The Wild Swans
At the beginning of the story, “The Wild Swans,” there was a faraway kingdom ruled by a wise and kind king. He had eleven sons and one daughter named Elisa. The king loved Elisa and his sons very much. They spent their days playing in the palace, teaching each other, and laughing as they looked out over the garden filled with roses, lilies, and grapes. Elisa was known for her gentle face, fair skin, and kind heart. She was always with her brothers; they were her support in everything.
The Arrival of the Wicked, Deceitful Queen
But everything changed in the story of “The Wild Swans” when the king remarried a beautiful woman who secretly possessed black magic. The new queen envied Elisa’s goodness and beauty. She felt that the princes and Elisa might take away the king’s love from her. Slowly, she used her powers to change the king’s view of his children and twist their once-happy family.
The Curse on the Eleven Princes
Before long, the queen sent Elisa away to live with a poor family in the countryside. She said it was so Elisa could learn to live humbly, but in truth, she wanted to separate her from her father and brothers. While Elisa was gone, the queen carried out her evil plan on the eleven princes. She used her magic and cursed them to become wild swans. In fear and sadness, the princes flew away from the palace. Because of the queen’s spell, their father forgot about them.
In the countryside, Elisa cared for goats and helped with housework. But every night, she wondered where her brothers were. She was sad, but she remained kind and strong.
Elisa’s Return and Banishment
In “The Wild Swans,” Elisa returned to the palace when she was fifteen years old. Her beauty and gentle nature had blossomed even more. But instead of being happy, the queen became furious. She tried to give Elisa a magical potion to ruin her face, but because Elisa’s heart was pure, nothing bad happened to her.
The queen’s anger grew hotter, so she banished Elisa from the kingdom. Elisa left crying, but she believed she would see her brothers again.
The Reunion of the Siblings in The Wild Swans
Elisa walked through a dark forest for several days. She prayed each night and never lost hope. One day, she reached a lake. There, she saw eleven wild swans flying towards her. When the sun set, their wings slowly disappeared, and they turned back into humans. They hugged Elisa tightly while crying tears of both joy and sorrow. They told her about the hardships of being wild swans, flying across different lands and sleeping on cold rocks.
But her brothers told Elisa that they could only return to their human forms at night. During the day, they would become wild swans again.
The Way to Break the Curse
That night, Elisa dreamt of a fairy. The fairy told her how to break the curse on her brothers. She needed to gather burning nettles from the graveyard, crush them with her hands, and spin them into thread. From this, she had to weave eleven shirts for her brothers. But during the entire time, she was forbidden to speak. If she spoke before finishing, the curse would remain forever, and her brothers would never become human again.
When she woke up, Elisa immediately began. She accepted the pain and suffering in her hands because she knew it was the only way to save her beloved brothers from the curse of being wild swans.
Elisa’s Silent Sacrifice
Every day, Elisa went to the graveyard to gather nettles. Her hands became swollen and bled from the pain, but she endured it for her brothers. She ignored the stinging pain on her skin and the difficulty breathing amidst the dust of the earth.
The villagers saw her going to the graveyard and crushing nettles, so they began to suspect her. Many believed she was a witch. But Elisa remained silent. She could not explain what she was doing because if she spoke, her brothers would remain wild swans forever.
The King and Elisa in The Wild Swans
One day, the young king of a nearby kingdom passed by and saw Elisa in the forest, busy crushing nettles. He noticed her beauty and gentle demeanor despite her dirty clothes and wounded hands. He took Elisa and brought her to his palace. Although Elisa did not speak, the king grew fond of her because of her kindness and quiet strength. Before long, he married her.
Every night, Elisa secretly continued weaving the shirts for her brothers, who were wild swans. She worked in the palace garden, hidden under the darkness of night.
The Accusation by the Queen Mother
Soon, the king’s mother and his advisors noticed that Elisa left her room every night and gathered nettles from the graveyard each day. They suspected her of witchcraft. The people in the palace grew afraid. Even the king approached her and begged her to speak to defend herself, but she remained silent. Because of this, she was sentenced to death by burning in front of many people.
The Curse’s End and The Salvation of The Wild Swans
The day of her execution arrived. Elisa finished the last shirt on that very day. As she was being brought to the stake, the eleven wild swans flew above her, circling her as if crying.
Before she was tied to the post, she quickly threw the shirts over her brothers. Their wings slowly disappeared, and the princes became human again. But the youngest brother still had one swan wing for an arm because Elisa was not able to finish his last shirt.
Elisa’s Truth
When the curse disappeared, Elisa was finally able to speak again. She explained everything to her husband, to the people in the palace, and to the entire kingdom about her brothers, who had been wild swans. The king wept at her story and embraced her tightly. The people apologized for their false accusations against her. The queen mother was punished for her evil.
Love, Courage, and Sacrifice in “The Wild Swans”
From then on, Elisa lived happily and was respected in the palace. She became an inspiration throughout the kingdom because of her quiet but immense bravery. Her brothers, who were once wild swans, returned to their kingdoms and also lived in peace.
The story of “The Wild Swans” reminds us of the true meaning of family love. It’s the ability to sacrifice and remain silent when needed and the strength of heart in the face of hardship and fear. Elisa remained brave, loving, and faithful until the end, a beautiful example of womanhood in Hans Christian Andersen’s tales.