And when
she was led to the pile of wood, she carried the six shirts on her arm,
and when she mounted the pile and the fire was about to be kindled, all
at once she cried out aloud, for there were six swans coming flying
through the air; and she saw that her deliverance was near, and her
heart beat for joy. The swans came close up to her with rushing wings,
and stooped round her, so that she could throw the shirts over them; and
when that had been done the swan-skins fell off them, and her brothers
stood before her in their own bodies quite safe and sound; but as one
shirt wanted the left sleeve, so the youngest brother had a swan's wing
instead of a left arm. They embraced and kissed each other, and the
queen went up to the king, who looked on full of astonishment, and began
to speak to him and to say,

"Dearest husband, now I may dare to speak and tell you that I am
innocent, and have been falsely accused," and she related to him the
treachery of the step-mother, who had taken away the three children and
hidden them. And she was reconciled to the king with great joy, and the
wicked step-mother was bound to the stake on the pile of wood and burnt
to ashes.

And the king and queen lived many years with their six brothers in peace
and joy.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY

IN times past there lived a king and queen, who said to each other every
day of their lives, "Would that we had a child!" and yet they had none.
But it happened once that when the queen was bathing, there came a frog
out of the water, and he squatted on the ground, and said to her,

"Thy wish shall be fulfilled; before a year has gone by, thou shalt
bring a daughter into the world."

And as the frog foretold, so it happened; and the queen bore a daughter
so beautiful that the king could not contain himself for joy, and he
ordained a great feast. Not only did he bid to it his relations,
friends, and acquaintances, but also the wise women, that they might be
kind and favourable to the child. There were thirteen of them in his
kingdom, but as he had only provided twelve golden plates for them to
eat from, one of them had to be left out. However, the feast was
celebrated with all splendour; and as it drew to an end, the wise women
stood forward to present to the child their wonderful gifts: one
bestowed virtue, one beauty, a third riches, and so on, whatever there
is in the world to wish for. And when eleven of them had said their say,
in came the unin