The Swan Maidens and the Silver Knight
In short: Two swans pull the Silver Knight’s boat, while Princess Elsje sews feather coats to free seven swans from an enchantment.
¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question
Origin and tradition
Belgium · storytelling tradition
In Griffis’s 1919 text, the fairy’s power is limited to the water. She turns a log into a boat and its vines into harness for the swans. On land the knight and Elsje have their own tasks. The feather coats Elsje gives the swans show how the birds that helped the knight return to human form.
Dated records and sources
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1919 · Belgium · storytelling tradition
William Elliot Griffis · Belgian Fairy Tales · The Swan Maidens and the Silver Knight · Public retelling
Country pages
Origin
Black Horse. The Swan Maidens and the Silver Knight. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-silver-knight/