Swan jewellery kaleidoscope
In the Celtic folklore, the swan was often seen as a transformed human; occasionally the swan was believed to be a bewitched nun. It was considered lucky to see seven swans flying, because seven years of good luck would follow; seeing a multiple of seven brought that many more years of good luck. Hurting or killing a swan, conversely, brought bad luck to oneself and one’s entire community. Swan maiden is Celtic folkloric figure. The story of a young woman who is half-bird appears throughout the ancient Celtic lands. Sometimes the girl was said to be under an enchantment, which might or might not be broken; other times, no reason was given for the maiden’s double nature. In the dark of night, such maidens took off their swan plumage and left it beside the lakes in which they swam, naked and beautiful. Should a man find the feather cloak of such a woman, he could make her his wife by stealing it, whereupon she became a happy and hardworking help-meet. Should the swan maiden ever find her feathers, she instantly converted herself to bird form and flew away, leaving her children behind without so much as a backward glance.
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