In the Swan Maiden, the story tells of how a young peasant who liked to spend his time hunting, encounters the site of seeing three swans take off their feathers and turn into three beautiful maidens. He sees them go into the lake and swim for a little and then put on their feathers again and flew away. The young peasant ended up falling in love with the youngest maiden, that he always had her in his mind and even lost attractions towards "his favorite pleasure." His mother, worried of seeing the difference in her son asks what was wrong and he tells her of his encounter. His mother then declares "that there was no longer any happiness in this life for him if he could not possess the fair swan maiden." He is then given the task that to keep her he must go wait for where he last say the swan maidens and keep a close eye on where the youngest places her feathers, and then he must steal them so that she may stay with him forever. He late fulfills the task, takes the swan maidens feathers and hides it then goes back to catch his swan maiden. He catches her feeling sad for losing her feathers and he takes her home. They later ended up getting married and seven years later, the young hunter shows his swan maiden her feathers and places them in her hands, which she instantly puts on and flies away. The peasant later dies of depression for losing his wife.
The Swan Maiden and Selkie relate to each other as a female creature of some type both can take off the skins or coat and turn into beautiful woman. Their coats are taken by men and they are trapped in human form until they may regain their "coat", but once they do receive or find their "coat" they immediately turn back into their true form and head back to where they are from.
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