Aragorn, Gondor and the Swan Crown
Swans are noble, loyal and powerful birds, treasured by royalty throughout the centuries. Tolkein chose the swan to represent the great city of Gondor, and swan wings adorn Aragorn's crown.
Aragorn refers to this crown in his Song of Gondor:
Gondor! Gondor, between the Mountains and the Sea!
West Wind blew there; the light upon the Silver Tree
Fell like bright rain in gardens of the Kings of old.
O proud walls! White towers! O wingéd crown and
throne of gold!
O Gondor, Gondor! Shall Men behold the Silver Tree,
Or West Wind blow again between the Mountains and the Sea?
The helmets of the elite guards in Gondor also hold swans wings on them, to show their loyalty to the city and its leaders.
Mute Swan Photos and Paintings
Leda and the Swan - History
Leda and the Swan - WB Yeats Poem
Leda and the Swan - Spenser
Swan Lake - a History
Buy from Art.com
Birds in Movies Songs and Poems
Birding Help Hints Tips and Information