The Swan
Cygnus
The white bird of the hidden god and the dying song.
The Swan: what does it mean in analytical psychology?
The alchemists counted the white swan among the birds of the work, the bird of the albedo between the black raven and the red phoenix. In myth it is the form of a god in hiding, as when Zeus came to Leda, and of the swan-maidens who lose their feather-robes and are held on earth.
White on dark water, the swan is the soul that can pass between worlds.
The Swan: where does it appear in myth and tradition?
Leda and the swan; Apollo’s swans; Lohengrin, the swan-knight; the swan-maidens; the swan’s song at its death.
From the Sources
Pliny reports the story that the swan utters a mournful song at the moment of its death, but says that in his opinion this is an error, having tested it several times.
“It is stated that at the moment of the swan’s death, it gives utterance to a mournful song; but this is an error, in my opinion, at least I have tested the truth of the story on several occasions.”
Pliny the Elder, The Natural History of Pliny, Vol. II, Book X, Chapter 32, "Swans". Translated, with copious notes and illustrations, by the late John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., and H. T. Riley, Esq., B.A.; London: Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden, MDCCCLV (Project Gutenberg eBook #60230). The text, read in part
Bulfinch relates that Castor and Pollux were the children of Leda and the Swan, a disguise under which Jupiter had concealed himself, and that Leda gave birth to an egg from which the twins sprang.
“Castor and Pollux were the offspring of Leda and the Swan, under which disguise Jupiter had concealed himself. Leda gave birth to an egg from which sprang the twins.”
Thomas Bulfinch, Bulfinch's Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry, Legends of Charlemagne, The Age of Fable, Chapter XX, "Castor and Pollux". Complete in one volume, Project Gutenberg eBook #4928. The text, read in part
Each passage is quoted from the text named, which the press fetched and read, and was checked word for word against a fresh copy of it; the link opens that copy. Passages are given as printed, without the editors’ footnote numbers, and with words broken across lines joined.
Where to Read
- Mysterium Coniunctionis, CW 14
- Psychology and Alchemy, CW 12
Jung’s writings are cited by the volume of the Collected Works (CW), Bollingen Series / Princeton, 1953–79.
Related Symbols
In the Glossary: Albedo.
Also among Birds
“Learn as much as you can about symbolism; then forget it all when you are analysing a dream.”
Cite This Entry
“The Swan.” In Symbols of the Psyche, the Symbolarium. The Thinking Press, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/symbolarium/psyche/swan.
Symbols That Share Its Terms
Silver (Argentum) · Rain (Dew) · The Dew (Ros, the heavenly moisture) · The Dove
Nearby in the alphabet: Sulphur: The burning principle: desire and will. The Sun: Consciousness, and its daily and yearly course. The Sword: The blade that cuts, divides, and judges. The Temple: The sacred precinct, set apart.