The following tales are similar to the Swan Maidens fairy tale, AT-400*: The Swan Maiden and AT-400: The Quest for a Lost Bride. I have included the English language tales of this type which have been gathered by title by D. L. Ashliman in his A Guide to Folktales in the English Language. Sometimes I include tales of other classifications when I deem them relevant to the theme. The tales come from many cultures and are similar to the Swan Maidens story in various ways. I have placed the tales in alphabetical order with bibliographic information and links to texts of the stories if a text is available on the internet.

Tales of AT-400*: The Swan Maiden

The Adventures of Hasan of Basrah
Bird-Maidens *
The Feathery Robe *
The Golden Apple Tree and the Nine Peahens *
The Gwraig and the Three Blows
The Peacock Maiden *
Prince Bairâm and the Fairy Bride *
The Seal's Skin
Shemsi Bani, Padishah of Pigeons
The Story of the Swan Maiden and the King *
The Swan Maidens *
The Swan Maiden (Pyle) *
The Swan Maiden (Sweden) *
The Three Swans *

Tales of AT-400: The Quest for a Lost Bride and other tale types

The Bird Maiden
The Country of the Beautiful Gardens
The Dove Girl
The Drummer *
The Enchanted Palace
The Gallant Szérus
The Grey Castle
Handsome András
Herman Perk and the Seal *
Iron Pestle and the Girl with the Donkey's Head
The Iron Pot
José Guerné
Maid Lena
The Maiden Tsar
Melusina
The Mermaid Wife *
The Monkey Boy *
The Monkey Husband *
The Nine Pea-Hens and the Golden Apples *
The Old Witch
Prince Bairâm and the Fairy Bride *
The Princess of the Blue Mountains
The Seal's Skin
The Sealskin *
Seven Young Sky Women
The Silkie Wife *
A Slim Yellow Catfish
The Snake Princess
The Son of the Widow
Soria Moria Castle *
The Three Princesses in Whittenland
The Three Princesses of Whiteland *
The Twelve Doves on the Mountain of the Sun
Wild Edric
The Woman Who Came Down from Heaven

* Full text of tale is available online.

Tales of AT-400*: The Swan Maiden

The Adventures of Hasan of Basrah

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Arabian tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Mathers, Powys, translator. The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night. From the French translation by Dr. J. C. Mardrus. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd., 1964.

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Bird-Maidens

A web version of this tale is at Bird-Maidens.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Clouston, William Alexander. Popular Tales and Fictions. Christine Goldberg, ed. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2002.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover.

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The Feathery Robe

A web version of this tale is available on D. L. Ashliman's site at The Feathery Robe.

This is a Japanese tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Brauns, David. Japanische Märchen und Sagen. Leipzig: Verlag von Wilhelm Friedrich, 1885. pp. 349-350.

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The Golden Apple Tree and the Nine Peahens

A web version of this tale is at The Golden Apple Tree and the Nine Peahens.

This is a Serbian tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Mijatovies, Csedomille. Serbian Folk-Lore. London: W. Isbister and Company, 1874. pp. 43-58.

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The Gwraig and the Three Blows (Wales)

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a Welsh tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Bodker, Laurits; Hole, Christina; and D'Aronoco, G., eds. European Folk Tales. European Folklore Series, vol. 1. Copenhagen: Rosenkilde and Bagger, 1963.

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The Peacock Maiden

A web version of this tale is at The Peacock Maiden.

This is a Chinese tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Folk Tales from China, third series. Peking: Foreign Language Press, 1958. pp. 16-46.

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Prince Bairâm and the Fairy Bride

A web version of this tale is at Prince Bairâm and the Fairy Bride.

This is a tale from Pakistan.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Swynnerton, Charles. Indian Nights' Entertainment; or, Folk-Tales from the Upper Indus. London: Elliot Stock, 1892. no. 82, pp. 342-347.

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The Seal's Skin

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Icelandic tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Cole, Joanna, ed. Best-Loved Folktales of the World. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1982.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover or paperback.

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Shemsi Bani, Padishah of Pigeons

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a Turkish tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Walker, Warren S. and Uysal, Ahmet E., eds. Tales Alive in Turkey. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966.

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The Story of the Swan Maiden and the King

A web version of this tale is at The Story of the Swan Maiden and the King.

This is a Romanian tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Gaster, M. Rumanian Bird and Beast Stories. London: Folk-Lore Society, 1915. no. 83, pp. 249-254.

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The Swan Maidens (Jacobs)

A web version of this tale is annotated on this site at The Swan Maidens. Read the unannotated text at The Swan Maidens.

This is a European tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Jacobs, Joseph, ed. European Folk and Fairy Tales. New York: G. P Putnam's Sons, 1916.

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The Swan Maiden (Pyle)

A web version of this tale is at The Swan Maiden (Pyle).

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Pyle, Howard. The Wonder Clock; or, four and twenty marvellous Tales, being one for each hour of the day. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1887, 1915.

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The Swan Maiden (Sweden)

A web version of this tale is at The Swan Maiden (Sweden).

This is a Swedish tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Hofberg, Herman. Swedish Fairy Tales. W. H. Myers, translator. Chicago: W. B. Conkey Company, 1893. pp. 35-38.

Boose, Claire, ed. Scandinavian Folk and Fairy Tales: Tales from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland. New York: Avenel Books: 1984.

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The Three Swans (Germany)

A web version of this tale is available on D. L. Ashliman's site at The Three Swans.

This is a German tale.

This tale is AT-400*.

An English language version is available in:

Ernst Meier, Deutsche Volksmärchen aus Schwaben.Stuttgart: C. P. Scheitlin's Verlagshandlung, 1852. no. 7. pp. 39-42. Translated by D. L. Ashliman.

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Tales of AT-400: The Quest for a Lost Bride

The Bird Maiden

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Lindell, Kristina, and Jan-Ojvind Swahn and Damrong Tayanin, eds. Folk Tales from Kammu II: A Story-Teller's Tales, London and Malmo: Curson Press, 1980.

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The Country of the Beautiful Gardens

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Armenian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Villa, Susie Hoogasian. 100 Armenian Tales. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1966.

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The Dove Girl

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Italian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Calvino, Italo. Italian Folktales. George Martin, translator. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover or paperback.

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The Drummer

A web version of this tale is at The Drummer.

This is a German tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Household Tales. Margaret Hunt, translator. London: George Bell, 1884, 1892. 2 volumes.

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Jack Zipes, translator. New York: Bantam, 1987.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Enchanted Palace

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Italian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Calvino, Italo. Italian Folktales. George Martin, translator. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover or paperback.

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The Gallant Szérus

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a Hungarian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Degh, Linda, ed. Folktales of Hungary. Judit Halasz, translator. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965.

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The Grey Castle

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a British tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Briggs, Katherine M., ed. A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970, 1971. pt. A. v. 1. p. 298.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback (Part A).

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Handsome András

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a Hungarian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Degh, Linda, ed. Folktales of Hungary. Judit Halasz, translator. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1965.

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Herman Perk and the Seal

A web version of this tale is at Herman Perk and the Seal.

This is a tale from the Shetland Islands.

This tale is not AT-400, but contains the element of keeping a wife by capturing an article of her clothing.

An English language version is available in:

Nicolson, John. Some Folk-Tales and Legends of Shetland. Edinburgh: Thomas Allan and Sons, 1920. pp. 62-63.

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Iron Pestle and the Girl with the Donkey's Head

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Arabian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Bushnaq, Inea, ed. and trans. Arab Folktales. New York: Pantheon Books, 1986.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover or paperback.

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The Iron Pot

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a French tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Massignon, Genevieve, ed. Folktales of France. Jacqueline Hyland, translator. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover or paperback.

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José Guerné

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a tale from Chile.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Pino-Saaverdra, Yolando, ed. Folktales of Chile. Rockwell Gray, ed. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1967.

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Maid Lena

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a tale from Denmark.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Cole, Joanna, ed. Best-Loved Folktales of the World. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1982.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover or paperback.

Thompson, Stith, ed. One Hundred Favorite Folktales. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1974.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Maiden Tsar

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Afanasyev, Aleksandr. Russian Fairy Tales. Norbert Guterman, translator. New York: Pantheon Books, 1945.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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Melusina (Germany)

You can read several Melusina tales on D. L. Ashliman's site at Melusina.

These tales are similar to AT-400.

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The Mermaid Wife

A web version of this tale is at The Mermaid Wife.

This tale is from the Shetland Islands.

This tale is Christiansen type 4080, similar to AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Douglas, George. Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales. London: Walter Scott Publishing Co., 1901. pp. 153-155.

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The Monkey Boy

A web version of this tale is at The Monkey Boy.

This is a tale from India.

This tale is not AT-400, but contains the element of keeping a wife by capturing an article of her clothing.

An English language version is available in:

Bompas, Cecil Henry. Folklore of the Santal Parganas. London: David Nutt, 1909. no. 15, pp. 56-60.

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The Monkey Husband

A web version of this tale is at The Monkey Husband.

This is a tale from India.

This tale is not AT-400, but contains the element of keeping a wife by capturing an article of her clothing.

An English language version is available in:

Bompas, Cecil Henry. Folklore of the Santal Parganas. London: David Nutt, 1909. no. 70, pp. 212-214.

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The Nine Pea-Hens and the Golden Apples

A web version of this tale is at The Nine Pea-Hens and the Golden Apples. Compare to The Golden Apple Tree and the Nine Peahens.

This is a Serbian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Lang, Andrew, ed. The Violet Fairy Book. New York: Dover, 1966. (Original published 1901.)
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Old Witch

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a German tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Grimm's Other Tales. William Hansen, selector. Ruth Michael-Jenas and Arthur Ratcliff, translators. London: Golden Cockerel Press, 1956.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in hardcover.

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The Princess of the Blue Mountains

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a British tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Briggs, Katherine M., ed. A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970, 1971. p. 448.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback (Part A).

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The Seal's Skin

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Icelandic tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Simpson, Jacqueline, ed. Icelandic Folktales and Legends. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1972.

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The Sealskin

A web version of this tale is available on D. L. Ashliman's site at The Sealskin.

This is an Icelandic tale.

This tale is Christiansen type 4080, similar to AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Avenstrup, Åge; and Elisabeth Treitel. "Das Seehundsfell." Isländische Märchen und Volkssagen. Berlin: Axel Juncker Verlag, 1919. pp. 258-259. Translated by D. L. Ashliman.

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Seven Young Sky Women

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a tale from the Philippines.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Dorson, Richard M., ed. Folktales Told Around the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1975.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Silkie Wife

A web version of this tale is at The Silkie Wife.

This is a tale from the Shetland and Orkney Islands.

This tale is Christiansen type 4080, similar to AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Kennedy, Patrick. Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts. London: Macmillan and Company, 1866. pp.122-124.

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A Slim Yellow Catfish

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a tale from the Ozarks, USA.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Randolph, Vance. The Devil's Pretty Daughter and Other Ozark Folk Tales. New York: Columbia University Press, 1955.

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The Snake Princess

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a southern USA tale, specifically eastern Kentucky.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Campbell, Marie. Tales from the Cloud Walking Country. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1958. (Reprint available from Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1976.)
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Son of the Widow

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a Greek tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Dawkins, R. M., ed. and trans. Modern Greek Folktales. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1953.

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Soria Moria Castle

A web version of this tale is at Soria Moria Castle.

This is a Norwegian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Asbjornsen, Peter Christen and Moe, Jorgen. Norwegian Folk Tales. Pat Shaw Iverson and Carl Norman, translators. New York: Pantheon Books, 1960.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

Asbjornsen, Peter Christen and Moe, Jorgen. East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. George Webbe Dasent. New York: Dover, 1970. (This is a reprint of all the Asbjornsen and Moe stories in Popular Tales from the Norse. Edinburgh: David Douglass, 1888.)
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Three Princesses in Whittenland

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions. Compare it to The Three Princesses of Whiteland below.

This is a Norwegian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Christiansen, Reidar, ed. Folktales of Norway. Pat Shaw Iversen, translator. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1964.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Three Princesses of Whiteland

A web version of this tale is at The Three Princesses of Whiteland.

This is a Norwegian tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Asbjornsen, Peter Christen and Moe, Jorgen. East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. George Webbe Dasent. New York: Dover, 1970. (This is a reprint of all the Asbjornsen and Moe stories in Popular Tales from the Norse. Edinburgh: David Douglass, 1888.)
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

Thompson, Stith, ed. One Hundred Favorite Folktales. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1974.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.

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The Twelve Doves on the Mountain of the Sun

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is an Italian American tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Mathias, Elizabeth and Richard Raspa. Italian Folktales in America. Wayne State University Folklore Archive Study Series. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1985.

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Wild Edric

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a British tale. Briggs presents two versions. One in Part A, volume 1, p.574 and one in Part B, volume 1, p. 405.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Briggs, Katherine M., ed. A Dictionary of British Folk-Tales in the English Language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1970, 1971.
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback (Part A).

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The Woman Who Came Down from Heaven

A web version of this tale does not exist due to copyright restrictions.

This is a Japanese tale.

This tale is AT-400.

An English language version is available in:

Seki, Keigo. Folktales of Japan. Robert J. Adams, translator. Folktales of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963.

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