Our Native Species: Distribution and Migration
The swan is our largest, native waterbird frequenting wetlands such as lakes and rivers and needing large open spaces for take-off and landing. All species present here in Éire are of the genus Cygnus. The Mute swan cygnus olor is the most common and widespread, resident species here in Éire, but migratory flocks of Whooper swan cygnus cygnus and Bewick's swan cygnus columbianus bewickii visit our flooded grasslands during the winter months from colder climes in Northern Scandinavia. Their diet consists of aquatic vegetation, they hold lifelong pair bonds and are faithful to their nesting territories. During courtship it is not uncommon for pairs to dance, bend necks together and touch beaks in a mating ritual that resembles the shape of a heart. As a species they are an important indicator in many aquatic habitats, providing a complex function in the regulation of aquatic ecosystems through the management vegetation and provision of nutrient. They are commonly depicted in traditional artwork pieces, depicting themes of grace, majesty and royal heritage.
Swan Symbolism and Spiritual Traditions
The shamanic traditions have always held the swan as sacred, depicting them as the bridge between the earthly and the celestial realms. These majestic, birds glide through the air and waters with ease and grace, much like Shamans, in their ability to move through various states of consciousness. This sacred veneration is not only held by those of earth-based practices but widespread across many other spiritual traditions.
In Hinduism and Indian tradition, Saraswathi is often depicted in an alchemical process with swans, transversing ripples in a dried river bed, which transform into dew. In Buddhism the term hamsa which means swan is representative of spiritual transcendence and purity. In Egyptian lore, the Goddess Isis is often depicted with swan wings and in Greek mythos, both the God Apollo and Aphrodite the Goddess of Love were associated with the swan. We also see this theme in pre-greek tradition, with the Goddess Eurynome, whose name means "eternal wanderer". Eurynome was responsible for the creation of the world, which occurred after she transformed into a swan, crossed the primordial sea and laid an egg.
If we look at the Celtic traditions of Ireland and Britain, we can see that swans are often associated with the Goddess Brígdhe, the triple goddess who presided over agriculture, the land and the realms of birth and death. Much of Irish mythos is associated with the story telling around the archetypal feminine maiden- swan energy e.g. Caer Ibormeith, a prince’s daughter, would shape-shift into a swan every alternate Samhain. In this myth we can also see ties to place, specifically the River Boyne in the Boyne Valley. A similar tale also exists in Scottish folklore, with Angus married to the Goddess Bríghde, who is also a swan-maiden (Mythical Ireland 2025).
The Celtic Isles and Sacred Swan Sites
It was Moore and Murphy that linked the mythos Bodh and Caer to the winter migratory passage of Whooper swan Cynus Cynus from Scandanavian reaches to the wet grasslands of the Boyne Valley. In Ireland, Newgrange in the Boyne Valley is deeply intertwined with this forgotten lineage, and it is here, that a passage tomb was built in c.3000BC. At winter solstice sunlight enters the tomb illuminating the heart of the monument. The creation of the grave site not only reflects the influence of the sun but also that of the Cygnus constellation, the celestial swan, which aligns with the interior of the monument. The principal stars within the constellation echo the internal arrangement of the monument, with both the grave site and the constellation cruciform in shape (Mythical Ireland 2025).
In England sites such as Avebury in Wiltshire, a neolithic henge monument are also tied to the swan, with the stone arrangement mirroring the celestial star constellation.
In the Scottish Outer Hebrides, another stone circle in Callanish on the Isle of Lewis holds powerful ties to this celestial and earthly stream of consciousness. Legends speak of its construction and the presence of a priest-king dressed in a coat of mallard feathers, which along with swan feathers were the traditional garment of a Gaelic bard (Mythical Ireland 2025).
Callanish like Newgrange is built to align with the Cygnus alignment with the northern avenue of stones points towards a distant hill in the North East, isolating the point in the sky where in 3000 BC Sadr (gamma Cygni), the central star in the cruciform design becomes visible. Burl argues that Callanish's foundation story associates it with a Goddess based spiritual tradition linked with water, waterfowl and rebirth (Burl 1993)
The Migration of the Swan and the Transmigration of the Soul
It was Bertrand that linked the migratory passage of Whooper Swan Cynus Cynus into overwintering sites in Ireland and the British Isles with the old Irish and Brythonic Swan festivals of November the 11th. At this time, we move into the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This period marks the beginning the energetic descent, the hibernation of ecosystems and a time where biodiversity rests and recuperates.
It is also a time of shedding, releasing and communal grieving. Traditionally it was a time for keening (ag caoineadh) and cleaning out of the old. This pre-christian tradition was widespread in Ireland as well as other parts of the world and was associated with the Banshee (Bean Sídhe), a fairy-women who was the guardian of the threshold of death: who came to warn those of a passing, which could be both physical or metaphysical.
Bertrand states that “Swans were female shapeshifters and shamans who carried souls between worlds and escorted the dead to and from the Otherworld. Samhain was known as a time when the veils were thin, souls were departing, and ancestors were walking and communicating. It was a time for magic, for scrying, for transformation and ritual. A time of ceremonial magic for bards, druids and druidesses often dressed in a ceremonial cloak (tuigen) made of swan feathers”
The keening women would wail and sing the souls across these thresholds, they were space-holders of communal grief and voiced the cries of the mourning through ritualised swan songs that were encoded with specific frequencies. These were the “frequencies that opened portals between the worlds" and opened "the ‘womb door’ that brings life or death” (Bertrand 2023).
It was the Goddess Brígdhe who was known for her role as "psychopomp" and midwife during this transmigration of the soul. Brígdhe brought the Keening tradition to Ireland through the expression of profound grief upon the death of her son Ruadán. Brígdhe was also strongly associated with the singing of these emotive “Swan Songs” for those crossing over (Bertrand 2023).
The use of swans were also documented across many ancient burial sites through archaeological exploration. The earliest known remnants of swans have been used in burials dating as far back as c.4800BC. In Denmark archaeologists uncovered a burial site with remains laid to rest on a swan’s wing, attributed to the Mesolithic age, and even predating Europe’s Neolithic age of which notable megaliths; Avebury, Newgrange and Callanish are a part (Burl 1993). This discovery was not isolated to the Danish site with many womb-like burial pits uncovered throughout the Celtic Isles. These discoveries create substantial links to the swan and the spiritual rite of dying.
European Shamanism and Priestess Lineages
Europe was originally a Goddess worshipping region and the earliest cultural foundations prior to the formation of agriculture were rooted in Shamanism. These roles were deeply communal and often held by women. Many of the European old faiths (8000 years ago) were rooted in the wordship of Mother Earth, she was honoured and worshipped as being nature, but also as guardian for nature itself.
As cultivation of land developed through the agricultural age her role as guardian expanded and she sat at the apex of a widespread living, land-based, lineage. When the hunters of Old Europe adopted agriculture, the old traditions and rituals still remained. Goddess worship held a firm position in Old European communities, and women held esteemed positions, presiding over birth, life and death rituals.
There was deep understanding of the multidimensionality of the feminine principle, one that was rooted in experiential understanding and love for the Great Mother as provider, protector and nourisher.
The Importance of the Land, Waters and the Cosmos
When we examine the threads in the above writing, we find a pre-christian tradition that is centred around the feminine principle, a goddess centric, communal experience of spiritual worship that was both rooted in the earth, structured into matter and aligned with the cosmos, with the swan as emblem. To me the swan is the picture of elemental embodiment; navigating the lands, the air and the waters, soaring, sailing and grounding.
In the swan I see a powerful metaphor for the awakening of the womb. It is the essence of deeper layers of womb work; the deep grounding of our energy, the navigation of our womb waters and the earthly tethering that allows us to safely explore alternate states of consciousness. Its symbology brings us back to our wombs, our hearts and our voices. At a deeper level the cosmology of the cruciform shape of Cygnus linking deeply to the womb cross, the journey of the feminine grail and the creation of a bridge between the heavens and earth.
This article is but a brief synopsis of the symbolism of the swan, its ecology as it pertains to this area and the spiritual/ritual context of this being, in relation to the land, loughs and sacred sites in Ireland and Britain. If you are interested in these topics and want to learn more subscribe to the mailing list or follow me on substack.
Le grá,
Sarah Marie
© Eala Croí All Rights Reserved.
Bibliography
Bertrand, Seren 2023 – 11.11-The Return of Ancestral Swan Magic Available at: https://substack.com/@serenbertrand/note/p-138622988?r=1mxdmv&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action Accessed on: November 2025
Burl, Aubrey (1993) From Carnac to Callanish, Yale University Press
Mythical Ireland 2025- The Cygnus Enigma Available at: The Cygnus Enigma – Mythical Ireland Accessed on November 2025
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