Myths are adapted with the elements found in the local context of each culture, frequently undergoing subtle changes, while preserving … See more

Established folkloristics does not formally recognize "Swan Maidens" as a single Aarne-Thompson tale type. Rather, one must speak of tales that exhibit Stith Thompson motif index "D361.1. Swan Maiden", or "B652. Marriage to bird in human form" and … See more

The swan maiden has been noted to belong to a different race than that of the human husband. According to Alan Miller and Amira El-Zein, the swan maiden is connected both to air (or "sky world") and to water. In this regard, in many tales, the swan maiden and … See more

A second format of the supernatural wife motif pertains to tales where the maiden isn't a shapeshifting animal, but instead a creature or inhabitant of Heaven, a Celestial Realm, or hails from the place where the gods live. Western works commonly translate … See more

Typical legend
The folktales usually adhere to the following basic plot. A young, unmarried man steals a magic … See more

Ancient Indian literature
It has been suggested the romance of apsara Urvasi and king Pururavas, of ancient Sanskrit literature, may be one of the oldest forms (or origin) of the Swan-Maiden tale.
The antiquity of the … See more

Distribution and variants
The motif of the wife of supernatural origin (in most cases, a swan maiden) shows universal appeal, being present in the oral and folkloric traditions of every continent. The swan is the typical species, but they can transform into " See more