PAC628 The Swan Maiden

In Celtic mythology, swans symbolise as sacred shape-shifters linked to love, music, purity, and the Otherworld.Stories of the Swan-Maiden goes back for centuries, and appear in both eastern and western literature. Women who turn into birds and vice versa were popular themes, and the swan was particularly favoured due to its grace in the water. Celtic folklore brings us The Legend of the Children of Lir. When King Lir’s first wife dies, he marries a wicked woman Arife. Jealous of Lir’s children from his first wife, Arife turns them all into swans.The young love-god Aengus dreams of a maiden named Caer Ibormeith who spends every alternate year in the form of a swan bound by a silver chain. Aengus transforms into a swan to join her, and their magical singing lulls all of Ireland into a three-day slumber.