The "swan maiden" (German: Schwanjungfrau) is a tale classified as ATU 400, "The Swan Maiden" or "The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife", in which a man makes a pact with, or marries, a supernatural female being who later departs. The wife shapeshifts from human to bird form with the use of a feathered cloak (or otherwise turns into a beast by donning animal skin).
The "swan maiden" (German: Schwanjungfrau) is a tale classified as ATU 400, "The Swan Maiden" or "The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife", in which a man makes a pact with, or marries, a supernatural female being who later departs. The wife shapeshifts from human to bird form with the use of a feathered cloak (or otherwise turns into a beast by donning animal skin).
Source: Wikipedia "Swan maiden" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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