The myth of the Swan Maiden is one of themost widely distributed and at the same time one of the most beautifulstories ever evolved from the mind of man. -- Edwin SidneyHartlandContents
- The Swan Maidens (reconstructed from variousEuropean sources by Joseph Jacobs).
- The Swan Maiden (Sweden, Herman Hofberg).
- The Three Swans (Germany, Ernst Meier).
- The Story of the Swan Maiden and the King(Romania, M. Gaster).
- The Golden Apple Tree and the Nine Peahens(Serbia, Csedomille Mijatovies).
- The Feathery Robe (Japan, David Brauns).
- Prince Bairâm and the Fairy Bride(Pakistan, Charles Swynnerton).
- Links to related sites.
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folktexts, a library of folktales, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. The Swan MaidensJoseph JacobsThere was once a hunter who used often to spend the whole nightstalking the deer or setting traps for game. Now it happened one nightthat he was watching in a clump of bushes near the lake for some wildducks that he wished to trap. Suddenly he heard, high up in the air, awhirring of wings and thought the ducks were coming; and he strung his bowand got ready his arrows.But instead of ducks there appeared seven maidens all clad in robesmade of feathers, and they alighted on the banks of the lake, and takingoff their robes plunged into the waters and bathed and sported in thelake. They were all beautiful, but of them all the youngest and smallestpleased most the hunter's eye, and he crept forward from the bushes andseized her dress of plumage and took it back with him into the bushes.After the swan maidens had bathed and sported to their heart's delight,they came back to the bank wishing to put on their feather robes again;and the six eldest found theirs, but the youngest could not find hers.They searched and they searched until at last the dawn began to appear,and the six sisters called out to her, "We must away; 'tis the dawn; youmeet your fate whatever it be." And with that they donned their robes andflew away, and away, and away.When the hunter saw them fly away he came forward with the feather robein his hand; and the swan maiden begged and begged that he would give herback her robe. He gave her his cloak but would not give her her robe,feeling that she would fly away. And he made her promise to marry him, andtook her home, and hid her feather robe where she could not find it. Sothey were married and lived happily together and had two fine children, aboy and a girl, who grew up strong and beautiful; and their mother lovedthem with all her heart.One day her little daughter was playing at hide-and-seek with herbrother, and she went behind the wainscoting to hide herself, and foundthere a robe all made of feathers, and took it to her mother. As soon asshe saw it she put it on and said to her daughter, "Tell father that if hewishes to see me again he must find me in the Land East o' the Sun andWest o' the Moon;" and with that she flew away.When the hunter came home next morning his little daughter told himwhat had happened and what her mother said. So he set out to find his wifein the Land East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. And he wandered for manydays until he came across an old man who had fallen on the ground, and helifted him up and helped him to a seat and tended him until he feltbetter.Then the old man asked him what he was doing and where he was going.And he told him all about the swan maidens and his wife, and he asked theold man if he had heard of the Land East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon.And the old man said, "No, but I can ask."Then he uttered a shrill whistle and soon all the plain in front ofthem was filled with all of the beasts of the world, for the old man wasno less than the King of the Beasts.And he called out to them, "Who is there here that knows where the Landis East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon?" But none of the beasts knew.Then the old man said to the hunter, "You must go seek my brother whois the King of the Birds," and told him how to find his brother.And after a time he found the King of the Birds, and told him what hewanted. So the King of the Birds whistled loud and shrill, and soon thesky was darkened with all the birds of the air, who came around him. Thenhe asked, "Which of you knows where is the Land East o' the Sun and Westo' the Moon?"And none answered, and the King of the Birds said, "Then you mustconsult my brother the King of the Fishes," and he told him how to findhim.And the hunter went on, and he went on, and he went on, until he cameto the King of the Fishes, and he told him what he wanted. And the King ofthe Fishes went to the shore of the sea and summoned all the fishes of thesea. And when they came around him he called out, "Which of you knowswhere is the Land East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon?"And none of them answered, until at last a dolphin that had come latecalled out, "I have heard that at the top of the Crystal Mountain lies theLand East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon; but how to get there I know notsave that it is near the Wild Forest."So the hunter thanked the King of the Fishes and went to the WildForest. And as he got near there he found two men quarrelling, and as hecame near they came towards him and asked him to settle their dispute."Now what is it?" said the hunter."Our father has just died and he has left but two things, this capwhich, whenever you wear it, nobody can see you, and these shoes, whichwill carry you through the air to whatever place you will. Now I being theelder claim the right of choice, which of these two I shall have; and hedeclares that, as the younger, he has the right to the shoes. Which do youthink is right?"So the hunter thought and thought, and at last he said, "It isdifficult to decide, but the best thing I can think of is for you to racefrom here to that tree yonder, and whoever gets back to me first I willhand him either the shoes or the cap, whichever he wishes."So he took the shoes in one hand and the cap in the other, and waiteduntil they had started off running towards the tree. And as soon as theyhad started running towards the tree he put on the shoes of swiftness andplaced the invisible cap on his head and wished himself in the Land Easto' the Sun and West o' the Moon. And he flew, and he flew, and he flew,over seven Bends, and seven Glens, and seven Mountain Moors, until at lasthe came to the Crystal Mountain. And on the top of that, as the dolphinhad said, there was the Land East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon.Now when he got there he took off his invisible cap and shoes ofswiftness and asked who ruled over the Land; and he was told that therewas a king who had seven daughters who dressed in swans' feathers and flewwherever they wished.Then the hunter knew that he had come to the Land of his wife. And hewent boldly to the king and said, "Hail, oh king, I have come to seek mywife."And the king said, "Who is she?"And the hunter said, "Your youngest daughter." Then he told him how hehad won her.Then the king said, "If you can tell her from her sisters then I knowthat what you say is true." And he summoned his seven daughters to him,and there they all were, dressed in their robes of feathers and lookingeach like all the rest.So the hunter said, "If I may take each of them by the hand I willsurely know my wife"; for when she had dwelt with him she had sewn thelittle shifts and dresses of her children, and the forefinger of her righthand had the marks of the needle.And when he had taken the hand of each of the swan maidens he soonfound which was his wife and claimed her for his own. Then the king gavethem great gifts and sent them by a sure way down the Crystal Mountain.And after a while they reached home, and lived happily together everafterwards.
- Source: Joseph Jacobs, Europa's Fairy Book [also published under the title European Folk and Fairy Tales] (New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1916), no. 12, pp. 98-105.
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The Swan MaidenSwedenA young peasant in the parish of Mellby [in Blekinge], who often amusedhimself with hunting, saw one day three swans flying toward him, whichsettled down upon the strand of a sound nearby. Approaching the place, hewas astonished at seeing the three swans divest themselves of theirfeathery attire, which they threw into the grass, and three maidens ofdazzling beauty step forth and spring into the water. After sporting inthe waves awhile they returned to the land, where they resumed theirformer garb and shape and flew away in the same direction from which theycame.One of them, the youngest and fairest, had, in the meantime, so smittenthe young hunter that neither night nor day could he tear his thoughtsfrom the bright image. His mother, noticing that something was wrong withher son, and that the chase, which had formerly been his favoritepleasure, had lost its attractions, asked him finally the cause of hismelancholy, whereupon he related to her what he had seen, and declaredthat there was no longer any happiness in this life for him if he couldnot possess the fair swan maiden."Nothing is easier," said the mother. "Go at sunset next Thursdayevening to the place where you last saw her. When the three swans come,give attention to where your chosen one lays her feathery garb, take it,and hasten away."The young man listened to his mother's instructions, and, betakinghimself, the following Thursday evening, to a convenient hiding place nearthe sound, he waited, with impatience, the coming of the swans. The sunwas just sinking behind the trees when the young man's ears were greetedby a whizzing in the air, and the three swans settled down upon the beach,as on their former visit.As soon as they had laid off their swan attire they were againtransformed into the most beautiful maidens, and, springing out upon thewhite sand, they were soon enjoying themselves in the water. From hishiding place the young hunter had taken careful note of where hisenchantress had laid her swan feathers. Stealing softly forth, he tookthem and returned to his place of concealment in the surrounding foliage.Soon thereafter two of the swans were heard to fly away, but the third,in search of her clothes, discovered the young man, before whom, believinghim responsible for their disappearance, she fell upon her knees andprayed that her swan attire might be returned to her. The hunter was,however, unwilling to yield the beautiful prize, and, casting a cloakaround her shoulders, carried her home.Preparations were soon made for a magnificent wedding, which took placein due form, and the young couple dwelt lovingly and contentedly together.One Thursday evening, seven years later, the hunter related to her howhe had sought and won his wife. He brought forth and showed her, also, thewhite swan feathers of her former days. No sooner were they placed in herhands than she was transformed once more into a swan, and instantly tookflight through the open window. In breathless astonishment, the man staredwildly after his rapidly vanishing wife, and before a year and a day hadpassed, he was laid, with his longings and sorrows, in his allotted placein the village churchyard.
- Source: Herman Hofberg, Swedish Fairy Tales, translated by W. H. Myers (Chicago, Belford-Clarke Company, 1890), pp. 35-38.
- This tale is from the province of Blekinge.
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The Three SwansGermanyOnce upon a time there was a hunter. He was very despondent because hiswife had died. He often wandered about in the forest entirely alone,thinking about whether or not he would ever find a second wife whom hecould love as much as he had the first one.One day he wandered ever deeper into the woods, with his gun at hisside and not knowing where he wanted to go. At last he came to a strawhut. Stepping inside, he found there an old man with a crucifix lyingbefore him. He greeted the man, who received him in a friendly manner andasked him what had led him to this forest hut.The hunter told him of his sorrows: that he had lost his wife, that henow lived by himself, and that he did not know if he would ever be happyagain.The old man said to him, "There is help. Three swans will come heresoon. Look at them carefully! After they have flown to the pond, you mustsecretly go there without letting them see you. Take one of their dressesand immediately return here with it."As soon as the old man had spoken, three snow-white swans flew towardthe hut. After the hunter saw them, they flew further to a nearby pond.The hunter crept up and secretly took a dress that one of the swans hadtaken off and laid on the bank. Then he returned with it to the old man'shut.When the swans wanted to get dressed again, one of them had only ashift. As a beautiful maiden she came to the hunter, who had her dress,and moved into his house, and became his dear wife.Before the hunter left the old man, the latter said to him, "You mustcarefully hide the swan-dress from your wife so that she cannot find itagain."The hunter did this, and he lived with his second wife for fifteenyears. She bore him several children, and the married couple were veryhappy together.Then it happened that one morning the man left, saying to his wife, "Ishall be back at noon to eat."After he had left, the woman watched him until he disappeared into thewoods. Then she went to the attic, which the man had not locked this time,opened the chest containing the swan-dress, put it on, and as a swan flewfar, far away.When the man came home to eat, his wife had disappeared. Not even thechildren could say where she was, for they had not seen her.Then the hunter returned to the old man in the woods and told him ofhis misfortune: that once again he had lost his wife, and that he did notknow where she had gone.The old man said, "You did not put the dress away carefully. She foundit and has flown away with it.""Oh," said the hunter sadly, "is it not possible for me to find heragain?""It is possible," said the old man, "but now it is dangerous, and itcould cost you your life."The hunter wanted to do everything for his wife, and so the old mansaid to him, "First you must attempt to get into the castle where yourwife now lives. That will best happen as follows: She has donkeys thatcarry flour from a miller every day. Go to the miller and ask him to hideyou in a flour sack. The rest you will learn from your wife."With that the hunter found his way to the miller and talked him intohiding him in a sack. A donkey carried him a great distance to a splendidcastle.After arriving there he immediately found his wife, and no one couldhave been happier than was she, and she thanked her husband from thebottom of her heart for coming to redeem her.But then she said to him, "Before we can be happy and live together,you must fight with three dragons who are here. They will come to you onthree days and in different forms. They will torment and plague you forone hour each day, and if you withstand this without uttering a sound thenthey cannot further harm you, and I will be free. But if you speak asingle word, they will kill you."Then the hunter promised that he would surely redeem her.On the first day three great snakes came and wrapped themselves aroundthe hunter's feet until he could not move, and they tormented him for anentire hour. Because he endured this in silence they went away withoutharming him.The next day the dragons appeared as turtles and shot balls of fire atthe hunter, until he could no longer withstand it, but he withstood itnonetheless, and he uttered not a sound, so after one hour they left him.On the third day they came again as gigantic snakes and took the hunterwhole into their jaws. He was deathly afraid and thought that he wouldhave to cry out, and that he would no longer be able to withstand it, butout of love for his wife, he withstood it nonetheless.When the three hours had passed, there suddenly stood before him --instead of the three snakes -- three noblewomen. These were the threeenchanted swans, whom he had now redeemed. And they remained with him andwith his wife in the castle, and they all lived together in peace andhappiness, and if they have not died, then they must be still alive.
- Source: Ernst Meier, Deutsche Volksmärchen aus Schwaben(Stuttgart: C. P. Scheitlin's Verlagshandlung, 1852), no. 7, pp. 39-42.
- Translated by D. L. Ashliman. 1998.
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The Story of the Swan Maiden and the KingRomaniaOnce upon a time a king went out hunting, and after he had been huntingin the forest for a long time without finding anything, he found himselfsuddenly in an open plain, in which there was a huge lake, and in themidst of the lake he saw there a bird swimming about, the like of which hehad never seen before. It was a swan.Drawing his bow, he wanted to shoot it. To his surprise it spoke to himin a human voice, and said, "Do not kill me."So he tried his best to catch it, and succeeded. Pleased with thecapture of the bird, he carried it home alive, and gave it to the cook tokill it to make a meal of it for him. The cook was a Gypsy. She whettedher knife and went to the bird to cut its throat, when, to herastonishment, the bird turned three somersaults, and there stood beforeher a most beautiful maiden, more beautiful than she had ever seen before.So she ran to the king and told him what had happened.The king, who first thought that the cook was trying to play sometrickery with him, did not listen to her, but when she persisted in hertale, the king, driven by curiosity, went into the kitchen, and there hesaw a girl more beautiful than any that he had ever yet set his eyes upon.He asked her who she was, and she said she was the swan who wasswimming on the lake, that she had willfully gone away from her mother,who lived in the land of fairies, and that she had left two sistersbehind. So the king took her into the palace and married her. The Gypsy,who was a pretty wench, had thought that the king would marry her, andwhen she saw what had happened, she was very angry. But she managed toconceal her anger, and tried to be kind to the new queen, biding her timeall the while.The king and queen lived on for a while in complete happiness, andafter a time a child was born unto her.It so happened that the king had to go on a long journey, leaving thewife and child in the care of the Gypsy. One day the Gypsy came to thequeen, and said to her, "Why do you always sit in the palace? Come, let uswalk a little in the garden, to hear the birds singing, and to see thebeautiful flowers."The queen, who had no suspicion, took the advice of the Gypsy, and wentwith her for a walk into the garden. In the middle of the garden there wasa deep well, and the Gypsy said artfully to the young queen, "Just bendover the well, and look into the water below, and see whether your facehas remained so beautiful as it was on the first day when you turned intoa maiden from being a swan."The queen bent over the well to look down into the depths, and that waswhat the Gypsy was waiting for, for no sooner did the queen bend over thewell, than, getting hold of her by her legs, she threw her down headforemost into the well and drowned her.When the king came home and did not find the queen, he asked what hadhappened, and where she was. The Gypsy, who had meanwhile taken charge ofthe child, and looked after it very carefully, said to the king that theyoung queen, pining for her old home, had turned again into a swan andflown away.The king was deeply grieved when he heard this, but believing what theGypsy had told him, he thought that nothing could be done, and resignedhimself to the loss of his wife.They Gypsy woman looked after the child with great care, hoping therebythat she might win the king's love, and that he would marry her. A month,a year passed, and nothing was heard of the wife. And the king, seeing theapparent affection of the Gypsy for t
