪˈsiːt/n.

The act of making someone believe something that is not true.

欺骗；欺诈；诡计。

The next time that a fine boy was born, the wicked step-mother used the same deceit.
下一次，当一个漂亮的男孩出生时，邪恶的继母故技重施。

treacheryC1

/ˈtretʃəri/n.

The act of betraying someone who trusts you.

背叛；背信弃义；奸诈。

She related to him the treachery of the step-mother, who had taken away the three children and hidden them.
她向国王讲述了老妇人的背叛行为，是她偷走了三个孩子并将他们藏了起来。

reconciled(reconcile)C1

/ˈrekənsaɪld/v.

Became friendly again after a quarrel or misunderstanding.

和解；重归于好。

And she was reconciled to the king with great joy, and the wicked step-mother was bound to the stake.
她与国王满怀喜悦地和解了，而邪恶的婆婆被绑在了火刑柱上。

shudderB2

/ˈʃʌdə/n.

A sudden shaking of the body from fear or dislike.

战栗；颤抖；哆嗦。

Though he saw that she was very beautiful, she did not please him, and he could not look at her without an inward shudder.
虽然国王看出她确实非常美丽，但他并不喜欢她，甚至看她一眼都会不由自主地战栗。

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

True love calls for patience, perseverance, and sacrifice; silence is sometimes not weakness but the deepest kind of courage.

Educational Value

Helps children understand perseverance, loyalty, and sacrifice for others, feel the power of trust, and tell false accusation from truth.

Tips for Parents

This tale is intense (stolen babies, a burning at the stake), so focus on the theme of enduring for love. You might also read it alongside Andersen's 'The Wild Swans' to compare how two authors tell the same story.

Talk About It

The sister was branded a cannibal and nearly burned alive, yet she never broke her silence to defend herself. Can you understand why she chose to bear such injustice?
Because one shirt was missing a sleeve, the youngest brother keeps a swan's wing forever. How does this 'imperfect ending' make you feel?
Six years without speaking or laughing is extremely hard. Could you keep doing something that difficult, for that long, to help someone you love?
The king kept believing his wife was innocent even when the evidence seemed against her. What does it take to truly trust someone?