In early childhood, mothers and grandmothers begin to acquaint their children and grandchildren with the work of Hans Christian Andersen. According to the tales of this outstanding Danish writer, films and animated films are made, and performances are staged. After all, his tales are very magical and very kind, although a little sad. And one of those wonderful stories that Andersen wrote is Wild Swans. It tells
about a small but very courageous princess named Eliza, who was ready for anything to save her many brothers from the spell of the evil stepmother-witch.
This wonderful tale begins with the fact that one king after the death of his wife married again. This king had twelve children: eleven sons and one daughter, little Eliza. All of them were still children, but the new wife of the crowned father immediately disliked the stepsons and stepdaughter and decided to get rid of them. Since she was a witch, it cost her nothing to turn her brothers into swans. Eliza was sent to the upbringing of a peasant family, and before she reached the age of fifteen, no one remembered her. But then she returned to her native palace. When her stepmother saw how beautiful Eliza was, she hated her even more and turned her into a freak that her father did not recognize.
She was hurt by this, and one night she secretly left the palace and went into the forest, hoping to find her brothers. She did not yet know that her stepmother turned them into birds and that now they are wild swans. She also did not know what looked just awful. Once she came across a wonderful pond, in which she saw her reflection. Having bathed in water, the girl regained her former appearance and became more beautiful than all the princesses in the world.
But thoughts of her brothers did not leave her for a second. And one day she met an old woman who told her that she had recently seen how wild swans in golden crowns came to the river, and there were exactly eleven of them. Eliza went to this river and found feathers on the shore, and after sunset she saw the birds themselves. As soon as the sun completely went below the horizon, the swans turned into young boys, in which Eliza recognized her brothers. She hurried to them. They told her everything that the evil stepmother had done to them. Now they are wild swans by day and people by night. The girl firmly decided to save the brothers from
spells, but did not know how to do it. One night, she had a strange dream in which she dreamed of a kind fairy who looked like that old woman who had met her not so long ago. In a dream, the fairy told the princess that it was possible to rid the brothers of enchantment only with the help of shirts woven from nettles. This nettle grows in cemeteries, and you need to collect it with your bare hands. Until the last shirt is finished, you cannot say a single word or even a sound, otherwise the brothers will die immediately.
Waking up, the girl immediately set to work. Even the young king, who fell in love with her at first sight, could not speak to her. But he did not impede her strange occupation. Eliza, also in love with the king, wanted to tell him everything, but she remembered the warning of the fairy: while she was silent, her brothers, albeit wild swans, were alive. She was not even afraid that she had been declared a witch. She continued to weave nettles even when she was taken to execution. Almost all shirts were ready. It remained to twist one sleeve from the last, but she did not have time - she was tied to a pole and already
were going to burn. But suddenly wild swans flew in and surrounded her sister. She threw shirts on them, and they immediately turned into handsome princes. Only one of them left a wing instead of a hand. And when she spoke, everyone understood that she was innocent, and even the king himself asked her for forgiveness. And how could it be otherwise? After all, she was his bride, and he loved her, no matter what. This is how the fairy tale Wild Swans ended happily.