#653 of 1001 · May 15, 2022

Once again it is Fairy Tale Theme Week. I’m very excited to explore several variants of a fascinating type in which a maiden must break a terrible spell that has been laid upon her family. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the Week of the Brothers Turned into Birds. For our first example, here is a version of The Six Swans, translated from German by Anthea Bell and illustrated by @gerdaraidt. In order to break the curse keeping her brothers in swan form, a young woman must sew each one a shirt made of starflowers. She is forbidden to make a sound until she finishes the task—a process that takes several years, during which time she marries a king and gives birth to several children. But the queen mother’s jealous temper threatens to end the maiden’s life and destroy her family forever. The story is set in an early modern European country, with soldiers sporting bayonets and half-timbered houses lining the town square. Raidt’s soft colors and angular character design complement Bell’s expressive writing. A note for folklore enthusiasts: The Six Swans was originally published in 1812, in the first edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen by the Brothers Grimm. The most notable changes in this adaptation are the omission of the queen mother’s evil trick (smearing blood around the young woman’s mouth and accusing her of devouring her children) and the softening of her execution to imprisonment. #brother #brothers #sister #bird #birds #swan #swans #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks