Unfortunately the Archbishop (or the prince’s mother in the Grimm version) suspects Elisa of being a witch. Eventually he proposes marriage, and she accepts, even while remaining silent to protect her brothers. He carries her to his kingdom and sets her up in the castle. If she does, her brothers will die.Īs times passes and Elisa works hard, a neighboring prince wanders by and falls in love with Elisa. To add trial to difficulty, once Elisa begins her task, she may not speak, no matter what. Elisa must gather nettles and knit them into jackets for her brothers. Later, a good fairy tells Elisa how required to break the curse on her brothers. 2 The stepmother fails to curse Elisa, and instead has her exiled.

After the wedding, the witchy stepmother transforms Elisa’s brothers into swans. “The Wild Swans” focuses on Elisa, a princess whose father unknowingly marries a wicked witch. (“The Six Swans” is the closest to Andersen’s version.) Hans Christian Andersen wrote “The Wild Swans.” However, we also find variations in the Brothers Grimm and other fairy tale traditions. These stories may be longstanding favorites or newly discovered treasures, ancient legends or recent creations.įor our first story, we’ll look at a fairy tale that I have loved since I was in elementary school and first saw an animated adaptation: “The Wild Swans.” 1 The story of ‘The Wild Swans’ On the first Thursday of each month, I’ll share one of my favorite myths, fairy tales, and fantasy stories with you so we can explore its themes, messages, and impact together. Welcome to the first installment of a new series called Matters of Myth.

Novel wild swans