The way the people tell it, a hunter once saw three swans descend upon a lake, and as soon as they touched the earth, they cast off their feathers and swam in the water. The hunter was so smitten by the beauty of the maidens that he stole one pair of wings. When the swimmers emerged from the water, two of them took their feathers and flew into the sunset.

But the third couldn’t find her feathers. Then the hunter came out of hiding, and while he gave the maiden his coat, he wouldn’t return her feathers until she promised to marry him. What else could she do? She agreed. And over time, she grew to love him, although they had no children.

After seven years of marriage, the man felt confident in the strength of his wife’s love. And so, he presented her with the wings he had hidden away. He thought that she would have no more use for them, but he was mistaken. She took them to her room, and after singing her swan song, she changed and flew out the window. She was seen no more.

What the story doesn’t tell you is that I stayed close to the earth. Invisibly, I watched my husband waste away with sorrow and regret. On his last day, just before he died, he heard the song I had left in the air.

Swan Maiden, The Swan Maiden, Swedish Folktale. Illustration “Angel of Death” by Evelyn de Morgan.