Swans feature strongly in mythology. In Greek mythology, the story of Leda and the Swan recounts that Helen of Troy was conceived in a union of Zeus disguised as a swan and Leda, Queen of Sparta. The Irish legend of the Children of Lir is about a mother transforming her children into swans for 900 years. Myths also exist about swans themselves. It was once believed that upon death, the otherwise silent Mute swan would sing beautifully - hence the phrase swan song. In Norse mythology, there are two swans that drink from the sacred Well of Urd in the realm of Asgard, home of the gods. According to the Prose Edda, the water of this well is so pure and holy that all things that touch it turn white, including this original pair of swans and all others descended from them. In the Finnish epic Kalevala, a swan lives in the Tuoni river, the river of Tuonela, place of death. According to the story, whoever shot a swan, would perish as well. Jean Sibelius composed the Lemminkäinen Suite based on Kalevala, with the second piece titled The Swan of Tuonela (Tuonelan joutsen). Today five flying swans are the symbol of the Nordic Countries and the whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) is the national bird of Finland.
Source: Wikipedia
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