The Wild Swan Story- A Fairy Tale

You must hear many fairy tales but do you know about the fairy tale of “Wild Swan”. 

In this article, you will get to know about this fairy tale.

Hans Christian Andersen is the author of this story and he tells the story of a princess who saves her 11 brothers from an evil queen's curse in the wild swan story. The newlywed stepmother used a spell to transform the brothers of the princess into untamed swans. And the king's children are expelled from the castle.

Then, how the princess saved her siblings and how they went on to enjoy happy lives. You will get your answers in the story. So, let's continue the story and find out what happens.

The Princess Eliza

For a long time, Eliza was the sole little princess that belonged to the King. Eliza was born after the Queen had died, but she had a loving father and eleven older brothers to take care of her. Eliza adored watching swallows soar by or looking at beautiful picture books when her brothers departed for school. She was happy beyond belief.

The Evil Witch Queen

The King then got married a second time during a particularly cold winter. Everyone praised his new wife since she was tall and fashionable. But she was hiding something. A witch was the new Queen! The Queen was resolved to get rid of the King's children since she didn't like them.

The Evil Witch

The Princes Turned Into Swans

The Queen blocked the princes' path when they returned to the palace from school a week later. She yelled, "You're not wanted here. Fly off like a wild swan!” White feathers began to sprout from the frightened princes. They transformed into swans one by one and took off towards the ocean. 

The Grownup Eliza

Eliza's beauty increased throughout the years to the point that the Queen could no longer stand her envy. Eliza was forced to sit down and away from the mirror by the Queen after she had finished her shower. Then, with ease, she daubed walnut juice on Eliza's face and twisted her hair while appearing to brush it. Now, Eliza did not appear as attractive as she once did. Even her father did not know who she was. 

Group of Swans

The witch queen transformed Eliza’s face by using her dark magical powers and sent her away to a cottage far away from her home (the palace). One day Eliza noticed something in the far distance. Swans were circling above the woods in a group. To Eliza's surprise, her brothers appeared before her instead as swans when they shuddered their wings. Eliza was ecstatic. She did not have any idea about this transformation. Then one of her brothers Prince Julian explained everything to her.

Eliza’s Dream

After meeting her brothers Eliza was thinking about them. She was searching for any solution to transform them back into humans. Then, a charming fairy appeared in the dream right before her. “Eliza”, she uttered. “You can protect your brothers from the Queen's curse. Make a nettle shirt for each person. The magic would be broken when they put on the shirts.” The fairy cautioned, "But you must sew the shirts in silence. Your brothers would perish if you speak a word before the enchantment is broken.”

Eliza Knitting the Shirts

Eliza’s Love

Eliza followed the fairy’s words. She touched a nettle with her hand. She got up when it irritated her fingers. The following day, Eliza went out to collect more nettles. Behind her, she heard a voice ask, "What's your name?" When Eliza turned back, a handsome king was staring at her. The weird, withdrawn girl quickly won the King's heart and Eliza too fell in love with him. The King quickly came to a decision. He enquired, "Will you marry me?" Eliza nodded while grinning.

The Eleven Princes

When Eliza completed sewing all the shirts, she went close to the swans and threw the shirts over them one by one. Eleven young men sat next to Eliza in place of the swans after there was a twinkle in the air.

Afterward, the King reached there in search of Eliza and said, "I don't know what's going on here, but maybe you can explain to me after the wedding feast... "... if you still want to marry me? Eliza grinned. Eliza's chains transformed into white flowers at the same instant and dropped to the ground. When the enchantment was finally broken, Eliza was able to speak. Eliza and the king got married and came to the kingdom happily.

Everybody is Happy in the Kingdom

Moral of the Story

All of those are crucial lessons to remember, but this tale the wild swan story has a special message. It's all about giving of oneself. One is forced to consider the limits she would go to to protect those she cares about. 

Summary

In a far-off land, a widowed king and his 12 children resided. When he decides to get married again, he marries a witch. The new queen did not like the king’s children. She transformed her 11 step-sons into stunning swans and made her stepdaughter Eliza less attractive with her magic. When Eliza was unable to find her brothers then a fairy helped her and she got to know about eleven swans. The fairy told Eliza to gather stinging nettles and weave them into shirts that would help her brothers finally take on their human forms. Eliza followed her word and saved her brother’s life. In between Eliza met a king who fell in love with her and they got married in the end. The story had a beautiful ending.