Swans
From Tolkien Gateway
Swans are waterfowl of either black[1] or white color, though usually the latter. They were an important bird in the tales of the Elder Days. The Teleri seem to have especially revered swans, naming their city Alqualondë (the Swanhaven), and building their ships in swan-form. As well, the white swan's wing was the symbol for Tuor and his company (House of the Wing) in Gondolin.
Inspiration
- "...they [Ronald and Hilary] would scamper away from the yard, and run round to a place behind the mill [at Sarehole] where there was a silent pool with swans swimming on it."
- ― J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
Portrayal in Adaptations
1988, 1994: Middle-earth Role Playing:
- Black Swans are described and given role-playing statistics in the supplements Creatures of Middle-earth and Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition). They are conceived as quite ill-meaning creatures "known to mob and overturn boats", and being larger than normal swans.
