I n one country was a young knight , which was rich and beautiful and had a magnificent castle. One day he rode with his dogs in the woods to hunt, and then he saw a doe that was whiter than the snow and fled on before him and away in the mountains between the wild high bushes. The knight but followed her to hurry at all, and at last in a wild dark valley, since he lost the dogs, the animal from his face, rode back and forth, and called the dogs back together. Furthermore, he came to a river where he saw a beautiful maiden standing, the washed and carried in his hand a golden chain. And inasmuch as that Virgin very well liked, he rose gently from the horse, crept close to her suddenly and took her gold chain from her hand. In this chain, but special power and magic planet, and this lady was was a Wünschelweiblein, and so beautiful that he forgot the doe to her beauty along with its dogs and thought the maiden home as his wife. And so he did, and led it home to his castle.
N un, the young knight nor a mother, who was the daughter inconvenient, for she had previously led the regiment alone. They are now worried that it would lose power and prestige at the castle. Therefore, she was the daughter-gram and hated it and warned her son often, those not too fond of have and have even incited to love strife and discord between the two. But she could not bring the access roads, because her son wanted to hear their words and then was angry at them every time. When she became aware that, as she stood in all, submissive and obliging service against her son and the young woman, but it came at her everything from a false heart, since they thought it was a cruel malice against the young woman, though she seemed outwardly to honor very much. In the time came that the young woman came to the childbirth, and recovered six sons and a daughter, all wearing gold rings around their necks. Now came the bad old woman, the mother of the young master, and took the seven little children, while her mother slept, carried them away and put seven young little dogs that have been thrown in the same night, in their place. Now this was false and faithless wife a trusted servant, which committed them to seven children and undertook should kill him in faithful and oaths, that he wear them in the wild forest, they drown and buried in the ground or in water. The promised to do the servant, the child was in the forest, put them under a tree and was preparing to strangle her. Since it came from a horror before the murder and he shuddered back from such disloyal act. And let the child live, went and told the woman that he had done their bidding.
A about the Creator of all beings who directs all things for the good pity, the young child and sent them a foster father who was a wise old master who lived in the forest to cultivate wisdom. The adopted the little children to his hut and fed them with milk of Hinds, who were accustomed to come to him for seven years. had
A ls taken away that wicked woman, the children of the mother, she led her son to the young woman showed him the little dog and said, "Look son, the children who were born your wife there are young dogs. " She did her son in revenge, because the young woman as he loved. When he saw that he believed his mother and threw a hatred of the young woman he had loved before so wanted to hear no word of an apology, but left them in the courtyard outside the palace of his castle in the Earth dig up the chest and over his head he had a sink with water and put all commanded his servants to wash over her head and her hands on her beautiful hair to dry. Also they should get no other food, like dogs.
U nd so the poor woman had to stop in the pit in distress and anxiety seven whole years and it could take pity on her no soul. Above that consumed her beautiful body, their clothes rotted and there was only the skin on their bones.
I ndessen learned the young children in the forest and wild birds to shoot and feed on their flesh. It so happened that the knight, her father, once went hunting in the forest. Since he was aware of the children who play in the wood ran back and forth, and all had golden Kettlein the neck. And his heart was moved by affection to the children, would have gladly taken one or the other, but they could not catch himself, but disappeared in the woods. At home, he told his mother and other masters and friends that he had seen in the forest, young children with gold chains on the necks.
D arüber his mother was secretly terrified, took the servant before and asked him: "Have you then killed the children, or have you live it can be?" Known as the servant that he had not been able to kill with his own hand, but he had put them under a tree and she would certainly die soon. She then commanded the servant to ride quickly in the forest to look for the children, who were by no means dead, and in taking the gold chains, otherwise they would be put to shame both. The servant obeyed with fear, looked for three days the children in the woods and found them not, until the fourth day he found her, she had put off the chain and were now transformed into swans, and played on the water. But the girl still had his human form and watched the swans, as they played on the water. Then went the servant added secretly took away the six gold chains, but the girl ran away from him that he could not reach.
W ie the servant of the chains of the ancients offered up, sent them to a goldsmith and was called by the same make him a cup. could be as the goldsmith now wanted to cast off the chains a cup, he found that the gold was so noble and pure that it processes either with the hammer still in the fire made fluent, except for a small chain, which he broke and made a Ring them and the other he weighed on his scales, put it aside and gave it weight so much other gold and made a cup of it, he gave the woman and the ring. The closed both stuck in their box.
J ene swans but that now their human form could not recover, were grieved and sang in a sweet, plaintive voice wistful song that sounded like the crying of small children. Recently, she got up on their feathers aloft to see where they want to turn aside. Because they saw a large mirror-clear lake on which they settled. The lake, however, enclosed a high mountain, hanging on by a major And on this rock was a nice castle. The rock was so steep and the water was so close to the mountains, that was out of a very narrow track any access to the castle. And that was just the castle of the young knight, who was the father of those children, and the windows of the dining room of the castle were returned to the water, so that the Lord soon became aware of the swans, and wondered, for he had such beautiful birds and never seen. So he threw them down bread and other food and everything commanded his servants that they should drive out or expel anyone, but they should always throw bread down, until the swans there were constantly at home. This bid was busy relived and the swans became used then, and were so tame that they were always at dinner time and received their food.
D as poor deserted girl, however, her sister had, but now retain their human form, but was helpless and begging went up to the castle of her father. Since she was given the waste from the table. She shared this with the poor woman in the pit, for whenever they saw this, she had to cry bitterly. But did not the other one. Even the little girl brought some leftover crumbs down under the castle to the water, and gave them to the swans, their brothers. All the time, when they drew near, it came the swans brought about, flying and flapping and kitternd and ate their food from the skirt of the girl. They cost friendly and often took her into her arms and was then always in the evening back to the castle and slept all night in front of the woman who stood in the ground, without knowing that this was her mother.
A ll residents of the castle saw all this with great astonishment, and that she cried whenever she was in the woman, and also that they saw this very similarly. And there was also moves the knight's heart, that he regarded the girl closer. He saw the similarity with his wife and saw her neck the golden Kettlein. He left the Dirnlein appear before it and asked: "My dear child, tell me whence thou art and whence do you come from Who are your parents, and as you have tamed the swans so that it from your lap? ? eat "
D a sigh the poor child from his heart and said, "Dear Lord, the parents I had, I never knew I do not know whether I have seen them if you.. but ask for the swans, they are my brothers, who fed me the milk was the deer in the forest. At one time it was that my brothers took off their gold chains, because they wanted to bathe, as they were turned into swans. And because the chains were stolen, they could not the human form recover and had to swans to stay. "
D hese speech heard the false, unfaithful wife and the servant, her accomplice. They were startled violently and were both pale Aware of their guilt. The Knights took advantage of that and thought about as he walked from the castle down. But the old rushed to the servant, he should kill the girl. And he took a naked sword, and followed the maid, as It was his custom went down to the swans. But the Lord saw him, drew near, and as the servant of the sin wanted to commit, he beat his sword from his hand. As the boy fell down on his knees and confessed everything. Then the Knights went to his mother and forced her by threats to confess. As she unlocked her chest and gave the son of those cups, which should be made by the chain. Immediately sent the Knights to the goldsmith and asked him seriously because of the cup. Since this is now also worried of the punishment, he confessed the truth that he still had all the chains, except one, from which he produced a ring. The Knight was called to bring his chains and gave them to the maiden, they put the swans, every one to his neck. Since they all received the human form again, but one - who had remain a swan. From this swan is found in many a book many special adventures described.
N un let the knight did affect the poor woman to take from the earth, she left with precious spices and precious spices refresh again, that it again was a beautiful woman. His mother, he was wrong in the same hole set, it had languished for his innocent wife for seven long years and suffered from that evil. So you came to the Prophet saying: In the pit falls, another who carved them.
