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Adm-James — The Seventh Brother

Published: 2012-02-28 04:45:02 +0000 UTC; Views: 665; Favourites: 12; Downloads: 3
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Description So, here we finally have a colored version of my original sketch of the Seventh Swan Brother. I tried to scan it in this time, had to do it in 4 parts, so apologies for any seams and blurring I was unable to avoid.

Again, Hans Christain Anderson originally wrote "The Wild Swans" with eleven brothers, but I like the sound of seven better...Anyway, the story goes that seven brothers were turned into swans by a spell cast by their stepmother. Only when their sister wove each of them a shirt of nettles, without ever uttering a word, could the spell be broken.

In the midst of her work, the little sister was discovered by the King of that land, who was so taken with her beauty that he married her. (How he was able to do this without her saying "I do" can just be chocked up to the kings prerogative...)

Now the only place the little sister could find nettles for the woven shirts was in the graveyard, and the only time she could get them was when the kingdom was sleeping. Word got out that she was out and about in the graveyard, and soon it was thought she was a witch, since she never spoke (to do so would make all her work to save her brothers in vain).

So it came to pass that the little sister was sentenced to be burned at the stake for witchcraft. Throughout her entire imprisonment she never stopped working on the shirts, and on the day she was to be killed the shirts were ready, all except the seventh which was lacking an arm. Her brother's were restored to her (the youngest with a swan's wing instead of an arm), and she was at last able to speak in her own defence, to live happily ever after.


But what ever happened to the youngest brother, stuck with the wing of a swan?
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Comments: 4

GloomySigh [2015-11-10 19:23:13 +0000 UTC]

I've read a version in which the witch is King's mother; and, every time the Queen gave birth, the witch toke the newborn. At the 3rd time or so, the Queen was accused of murder her own children.

The rest is just as you've described.

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Imaginary-Shadow [2012-12-10 03:51:50 +0000 UTC]

Very beautifully done~

You know, I'm not sure if I ever thought about the one with a wing still... that must get complicated when trying to put on more shirts.
But really, fantastic and insightful!

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Adm-James In reply to Imaginary-Shadow [2012-12-25 05:01:24 +0000 UTC]

Haha! He probably wears a lot of ponchos...Thank you for the kind words!

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Colin-Bentham [2012-02-28 11:19:49 +0000 UTC]

nice work

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