swan maiden

any of a class of folkloric maidens, in many Indo-European and Asian tales, capable of being transformed into swans, as by magic or sorcery.

Origin of swan maiden

First recorded in 1865–70

The song ended, again spake the swan-maiden: “Tell us, O Eva, when death shall set us free.”

Boys and Girls Bookshelf (Vol 2 of 17) |Various
In this respect the swan-maiden and the Valkyries are identical.

Women of the Teutonic Nations |Hermann Schoenfeld
Had Liebrecht's theory touched only the Swan-maiden group, it would have been more convenient to discuss it in the last chapter.

The Science of Fairy Tales |Edwin Sidney Hartland
If you take a jinni or a swan-maiden you can go from Cairo to Bokhara in less time than our best expresses could cover a mile.

The Life of Sir Richard Burton |Thomas Wright

So the swan-maiden kept her human form, as long as she was deprived of her tunic of feathers.

Myths and Myth-Makers |John Fiske

swan maiden

any of a group of maidens in folklore who by magic are transformed into swans