In the Brothers Grimm tale “The Six Swans,” the shirts for the enchanted brothers are made from star flowers.
A wicked stepmother uses magic to transform the king’s six sons into swans. Their sister learns that she can restore them, but she must remain silent for six years and sew six shirts for them. The shirts must be made from star flowers, a demanding task that requires patience and precision.
The girl spends the required years gathering the flowers and sewing. Because she cannot speak, she cannot explain herself when her silence makes others suspect her. In many versions, she lives in isolation while continuing the work.
The tale is related to other European stories about human relatives changed into birds and rescued through a period of silence. It is often confused with “The Seven Ravens,” another Grimm tale in which a sister saves brothers by sewing shirts, but the number of brothers and the details differ.