Swans as symbols

 

 (all images from the site-- Stencil)

Since I used the term black swan in the last blog, I thought I'd go more into the swan's meaning in history but also how it is used in fiction. Historically and in many cultures, swans themselves are seen as having a relationship to the spiritual realm. They are considered symbols of loyalty, fidelity and love. It can also be believed that when seen they bring joy, luck and creativity. 

Their transformation from the ugly duckling can be seen as the journey we all take in our lives. We grow and change, shed old ways and become something new and beautiful. This is a common theme in fiction stories or part of what is called the hero's journey, which Joseph Campbell famously wrote about. Swans, as symbols, are found in many ancient mythologies to have powers when seen or dreamed.

What then about the black swan, which I mentioned in connection with a recent event in the world's story. Because they are more rare, they are identified with a highly improbable event, which, when it happens, seems unpredictable, having a huge impact and finally where people seek to explain why it happened even though they didn't ahead of time.

When writing fiction, people want to see that what happens makes sense. For instance, a bad guy shows up and when the final confrontation happens, the reader expected it. Black swans are not expected at least to the protagonists, maybe not to the reader. 

Reading more on their meaning, I learned they can be positive in their impact-- though most are not.  When we had the recent pandemic, though there had been others before, would that fit being a black swan-- definitely not of the positive sort? 

Most of the time, in my books, I try to lay groundwork for what is coming that will challenge the characters. When that doesn't work, it's because nature threw a curve ball. An example is a big earthquake, which impacted Tucson, Arizona. Such an event comes from out of nowhere. It was not predicted and earthquakes, volcanoes and many natural happenings are not-- although some more today due to science then in the past.

I've mostly read about black swans in a global sense, but I believe they fit a life also as something comes from out of nowhere, at least seemingly, and changes our whole trajectory for future living.

In figuring out a plot, I think it's better to have things build toward a crisis, but it doesn't always work that way in life-- so can also be thrown into the story as in the huge fire that destroyed early San Francisco. 

That is the fun of writing-- how so many things can be used-- positively or negatively.