History Main / SwansASwimming

* Music/RichardWagner's ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' famously has the mysterious eponymous virtuous knight appears in a boat drawn by a swan. The animal itself turns out to be a [[BalefulPolymorph cursed prince]].

* Lohengrin, one of the [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Knights of the Round Table]], was known as the Knight of the Swan and is often shown in a boat pulled by swans.

* Music/RichardWagner's ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' famously has the mysterious eponymous knight appears in a boat drawn by a swan. The animal itself turns out to be a [[BalefulPolymorph cursed prince]].

* Music/RichardWagner's ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' famously has the mysterious eponymous knight appears in a boat drawn by a swan.

* ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' (in which the Swan Knight appears in a boat pulled by a swan) was UsefulNotes/LudwigIIOfBavaria's favorite opera, and he had his famous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle Castle Neuschwanstein]] ("New Castle of the Swan") decorated with plenty of swans.

* Creator/RichardWagner's ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' famously has the mysterious eponymous knight appears in a boat drawn by a swan.

* ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}'' (in which the eponymous knight appears in a boat pulled by a swan) was UsefulNotes/LudwigIIOfBavaria's favorite opera, and he had his famous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle Castle Neuschwanstein]] ("New Castle of the Swan") decorated with plenty of swans.

[[folder:Theater]]
* In Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky's famous ballet ''Theatre/SwanLake'', the protagonist Odette and her many companions are cursed to turn into swans during the day. Prince Siegfried, her lover, has to make a declaration of love to her to break their spell. Odette's EvilCounterpart Odile can presumably turn into a black swan as well.

* Zig-zagged by Franchise/WonderWoman villain the Silver Swan. The three women to have worn the identity are all fairly dangerous individuals armed with a deadly [[MakeMeWannaShout "Swan Song"]], but all of them fall under TragicVillain to one extent or another, having their insecurities manipulated by worse (usually male) villains.

* In Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky's famous ballet ''Theatre/SwanLake'', the protagonist Odette and her many companions are cursed to turn into swans during the day. Prince Siegfried, her lover, has to make a declaration of love to her to break their spell. Odette’s EvilCounterpart Odile can presumably can turn into a black swan as well.

* In Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky's famous ballet ''Theatre/SwanLake'', the protagonist Odette and her many companions are cursed to turn into swans during the day. Prince Siegfried, her lover, has to make a declaration of love to her to break their spell. Odette’s EvilDoppelganger Odile can presumably can turn into a black swan as well.

* In Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky's famous ballet ''Theatre/SwanLake'', the protagonist Odette is turned into a swan. Prince Siegfried, her lover, has to find a way to turn her back to normal again so they can have their BabiesEverAfter ending together.

* In ''Film/HotFuzz'', [[TheAce 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:[[BrickJoke it attacks]] [[BigBad Frank Butterman]], stopping him [[JustForPun single-wingedly]]]].

[[caption-width-right:350: Pictured: Something that will enchant you. Also pictured: Something that will ''hurt'' you.[[note]]Nope, not the crocodile. Something else that's spreading.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350: Pictured: Something that will enchant you. Also pictured: Something that will ''hurt'' you.]]

A lot of portrayals of swans in the media paint them as beautiful, peaceful birds, which isn't surprising considering that they're [[HerbivoresAreFriendly nigh-exclusively herbivorous.]][[note]]Again, not really; swans are actually omnivores like most other water birds, and can and will eat things like insects, amphibians, fish and crustaceans, and on rare occasions, other birds![[/note]] That said, however, peaceful they ain't -- thanks to media depictions of them as almost angelic in behavior, not many people realize swans are very territorial birds and that a pissed-off swan will ''[[KillerRabbit mess you up]]'', especially during nesting season when they've got cygnets [[MamaBear to]] [[PapaBear protect]] — swans are among the greatest parents in the animal kingdom, and will protect their cygnets with their life against any predator or intruder, including careless humans. Nonetheless, that hasn't stopped folklore and fiction from portraying swans as symbols of purity, because their imagery is very similar to that of angels, and that includes the white feathers, and everyone knows that LightIsGood. They have also been used as symbols of love, due to their monogamous habits and the heart shape their necks make when two swans face each other. Many {{Shapeshifting Lover}}s are swans. The meme of the swan as graceful on the water and somewhat otherworldly has been influential on human minds, especially those who dwell in riverfaring cultures: witness the existence of SwanBoats in many cultures.

** The literary fairy tale "Literature/TheUglyDuckling" tells the story of a cygnet ostracized by his fellow barnyard fowl because of his perceived homeliness. To his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a graceful swan, the most beautiful bird of all.

* The elegant swan ballerina Madame Bella Swanna makes a brief appearance in the background of "Punchinello" in ''The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast'', and gets her own poem in the sequel ''The Peacock Party''.

A lot of portrayals of swans in the media paint them as beautiful, peaceful birds, which isn't surprising considering that they're [[HerbivoresAreFriendly nigh-exclusively herbivorous.]][[note]]Again, not really; swans are actually omnivores like most other water birds, and can and will eat things like insects, amphibians, fish and crustaceans, and on rare occasions, other birds![[/note]] That said, however, peaceful they ain't -- thanks to media depictions of them as almost angelic in behavior, not many people realize swans are very territorial birds and that a pissed-off swan will ''[[KillerRabbit mess you up]]'', especially during nesting season when they've got cygnets [[MamaBear to]] [[PapaBear protect]] - swans are among the greatest parents in the animal kingdom, and will protect their cygnets with their life against any predator or intruder, including careless humans. Nonetheless, that hasn't stopped folklore and fiction from portraying swans as symbols of purity, because their imagery is very similar to that of angels, and that includes the white feathers, and everyone knows that LightIsGood. They have also been used as symbols of love, due to their monogamous habits and the heart shape their necks make when two swans face each other. Many {{Shapeshifting Lover}}s are swans. The meme of the swan as graceful on the water and somewhat otherworldly has been influential on human minds, especially those who dwell in riverfaring cultures: witness the existence of SwanBoats in many cultures.

On a side note, expect all swans you see in pop culture to be white, and typically based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whooper_swan Whooper swans]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mute_swan Mute swans]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpeter_swan Trumpeter swans]]; the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tundra_swan Tundra swan]] is shown considerably less than the others, almost to the point of being a SeldomSeenSpecies. [[PaletteSwap Black swans and black-necked swans]] do exist, but they're only native to Australia and South America respectively, which explains why Western culture never even heard of them until around the 18th century or so. In fact, black swans were for a good while used as metaphors for something which could not exist, and later for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_swan_theory something whose existence couldn't be predicted but is later rationalized as predictable]].