Classic story

The Six Swans

A German tale
3 chapters
about 12 min

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A King makes a foolish promise to a witch and marries her daughter, unaware of the danger she poses to his family. The wicked Queen turns six of the King's sons into swans using enchanted shirts, leaving only their youngest sister behind in terror. Fearing for her own life, the girl flees into the deep forest to find her brothers. She eventually discovers them living as swans by day and human by night in a hidden hut. They reveal that they can only be freed if she sews six shirts from starwort without speaking or laughing for six long years. The girl agrees to this difficult task and begins her silent labor in the wilderness. While she works, a King finds her hiding in a tree and is captivated by her beauty and silence. He takes her to his castle and marries her, despite her inability to defend herself with words. A cruel old woman falsely accuses the mute Queen of evil deeds, but the King initially refuses to believe the lies. When the accusations persist, he is forced to sentence the innocent Queen to death by fire. On the day of her execution, the six years have just ended, and her brothers arrive in time to save her. She throws the completed shirts over them, breaking the spell and restoring their human forms. The truth is revealed, the wicked witch is punished, and the family lives happily ever after.

How it begins

Once upon a time, a certain King was hunting in a great forest, and he chased a wild beast so eagerly that none of his attendants could follow him. When evening drew near he stopped and looked around him, and then he saw that he had lost his way. He sought a way out, but could find none. Then he perceived an aged woman with a head which nodded perpetually, who came towards him, but she was a witch. "Good woman," said he to her, "Can you not show me the way through the forest?" "Oh, yes, Lord King," she answered, "that I certainly can, but on one condition, and if you do not fulfil that, you will never get…

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The Six Swans

How it begins

Every story, fully told

A voice for every character

The mood of every line

Pictures of every place

Read along

Your AI voice, for any character

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