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A king was once hunting in a great forest, and he chased his prey so eagerly that none of his men could follow him. As evening approached he stopped and looked around, and saw that he was lost. He looked for a way out of the woods, but he could not find one. Then he saw an old woman with a bobbing head who approached him. She was a witch.

"My dear woman," he said to her, "can you show me the way through the woods?"

"Oh, yes, your majesty," she answered, "I can indeed. However, there is one condition, and if you do not fulfill it, you will never get out of these woods, and will die here of hunger."

"What sort of condition is it?" asked the king.

"I have a daughter," said the old woman, who is as beautiful as anyone you could find in all the world, and who well deserves to become your wife. If you will make her your queen, I will show you the way out of the woods."

The king was so frightened that he consented, and the old woman led him to her cottage, where her daughter was sitting by the fire. She received the king as if she had been expecting him. He saw that she was very beautiful, but in spite of this he did not like her, and he could not look at her without secretly shuddering.

After he had lifted the girl onto his horse, the old woman showed him the way, and the king arrived again at his royal castle, where the wedding was celebrated.

The king had been married before, and by his first wife he had seven children, six boys and one girl. He loved them more than anything else in the world.

Fearing that the stepmother might not treat them well, even do them harm, he took them to a secluded castle which stood in the middle of a forest. It was so well hidden, and the way was so difficult to find, that he himself would not have found it, if a wise woman had not given him a ball of magic yarn. Whenever he threw it down in front of him, it would unwind itself and show him the way.

However, the king went out to his dear children so often that the queen took notice of his absence. She was curious and wanted to know what he was doing out there all alone in the woods. She gave a large sum of money to his servants, and they revealed the secret to her. They also told her about the ball of yarn which could point out the way all by itself.

She did not rest until she discovered where the king kept the ball of yarn. Then she made some little shirts of white silk. Having learned the art of witchcraft from her mother, she sewed a magic charm into each one of them. Then one day when the king had ridden out hunting, she took the little shirts and went into the woods. The ball of yarn showed her the way.

The children, seeing that someone was approaching from afar, thought that their dear father was coming to them. Full of joy, they ran to meet him. Then she threw one of the shirts over each of them, and when the shirts touched their bodies they were transformed into swans, and they flew away over the woods.

The queen went home very pleased, believing that she had gotten rid of her stepchildren. However, the girl had not run out with her brothers, and the queen knew nothing about her.

The next day the king went to visit his children, but he found no one there but the girl.

"Where are your brothers?" asked the king.

"Oh, dear father," she answered, "they have gone away and left me alone."

Then she told him that from her window she had seen how her brothers had flown away over the woods as swans. She showed him the feathers that they had dropped into the courtyard, and which she had gathered up.

The king mourned, but he did not think that the queen had done this wicked deed. Fearing that the girl would be stolen away from him as well, he wanted to take her away with him, but she was afraid of her stepmother and begged the king to let her stay just this one more night in the castle in the woods.

The poor girl thought, "I can no longer stay here. I will go and look for my brothers."

And when night came she ran away and went straight into the woods. She walked the whole night long without stopping, and the next day as well, until she was too tired to walk any further.

Then she saw a hunter's hut and went inside. She found a room with six little beds, but she did not dare to get into one of them. Instead she crawled under one of them and lay down on the hard ground where she intended to spend the night.

The sun was about to go down when she heard a rushing sound and saw six swans fly in through the window. Landing on the floor, they blew on one another, and blew all their feathers off. Then their swan-skins came off just like shirts. The girl looked at them and recognized her brothers. She was happy and crawled out from beneath the bed. The brothers were no less happy to see their little sister, but their happiness did not last long.

"You cannot stay here," they said to her. "This is a robbers' den. If they come home and find you, they will murder you."

"Can't you protect me?" asked the little sister.

"No," they answered. "We can take off our swan-skins for only a quarter hour each evening. Only during that time do we have our human forms. After that we are again transformed into swans."

Crying, the little sister said, "Can you not be redeemed?"

"Alas, no," they answered. "The conditions are too difficult. You would not be allowed to speak or to laugh for six years, and in that time you would have to sew together six little shirts from asters for us. And if a single word were to come from your mouth, all your work would be lost."

After the brothers had said this, the quarter hour was over, and they flew out the window again as swans.

Nevertheless, the girl firmly resolved to redeem her brothers, even if it should cost her her life. She left the hunter's hut, went to the middle of the woods, seated herself in a tree, and there spent the night. The next morning she went out and gathered asters and began to sew. She could not speak with anyone, and she had no desire to laugh. She sat there, looking only at her work.

After she had already spent a long time there it happened that the king of the land was hunting in these woods. His huntsmen came to the tree where the girl was sitting.

They called to her, saying, "Who are you?" But she did not answer.

"Come down to us," they said. "We will not harm you."

She only shook her head. When they pressed her further with questions, she threw her golden necklace down to them, thinking that this would satisfy them. But they did not stop, so she then threw her belt down to them, and when this did not help, her garters, and then -- one thing at a time -- everything that she had on and could do without, until finally she had nothing left but her shift.

The huntsmen, however, not letting themselves be dissuaded, climbed the tree, lifted the girl down, and took her to the king.

The king asked, "Who are you? What are you doing in that tree?"

But she did not answer. He asked her in every language that he knew, but she remained as speechless as a fish. Because she was so beautiful, the king's heart was touched, and he fell deeply in love with her. He put his cloak around her, lifted her onto his horse in front of himself, and took her to his castle. There he had her dressed in rich garments, and she glistened in her beauty like bright daylight, but no one could get a word from her.

At the table he seated her by his side, and her modest manners and courtesy pleased him so much that he said, "My desire is to marry her, and no one else in the world."

A few days later they were married.

Now the king had a wicked mother who was dissatisfied with this marriage and spoke ill of the young queen. "Who knows," she said, "where the girl who cannot speak comes from? She is not worthy of a king."

A year later, after the queen had brought her first child into the world, the old woman took it away from her while she was asleep, and smeared her mouth with blood. Then she went to the king and accused her of being a cannibal. The king could not believe this, and would not allow anyone to harm her. She, however, sat the whole time sewing on the shirts, and caring for nothing else.

The next time, when she again gave birth to a beautiful boy, the deceitful mother-in-law did the same thing again, but the king could not bring himself to believe her accusations.

He said, "She is too pious and good to do anything like that. If she were not speechless, and if she could defend herself, her innocence would come to light."

But when the old woman stole away a newly born child for the third time, and accused the queen, who did not defend herself with a single word, the king had no choice but to bring her to justice, and she was sentenced to die by fire.

When the day came for the sentence to be carried out, it was also the last day of the six years during which she had not been permitted to speak or to laugh, and she had thus delivered her dear brothers from the magic curse. The six shirts were finished. Only the left sleeve of the last one was missing. When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm. Standing there, as the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around, and six swans came flying through the air. Seeing that their redemption was near, her heart leapt with joy.

The swans rushed towards her, swooping down so that she could throw the shirts over them. As soon as the shirts touched them their swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her in their own bodies, vigorous and handsome. However, the youngest was missing his left arm. In its place he had a swan's wing.

They embraced and kissed one another. Then the queen went to the king, who was greatly moved, and she began to speak, saying, "Dearest husband, now I may speak and reveal to you that I am innocent, and falsely accused."

Then she told him of the treachery of the old woman who had taken away their three children and hidden them.

Then to the king's great joy they were brought forth. As a punishment, the wicked mother-in-law was tied to the stake and burned to ashes. But the king and the queen with her six brothers lived many long years in happiness and peace.

Ein König jagte in einem großen Wald, verirrte sich und konnte keinen Ausgang finden, da kam er endlich zu einer Hexe, die bat er, sie mögte ihn wieder heraus leiten. Die Hexe aber antwortete, das geschähe nimmermehr, er müsse darin bleiben und sein Leben verlieren, und nur das eine könne ihn erretten, daß er ihre Tochter heirathe. Dem König war sein Leben lieb, und in der Angst sagte er ja; die Hexe brachte ihm das Mädchen, es war jung und schön, er konnte es aber nicht ohne Grau- sen und ohne eine heimliche Furcht ansehen; doch wollte er, was er versprochen hatte, hal- ten. Die Alte führte dann beide auf den rech- ten Weg, und daheim ward die Hexentochter seine Gemahlin. Der König aber hatte noch sieben Kinder von seiner ersten Frau, sechs Buben und ein Mädchen, und weil er fürch- tete, es könne ihnen von der Stiefmutter ein Leids angethan werden, brachte er sie in ein Schloß, das er mitten in einem Walde stehen hatte. Es stand so verborgen, daß niemand den Weg dahin wußte, und er selber hätte ihn nicht gefunden, wenn ihm nicht eine weise Frau einen Knauel von Garn gegeben, wenn er den vor sich warf, wickelte er sich auf und zeigte ihm den Weg. Weil aber der König seine Kin- der gar lieb hatte, ging er oft hinaus, da ward die Königin neugierig, und wollte wissen, was der König so viel allein in dem Wald zu thun habe; sie forschte die Diener aus, und diese ver- riethen ihr das ganze Geheimniß. Das erste war nun, daß sie sich mit List den Knauel ver- schaffte, dann nahm sie sieben kleine Hemdchen, und ging hinaus in den Wald. Der Knauel zeigte ihr den Weg, und als die sechs kleinen Prinzen sie von weitem kommen sahen, freuten sie sich, meinten ihr Vater käm und liefen her- aus auf sie zu. Da warf sie über jeden ein Hemdchen, und kaum hatte es ihren Leib be- rührt, da waren sie in Schwäne verwandelt, hoben sich auf in die Luft und flogen davon. Sie meinte nun sie hätte alle Stiefkinder weg- geschafft, und ging wieder heim, und so war das Mädchen, das in seiner Kammer geblieben war, errettet. Am andern Tag kam der König in das Waldschloß, da erzählte es ihm, was ge- schehen war, und zeigte ihm noch die Schwa- nenfedern, die von ihren sechs Brüdern auf den Hof gefallen waren. Der König erschrack, gedachte aber nimmermehr, daß die Königin die böse That vollbracht, und weil er besorgte, die Prinzessin möge ihm auch geraubt werden, wollte er sie mit sich nach Haus nehmen. Sie fürchtete sich aber vor ihrer Stiefmutter und bat ihn, er mögte sie nur noch die Nacht in dem Schloß lassen; in der Nacht aber entfloh sie, und gerade zu in den Wald hinein.

Als sie auch den ganzen Tag bis zum Abend fortgegangen war, kam sie zu einer Wild- hütte. Sie stieg hinauf und fand eine Stube mit sechs kleinen Betten; weil sie nun müde war, legte sie sich unter eins und wollte da die Nacht zubringen. Bei Sonnenuntergang aber kamen sechs Schwäne durch das Fenster herein- geflogen, setzten sich auf den Boden und bliesen einander an, und bliesen sich alle Federn ab, wie ein Tuch sich abstreift, und da waren es ihre sechs Brüder. Sie kroch unter dem Bett hervor, und die Brüder waren beides erfreut und betrübt, sie zu sehen: „du kannst hier nicht bleiben, sagten sie, das ist eine Räuberherberg, wenn die Räuber von ihrem Zuge heimkom- men, dann wohnen sie hier. Alle Abend kön- nen wir uns aber eine Viertelstunde lang die Schwanenhaut gänzlich abblasen, und auf so lange unsere menschliche Gestalt haben, hernach aber ist es wieder vorbei. Wenn du uns erlösen willst, mußt du in sechs Jahren sechs Hemd- lein aus Sternblumen zusammennähen, wäh- rend der Zeit aber darfst du nicht sprechen und nicht lachen, sonst ist alle Arbeit verloren.“ Und als die Brüder das gesprochen hatten, war die Viertelstunde herum, und sie waren wieder in Schwäne verwandelt.

Am andern Morgen aber sammelte sich das Mädchen Sternblumen, setzte sich dann auf einen hohen Baum und fing an zu nähen: es redete auch kein Wort und lachte nicht, sondern sahe nur auf seine Arbeit. Auf eine Zeit jagte der König, dem das Land gehörte in dem Wald, und seine Jäger kamen zu dem Baum, auf welchem es saß. Sie riefen ihm zu, es sollte herabsteigen, weil es ihnen nun nicht antwor- ten durfte, wollte es sie mit Geschenken befrie- digen, und warf ihnen seine goldene Halskette herab. Sie riefen aber noch immer, da warf es seinen Gürtel, als auch dies nichts half sei- ne Strumpfbänder endlich, alles, was es ent- behren konnte, herunter, so daß es nichts mehr als sein Hemdlein anbehielt. Den Jägern war aber das alles nicht genug, sie stiegen auf den Baum, hoben es herab und brachten es mir Gewalt zum König. Der König war verwun- dert über seine Schönheit, wickelte es in seinen Mantel, setzte es vor sich aufs Pferd, und führte es nach Haus, und ob es gleich stumm war, liebte er es doch von Herzen, und es ward seine Gemahlin. Des Königs Mutter aber war böse darüber, sprach schlecht von ihr: niemand wisse, woher die Dirne gekommen, und sie sey des Königs unwerth. Als sie nun den ersten Prinzen zur Welt brachte, nahm die Schwiegermutter ihn weg, bestrich ihr den Mund mit Blut und gab dann bei dem König vor, die Königin habe ihr eigen Kind gefressen, und sey eine Zauberin. Der König aber, aus großer Liebe, wollte es nicht glauben; darnach als sie den zweiten Prinzen gebar, übte die gottlose Schwiegermutter denselben Betrug, und klagte sie wieder beim König an, und weil sie nicht reden durfte, sondern immer stumm saß und an den sechs Hemdern arbeitete, so konnte sie nichts mehr erretten, und sie ward zum Feuer verdammt. Der Tag kam heran, wo das Urtheil sollte vollzogen werden, es war gerade der letzte Tag von den sechs Jahren, und sie war mit den sechs Hemdern fertig geworden, nur an einem fehlte der linke Ermel. Wie sie nun zum Scheiterhaufen geführt wurde, nahm sie die sechs Hemder mit sich, und wie sie oben stand und eben das Feuer sollte angesteckt wer- den, sah sie sechs Schwäne durch die Luft da- her ziehen, und über ihr sich herabsenken. Da warf sie die Hemdlein hinauf, die fielen über die Schwäne hin, und kaum waren sie davon berührt, so fiel ihre Schwanenhaut ab, und die sechs Brüder standen leibhaftig vor ihr, nur dem sechsten fehlte der linke Arm, und er hatte dafür einen Schwanenflügel auf dem Rücken. Da war ihr auch die Sprache wiedergegeben, und sie erzählte, wie die Schwiegermutter sie so boshaft verläumdet, dafür ward diese auf den Scheiterhaufen gebracht und verbrannt, sie aber lebte lange mit dem König und ihren sechs Brüdern in Freuden.