Six Shirts of Starwort

Just before sunset,however, she heard a rustling, and saw six swans come flying in at the window.

They alighted on the ground and blew at each other, and blew all the feathers off, and their swan's skins stripped off like a shirt.

Then the maiden looked at them and recognized her brothers, was glad and crept froth from the beneath the bed.

The brothers were not less delighted to see their little sister, but their joy was of short duration.

Here canst thou not abide, they said to her.

This is a shelter for robbers, if they come home and find thee, they will kill thee.

But can you not protected me?  asked the little sister.

No, they replied, only for one quarter of an hour each evening can we lay aside our swan't skins and have during that time our human form, after that, we are once more turned into swans.

The little sister wept and said, can you not be set free?

no, they answered, the conditions are too hard, for six years thou mayst neither speak or laugh, and in the that time you must sew together six little shirts of starwort for us. And if one single word falls from thy lips, all thy work will be lost.

And when the brothers had said this, the quarter of an hour was over, and they flew out of the window again as swans.