“This is a short summary from Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen, you may purchase the original book from Amazon“
In the beautiful countryside during summer, surrounded by golden wheat fields, green oats, and meadows filled with hay, a stork gracefully clacks away in Egyptian. Vast forests and hidden lakes complement the picturesque landscape. Near an old manor house with a deep moat and towering burdock leaves, a weary duck sits on her nest, hatching her ducklings. Her loneliness and the allure of swimming in the moat keep the other ducks away, leaving her longing for company.
A duck is hatching a clutch of eggs under a burdock leaf in the countryside. As the eggs begin to hatch, the young ducklings peep and poke their heads out. The mother duck encourages them to explore the world around them, emphasizing how vast it is. However, one egg is taking a long time to hatch, and the mother duck grows impatient. An old duck suggests that the stubborn egg might be a turkey egg, as she had a similar experience before with turkey chicks that were afraid of water. Despite this, the mother duck decides to wait a little longer for the remaining egg to hatch.
The last and largest egg finally hatches, revealing an unusually big and ugly duckling. The mother duck is initially unsure if this duckling is her own or a turkey, but she decides to test his swimming abilities. The next day, they all go to the moat, and the ducklings enthusiastically jump into the water, including the big, ugly one. To the mother duck’s surprise, he swims exceptionally well and holds himself gracefully.
The mother duck then introduces her brood to the duck yard, where they meet other ducks and learn proper duck behavior. The ducks in the yard, including an old duck with a red rag around her leg, comment on how nice the mother’s other ducklings look but express disdain for the big, ugly one. They criticize his appearance and question his presence in their group.
Despite the harsh comments, the mother duck defends her ugly duckling and hopes he will grow up to be a strong drake. The story highlights themes of appearance versus inner qualities and the mother’s unwavering love and belief in her unique offspring.
The poor duckling continues to face ridicule and mistreatment from the ducks, chickens, and even his own siblings due to his perceived ugliness. He becomes the laughingstock of the barnyard, enduring constant abuse and wishing he were far away. Eventually, he escapes by flying over the fence and seeks refuge in the marsh where wild ducks live.
At the marsh, he hopes for a peaceful existence and the chance to drink water from the reeds. However, he’s approached by two male wild geese who, despite acknowledging his ugliness, invite him to join them as they plan to visit another marsh inhabited by attractive female wild geese. The duckling’s journey takes an unexpected turn as he ventures with the wild geese in search of companionship and acceptance.
A great hunt is underway in the marsh, and two ganders who had invited the ugly duckling to join them are shot and killed by hunters. The duckling hides in fear, and a dog passes by without harming him, possibly because he’s so ugly.
After the hunt, the duckling finally dares to move and escapes from the marsh. He faces harsh winds as he runs across fields and meadows. Eventually, he comes across a ramshackle hovel and seeks shelter inside. Inside the hovel, an old woman lives with her cat, Sonny, and her hen, Chickie Shortleg. Mistaking the duckling for a lost duck, the old woman decides to keep him, hoping for duck eggs.
Over the next three weeks, they wait for the duckling to lay an egg, but he doesn’t. The cat and hen consider themselves masters of the house and dismiss the duckling’s opinions because he can’t lay eggs or perform other tricks like them. The duckling finds himself in an unfamiliar and unwelcoming environment, where he’s misunderstood and treated as an outsider.
The duckling, feeling despondent in the hovel, longed for the fresh air and sunlight and shared his desire to swim with the hen. However, the hen dismissed his wishes, suggesting that he should lay an egg or learn to purr instead. The duckling tried to explain the joy of swimming, but the hen and the cat ridiculed him. The hen insisted that he should be grateful for the shelter and guidance they provided.
Frustrated and misunderstood, the duckling decided to leave the hovel and explore the wider world. He swam and dived in the water, but everywhere he went, he faced rejection and mockery due to his ugliness.
As autumn arrived, the world turned cold and unwelcoming. The forest’s leaves changed color, and the raven shivered on the fence, indicating the approaching winter. The duckling, still feeling lonely and outcast, had a challenging journey ahead.
As the sun set one evening, a flock of magnificent swans appeared, flying gracefully and emitting a strange cry. The duckling, captivated by their beauty, watched them with awe as they soared high into the sky, leaving the cold land for warmer regions. He felt a deep longing for these splendid birds, even though he could never dream of possessing their beauty. He longed for acceptance from the other ducks, but they had never tolerated him due to his ugliness.
The harsh winter set in, and the duckling had to keep swimming in the water to prevent it from freezing over. Every night, the hole he swam in grew smaller, and eventually, he became trapped in the ice. A kind farmer rescued him and took him home, but the duckling’s fear of humans and their children led to chaos in the house. He escaped and endured a difficult winter on his own.
With the arrival of spring, the duckling found himself in a beautiful garden. There, he saw three elegant white swans gliding on a stream. Recognizing them, he decided to approach, even though he feared they might harm him due to his ugliness. But in his heart, he believed that facing these royal birds would be better than enduring the suffering he had experienced among the ducks and other animals.
The once-ugly duckling, having endured so much hardship and misfortune, now had a deeper appreciation for his newfound good fortune and the beauty he had encountered. The elegant swans welcomed him, swimming around him and caressing him with their bills.
Children in the garden noticed him and celebrated his presence, considering him the most handsome bird they had ever seen. They danced, clapped their hands, and summoned their parents to join in. Everyone agreed that he was remarkably young and good-looking. Even the old swans paid him honor with a bow.
Feeling bashful and happy, the transformed swan tucked his head under his wing. He couldn’t fully understand the praise he received but remained humble, as a good heart never grows proud. He thought back to the days when he was persecuted and scorned, and now, hearing everyone call him the most beautiful of all birds, he realized the immense happiness he had found. The lilacs dipped their clusters into the stream, the warm sun shone upon him, and he rustled his feathers, holding his slender neck high. With a heart full of gratitude, he cried out, “I never dreamed there could be so much happiness when I was the ugly duckling.
