Leita first appears in the story as a human woman—the result of Mr. Peters’s wish for a wife “as beautiful as the forest” (226). Later, she is revealed to be a swan transformed into a human, placing her within the literary tradition of the swan maiden. As a character, Leita is gentle, quiet, and accommodating. She assumes the role of a traditional housewife, performing domestic labor and caring for Mr. Peters. Despite her efforts to assimilate into his life, she remains drawn to the river and her sister, Rhea, demonstrating that her physical transformation has not suppressed her underlying identity.

When viewed through a feminist lens, Leita’s characterization reflects the tension between traditional domestic roles and female autonomy. Her concern over who will “cook [Mr. Peters’s] meals and see to the hens” demonstrates how deeply these social roles shape her thinking (229).

Leita’s repeated returns to the riverbank, despite her insistence that she loves Mr. Peters, emphasizes the story’s thematic focus on the impossibility of suppressing one’s true nature. When Mr. Peters restores Leita to her true form, she does not abandon him. Instead, she and Rhea remain nearby, continuing as quiet companions for the rest of his life. Leita’s continued presence, along with her final gift of the white feather, suggests that their relationship endured because Mr. Peters relinquished his desire for control.

The King of the Forest first appears as the tangled swan that Mr. Peters rescues early in the story. After the swan is freed, he transforms into “a little man in all green with a golden crown and long beard,” with “glittering eyes that look[] by no means friendly” (226). Despite being rescued by Mr. Peters, the King of the Forest reacts to Mr. Peters with suspicion. His sarcastically ironic remark that Mr. Peters helped him “by pure good fortune” suggests that he doubts the man’s motives and expects Mr. Peters to seek a reward (226). 

The King’s skeptical tone foreshadows the consequences of Mr. Peters’s wish. By warning the man that humans often misuse magic—“they mostly end up worse off than they started” (226)—the King positions himself as a critic of human behavior. His attitude reflects the narrative’s thematic interest in the consequences of desire, conveying the idea that Mr. Peters’s experiences are part of a larger pattern that the King has witnessed many times before. By begrudgingly granting Mr. Peters his three wishes, his character initiates the central question of the narrative: Will Mr. Peters be the exception to the King’s claim that humans always choose poorly when granted wishes?