Up: [[Symbols]] Created: 2024-09-13 Updated: 2025-12-06 In Ireland, swans migrate at [[Imbolc]] then come home at [[Samhain]]. So when they leave it’s the sign that spring is coming and when they return, winter. By knowing where it needs to be in every season, the swan is showing us the importance of [[Place]], especially home. Swans transport souls to the afterlife, the land of Tir na nOg, to await rebirth. The Celtic goddess [[Bride]] guides the journey. Bards wore the tugen, a ceremonial cloak made of swan feathers *invoking the soul’s flight toward poetic inspiration* Lunaea Weatherstone, *Tending Brigid's Fire,* p93 Swans are shapeshifter birds in Celtic mythology. - Human to swan transformation can result from a spell or curse. - Enchanted swans wear gold or silver chains; a sign of otherworldliness. If you follow them, you may be taken to the Otherworld. - Some swan maidens become human at [[liminal]] times of dawn or twilight. Swans are a calm and graceful symbol of peace but, like their goddess Bride, they can be powerful and fierce. ![[Swan.webp|400]]