The Six Swans

Quick Answer

Why This Story Works for Bedtime

Best for older kids: it’s intense but ultimately hopeful, with a strong ‘endure and restore’ arc. For bedtime, read gently and emphasize the sister’s calm bravery and the final reunion.

Story Synopsis

A king gets lost in a forest and, to find his way out, agrees to marry an old woman’s daughter. The new queen is jealous and cruel, and soon she sets her heart against the king’s children from his first marriage. Using magic, she transforms the six princes into swans. Their little sister escapes and later finds her brothers again. The swan-brothers can become human only for a short time each day. They reveal the one way to save them: their sister must sew six shirts from a special plant and remain completely silent for six years. If she speaks even a single word, the spell will never break. The girl accepts the task. She lives in silence, working patiently, enduring loneliness, suspicion, and danger—still refusing to speak, because love has given her a steady purpose. When the final moment arrives, she finishes the shirts and throws them over the swans. The curse shatters and her brothers return, though one is left with a single feathered wing. The story ends with reunion and relief: devotion, patience, and quiet courage have restored what was taken.

Story Excerpt

Once upon a time, a King rode deep into a great forest to hunt. He followed a wild creature so eagerly that, before he knew it, the sun was sinking and his attendants were nowhere in sight. The trees stood close together, all shadows and quiet, and every path seemed to twist into another. At last the King stopped and looked around. “ I am lost, ” he said softly. Then he saw an old woman coming toward him. Her head nodded again and again, as if it could not stay still. The King lifted his hand in greeting. “ Good woman, ” he said, “ can you show me the way out of this forest? ” “ Oh yes, Lord King, ” she answered. “ I can show you the way — on one condition. If you do not agree, you will never find your way out. ” “ What condition? ” the King asked. “ I have a daughter, ” said the old woman, “ as beautiful as anyone in the world. Make her your Queen, and I will lead you home. ” The King’s heart was tight with worry. Night was coming, and he truly could not find the way. So, in his distress, he agreed. The old woman led him to a small hut. Inside, her daughter sat near the firelight. She was indeed very beautiful, and she welcomed the King as if she had expected him all along. And yet, though the King could not have explained why, he felt a quiet chill in his mind when he looked at her. Still, he had given his promise. He lifted the maiden onto…

In One Glance