Daughter of the Forest

by Juliet Marillier · 1999

Daughter of the Forest, the first novel in Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy, retells the classic Celtic legend of the Six Swans. Set in 9th‑century Ireland, the story follows Sorcha, the youngest of seven children, who must save her five brothers from a deadly enchantment. To break the curse she must weave six shirts from a painful nettle plant while remaining completely silent for six years, a vow that tests her endurance, loyalty, and love. As she endures hardship, danger, and the pull of a mysterious stranger, Sorcha’s journey becomes a powerful tale of sacrifice, sisterhood, and the resilience of the human spirit.