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{{trope}}
[[File:
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A lot of portrayals of swans in the media paint them as beautiful, peaceful birds, which isn't surprising considering that they're nigh exclusively herbivorous. That said, however, peaceful they ain't - thanks to media depictions of them as almost angelic in behavior, only a select few people know that a pissed-off swan will '''[[Killer Rabbit|MESS YOU UP.]]''' Nonetheless, that hasn't stopped folklore from portraying them as symbols of purity, because their imagery is very similar to that of angels, and that includes the white feathers.
On a side note, expect all swans you see in pop culture to be white. Please quietly ignore the fact that [[Palette Swap|black swans]] CAN and DO exist. [[It Makes Sense in Context|Of course, they're only native to Australia, which may explain why Western countries never even heard of them until around the 18th century or so.]] [
Swans are the largest members of the duck family, Anatidae. For more info about some of their... er... ''less'' angelic cousins, see [[Morally
Since this is an incomplete article, it needs more examples, preferably for the Live-Action TV, Film, and Western Animation sections.
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== Fairy Tales ==
* In ''[
* In ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20160429131052/http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/swanmaiden/index.html The Swan Maiden]'', the hunter's wife is one of the swan maidens.
* In the Lithuanian tale of [http://www.fairy-tales.parnas.info/en/lithunian/swan-queen.html The Swan Queen], the swan woman is treated very badly by all and sundry.
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* In ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'', [[The Ace|Nick Angel]] makes it his personal mission to track down a rogue swan and bring it to justice. During the climax of the film, {{spoiler|[[Brick Joke|It attacks]] [[Big Bad|Frank Butterman]], stopping him [[Just for Pun|single-wingedly]].}}
* Not swans ''per se'', but the Pegasi from the "Pastoral Symphony" in ''[[Fantasia]]'' evoke their imagery when they land on a lake and glide along its surface.
* [[Peter Pan (Disney film)|Peter Pan]] briefly landed on a pair of swans and riding on them as if they were waterskis while taking the Darling children to Neverland during the song "You Can Fly!"
** Even if ''you'' can fly, don't try that one at home, kids.
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* {{spoiler|Ingrid}}, the Swan, is a character from Graeme Base's ''The Eleventh Hour.''
* E.B. White's ''[[The Trumpet of the Swan]]'' is a weird [[Magic Realism]] story about a swan who wants to play a literal trumpet.
* ''[[
* There is a running gag in [[Shades of Grey]] involving swans of various sizes being very dangerous.
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* In ''[[Kamen Rider Ryuki]]'' and ''[[Kamen Rider Dragon Knight]]'', the one female Rider (Femme and Siren, respectively) is a swan-themed [[Distaff Counterpart]] of [[The Lancer]] (who himself has a bat theme).
* Sieg, one of several heroic [[Monster of the Week|Imagin]], who gives ''[[Kamen Rider Den-O]]'' the ability to transform into the powerful Wing Form. In-series, he's actually based on ''[[Swan Lake]]''.
* And ''[[
* In ''[[Choujin Sentai Jetman]]'', Kaori Rokumeikan is White Swan.
** Similarly, DekaSwan from ''[[Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger]]''.
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** Apollo is sometimes depicted riding a chariot pulled by swans.
* Swans also appear in Irish mythology. For example, the Irish legend of the ''Children of Lir'' is about a stepmother transforming her children into swans for 900 years. In another instance, in the legend ''The Wooing of Etain'', the king of the Sidhe, transforms himself and the most beautiful woman in Ireland, Etain, into swans to escape from the king of Ireland and Ireland's armies.
** Aengus Og fell in love with Caer Ibormeith, who was cursed to become a swan every other year. Her father said if Aengus could pick her out of 150 swans, the curse would break. Being the god of love, Aengus chose
* In [[Norse Mythology]], there are two swans that drink from the sacred Well of Urd in the realm of Asgard, home of the gods.
* Swans are revered in Hinduism, and are compared to saintly persons whose chief characteristic is to be in the world without getting attached to it, just as a swan's feather does not get wet although it is in water.
* Hans Christian Andersen's tale "The Wild Swans" is similar to the "Children of Lir" story. The king has eleven sons and one daughter, named Elisa. The evil stepmother turns the eleven brothers into swans and banishes Elisa, an interesting exception to the tradition of swan maidens.
* The fairy tale "[[
* Lohengrin, one of the Knights of the Round Table, was known as the Knight of the Swan and is often shown in a boat pulled by swans.
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'' gives us
* In ''[[Loom]]'', Weavers turn one another (or occasionally themselves) into swans, usually as a precursor to exile.
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== Western Animation ==
* The second skit of the Warner Brothers [[Merrie Melodies]] production "[[A Corny Concerto]]" features a sequence involving swans and an ugly duckling to the music of Johann Strauss' The Blue Danube.
* [[Adventure Time
== Real Life ==
* The swan (specifically, [
* During the icea ages, Malta was dominated by [
* Canadian royalty gives us the [
* Swan Upping is an annual ceremonial and practical activity in Britain in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, marked, and then released.
* The Sydney Swans are an [[Australian Rules Football]] team based in Sydney, Australia.
* [
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Fairy Tale Tropes]]
[[Category:Swans A Swimming]]
[[Category:
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