Once upon a time there were twelve royal children – eleven brothers and one older sister, Elisa.

Había una vez doce hijos de un rey – once hermanos y una hermana mayor, Elisa.

One day the mother died, and some time later the king married again. The new wife, however, was an evil witch.

Un día murió la madre y algún tiempo después, el rey se volvió a casar. Pero la nueva esposa era una bruja malvada.

She turned the eleven princes into swans and sent them far away to a distant land beyond the large forest.

Convirtió a los once principes en cisnes y les mandó a un país muy lejano más allá del gran bosque.

She dressed the girl in rags and smeared an ointment onto her face that turned her so ugly, that even her own father no longer recognized her and chased her out of the castle.