TWS: The Nature of Swans

[Sperran]

I'm making this its own separate topic because it seems like something that will be relevant across all chapters. It seems that a big part of the story (and relationship to our work) has to be understanding what symbolic importance that the swans have and how that is relevant.

One of the first thing that popped into my head is that swans mate for life. How might that be relevant to this story? How might that be relevant to your own work?



What are some other aspects of the swans that you think might be important across all the chapters?

[Sperran]

What are some other aspects of the swans that you think might be important across all the chapters?

I'm thinking that for those of us focusing on the elements path that they would have to be relevant to air and water.

[FierFlye]

I'm thinking that for those of us focusing on the elements path that they would have to be relevant to air and water.

This reminds me of something a friend of mine once said: "If I could be any animal, I'd be a duck, because they can walk on the land, swim in the water, and fly through the air."

The same goes for swans. They are not as limited as some other animals.

[Finn]

This reminds me of something a friend of mine once said: "If I could be any animal, I'd be a duck, because they can walk on the land, swim in the water, and fly through the air."

The same goes for swans. They are not as limited as some other animals.

*nod*

Swans (and waterfowl) are significant characters in Celtic mythology as messengers between the Otherworld and this one. Being able to transcend all of the realms makes them highly magical and important omens.

They also appear as shapeshifters/transformations in Celtic mythology, most notably in The Children of Llyr and The Dream of Aengus Og, thus extending the "limitless" associations further.

Swans are also often associated with Brighid, for their associations with poetry, the soul, and the sun, as well as healing and water in general.

Here's some stuff about them from the OBOD site.

[Sperran]

So the combination of information we've gleaned thus far that might be relevant is:

1) Swans mate for life. This could symolize a lifetime commitment or devotion.

2) Swans seem to be comfortable with at least 3 elements (water, air, and earth).

3) Swans are comfortable going between the worlds.

4) Swans symbolize messages/messengers.

Since, in the story, we play the role of Rose, how are these things important to us? Also, what does it mean that we take the role of an outsider (the only girl, and the 13th child?)

[Waldhexe]

I think we could collect a long list of what swans symbolize in different traditions, but what fascinates me personally at the moment is their white color, their beauty and how proud they look.

I really love the story about the ugly duck who turns into a swan. For me it shows how every creature has its own original beauty, how pure that beauty is and how it can be derrailed by people who don't tolerate being different.