De Zes Zwanen (The Six Swans)

On 28 October 2018 The Efteling revealed The Six Swans

The scene features swans in a moat that can be ridden by visitors.
The swans can seat 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 children per boat.
The swan boats are not accessible to wheelchair users.

You can also view the scene from a different angle by walking through it.

Story

Originally a Grimm tale.

Once upon a time, there was a king with six sons and a sweet, clever daughter called Elisa. They loved each other dearly. When the king remarried, he hid his children in a secret castle. Would the new queen treat his children well? One day the jealous queen discovered the secret of the children hidden in the castle and changed the six princes into swans.

To break the spell, their little sister Elisa would have to knit six shirts from aster flowers and would not be allowed to speak or laugh for six years. Elisa valiantly began to knit, for months, all alone in the castle. The work made her hands blister, but she persevered. Once in a while, the six swans visited their sister in the castle lake, which made Elisa even more determined to finish the shirts.

Would Elisa succeed in breaking the spell?

Read the official Efteling version of the story in 'En Ze Leven Nog Lang en Gelukkig' available from the souvenir stores (Only in Dutch)

Get Zes Zwanen souvenirs from the Efteling souvenir shop

Translation

The story of The Six Swans is played on audio during the walk through.
This is in the Dutch language. Please find below a translation for your benefit.

A king had six sons and a sweet little daughter.
When the monarch remarried, this could no longer be.

His new wife - jealous and vain - would hate the children.
The king hid them away in a castle, had to leave them behind.

The queen found out and was intent on vengeance.
She turned the brothers into swans, the girl was given a task.

"Six shirts you must knit, to bring back your brothers.
Made of asters instead of wool.
Shrouded in silence".

The girl dedicates herself to her task, in all her loneliness.
She does not smile and does not speak a word, Out of devoted love.