Introducing the Medieval Swan

A wide-ranging account of the place of the swan in medieval culture.

Swans possess a striking beauty, and they are imbued with a sense of regal mystery that makes them some of the most fascinating of wild creatures. Introducing the Medieval Swan traces those characteristics to their roots in the medieval era. Opening with a study of the natural history of the swan as understood in the period, the book then moves to literary motifs that feature swans transforming into humans, particularly the legend of the Knight of the Swan. The third chapter examines the place of the swan as an icon of the Lancasters, and the book then explores the swan's place as a delicacy at extravagant feasts. Finally, we learn how the characteristics the medieval era associated with swans developed over the centuries to the present.

Author: Natalie Jayne Goodison
Publisher: University of Wales Press
Published: 10/21/2022
Pages: 184
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 7.72h x 5.04w x 0.71d
ISBN13: 9781786838391
ISBN10: 1786838397
BISAC Categories:
- History | Europe | Medieval

About the Author
Natalie Jayne Goodison teaches in the Department of English Studies at Durham University. Her research is in medieval romance, embodiment, and the history of ideas, having published on medieval birth girdles, the fair unknown tradition, and genetic possibilities in The King of Tars. Her first research project focused on transformations of the body in romance, which featured swans.