Leda's Swan

Like all swans, Leda's Swan wants to be near a lake, pond or other body of water. When he is moved from cache to cache, please try to keep him near his preferred habitat. I would like to see him travel far and wide - even outside the USA, if possible.

Black-faced and footed, Leda's Swan stands with wings spread wide, ready for flight to new and exotic places. He is about 3" tall and has a wingspan of nearly 6". His diet consists almost exclusively of aquatic plants, and he is a Mute Swan (Cygnus olor), a Northern Hemisphere species. Observe the lump at the base of his bill on the upper mandible and its orange color. Leda's Swan is an adult male, also known as a cob. An adult female is called a pen, and young swans are known as cygnets. For a wealth of information about swans, visit the following websites. There you will learn of their natural history, their place in folklore, literature, mythology, art, religion, popular culture and music. There are also links to videos and other websites.

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Below is a poem about Leda's Swan by William Butler Yeats, written in the early part of the 20th century.

LEDA AND THE SWAN

A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.

How can those terrified vague fingers push
The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
And how can body, laid in that white rush,
But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?

A shudder in the loins engenders there

The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
And Agamemnon dead.
Being so caught up,
So mastered by the brute blood of the air,
Did she put on his knowledge with his power
Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?

William Butler Yeats
September 1923