Mute Swans of the Hans Christian Anderson’s Fairy Tales
It’s ironical that when I think of a beautiful swan, an ‘ugly’ duckling is what first comes to my mind. Such is the impact of the fairy tales written by Hans Christian Anderson. The author’s life has a more to do with Swans than meets the eye. I am going to talk about autobiographical fairy tales of Anderson particularly those surrounding the Swan. The fact that his name ‘Hans’ in Sanskrit means swan is only the tip of the ice-berg.
The Ugly Duckling written in 1843 is story of a duckling who is despised by others because it doesn’t conform to beauty standards of other ducks and looks rather ugly. It is so because it is in fact a Swan baby, a cygnet (which are also very cute by the way). Almost all his young life he is subjected to taunts and humiliation until one day when it catches his reflection in the water and realised that he had turned into a beautiful swan. Life in a very similar manner had been harsh to Anderson. He was considered an outsider, grew up in impoverished conditions and a frequent target of bullying. Like the duck discovered its reality after a brutal winter the season of spring came to Anderson’s life after much trials, struggles with depression and poverty as he finally turned to writing that started to reap rewards. His ‘swan’ phase was marked by royal stipends, high social standing and global acclaim for his fairy tales. Accepted by ‘his own’. He writes in ‘The Fairytale of my Life’, “It matters nothing if one is born in a duck-yard, if one has lain in a swan’s egg.”
Another fairy tale preceding the Ugly Duckling was the celebrated ‘The Wild Swans” written in 1838. In this there is a princess who rescues her 11 brothers who were turned into Swans by a spell. Magnificent Swans by the day transitioning to humans by night, they are saved by the princess who casts knitted nettles shirts on them. These are two most popular swan stories although you can find short mentions in other fairy tales. In his fairytales swans were a tool of purity, transformation, royalty and self-discovery. These reflected his journey from a lonely impoverished childhood to artistic success.
‘Hans’ in the Indian scriptures have come to denote Swans and in some places the bar headed goose. Despite the widespread references in mythology, swan sightings in India have continued to be a rare. However, recent sitings have got the birding community very excited. In November 2020, Tundra swan was spotted in Srinagar/Budgam which is an extremely rare occurrence. The same month saw whooper swans in Kashmir wetlands. Mute Swans were spotted in Jamnagar Gujarat in January 2022 which was a spectacle considering they appeared after an absence of nearly a century from the local records.
If you have ever seen a Mute Swan, you know it’s the most gracious sight. It is absolutely pristine, gigantic, with a long slender neck. Sometimes its gliding in water, sometimes just about raising its wings which create a beautiful sight. This slight upward lift has been most mimicked while chocolatiers fashion swan wings out of white chocolate. I can look at them for hours, while they eat, swim, and snooze. Have you ever seen a sleeping swan? To reduce exposure to freezing wind and constant submerging in water, long-necked birds like swans coil their neck tightly against their bodies. Though seeming peaceful, they are especially protective about their eggs which need extra guarding as they take about 30-45 days to hatch. When threatened they don’t shy away from attacking using their powerful wings and sharp bills.
If you ever see a swan, I hope it fills you with inspiration. Inspiration to overcome life’s challenges with grace resilience and inner strength. Most importantly, I hope they inspire you to see beauty in who you are as you are.
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