Swans in Ancient Egypt

Swans must have had some symbolic significance in ancient Egypt as statues of them have been found in royal burials. Associated with music in classical times, these birds might have also decorated ancient Egyptian musical instruments. Two species of swans – Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), and Mute swan (Cygnus olor), are known as winter visitors in contemporary Egypt. Though ‘uncommon winter visitors,’ as stated by Nicoll, in the time of Prospero Alpini’s visit (1580—1582) to Egypt, they seem to had been abundant on the banks of Nile (“Cygni in Nili littoribus non desunt, se ipsos ea aqua oblectantes, nec minus et lacus iis abundant”). Bewick’s swan (Cygnus bewickii), whose features are similar to Whooper swan, might had also been known to ancient Egyptians according to Houlihan, although its present distribution does not include Egypt.

According to the representation in Qurta petroglyphs, swans could have entered the iconographic repertoire of the Nile Valley as early as the Late Paleolithic Period (15,000 years ago). Nevertheless, this bird has been represented on an ivory panel from Hierakonpolis, while a statuette of a swan was found among 62 cultic items hidden in a jar from Tell el-Farkha.

However, one of the most interesting early representations was found by Petrie, and was thought by Jaquier to represent an amulet of a swan.

Following flocks of geese and ducks, a representation of a Whooper swan was carved in a relief from the V Dynasty mastaba of Ptahhotep at Saqqara. According to the accompanying inscription, Ptahhotep II owned 1,225 swans! If the inscription is to be believed, it might suggest that ancient Egyptians kept swans and tried to acclimatize them.

Although their true significance is not yet fully understood, swans must have had some religious importance as their statues have been placed in royal burials. Maybe the most beautiful example is an almost life-size statue of a Mute swan, found by de Morgan in the offering chamber of XII Dynasty tomb of princess Itiwert at Dahshur. This remarkably naturalistic bird (from an accurately depicted heavy body and graceful long neck to the elaborate bill) is undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman. The statue and the pedestal on which it is mounted are made entirely of wood, except for the bird’s eyes fashioned of copper and quartz. This is one of three swan statues found in the tombs of Dynasty XII princesses; similar statues have been found in the tombs of Khnemt and Sit-Hathor-meret.

Representation of a Whooper swan was also found on a coffin of Sauazet from El-Riqqa (Dynasty XII).

Swans have been represented in royal burials during New Kingdom as well. Small statues of swans  have been found in the tombs of Thutmose III (TT34), Thutmose IV (TT43), Tutankhamun (TT62) and Horemheb (TT57).

All of these statues were covered with a black resin varnish, probably in an effort to increase their magical power. The statue from the tomb of Tutankhamun was identified by Howard Carter as an Egyptian goose (Chenalopex Egyptiacus (Linn)), but he also pointed out the bird’s strong swan-like character.

Although most Egyptologists refer to these figures as swans, some have argued that the statues actually represent geese. However, the unique features of swans such as the full, heavy body and the long neck seem to eliminate all other species of waterfowl. The absence of a basal knob in these figures also suggests that a Whooper swan (or perhaps a Bewick’s swan) was represented.

Another representation of swans, the only one of its kind, can be found in the traditional bird hunting scene from the tomb of Amenemheb (XVIII Dynasty). The scene depicts five man trapping the birds with a net following directions from a leader in front of them.

Sixteen swans are shown captured in the net and all of them seem to peacefully float on the water except one on the left which, with its outstretched wings,  is depicted trying to escape and join other four free swans at the top of the scene. Two adjacent birds are identified by Boessneck as herons (Egretta alba L.). The scene has remained unfinished as can be seen from the absence of details on the birds’ heads and legs. However, as D’Abbadie points out, large white birds shown floating on the water with long and curved necks are hard to confuse with other birds, such as ducks or geese.

It seems that the swans had been captured during their annual passage and that Amenemheb, who had a chance to capture all these swans, wanted to celebrate such an event in his tomb – unless he (as perhaps Ptahhotep) was trying to make it appear that he had captured such a large number of swans.

According to Davis statues of swans as well as their depictions in tombs of Ptahhotep and Amenemheb are representations of possessions that the deceased owned on earth and wanted to have in the afterlife together with his other riches. Vernus suggested that representations of these birds in royal burials seem to indicate that the swan was important for the survival in the underworld as some of the statues had been covered with bitumen and that such funerary practices may have rested on the birds’ migratory habits, returning to Egypt from distant lands. D’Abbadie argued that the swan could be considered ‘animal privilégié’ since it is so rarely seen in Egypt,  and that for this reason the statues of swans were placed in royal tombs.

One cannot however, fail to notice that the small statues of swans covered with bitumen  bring to mind greyish juvenile swans and that the white color associated with purity in ancient Egypt is remarkable, prominent feature of adult swans.

The swans were rare in Egypt but Egyptian artists were certainly inspired by them and made an effort to capture the elegant form of the bird in creating charming objects and beautiful representations. D’Abbadie mentions three more examples: one is an alabaster vase from Mac Gregor Collection, and two others are cosmetic spoons currently in the Cairo (J.E. 30759) and Louvre Museums (Inv. AF 171). Similar cosmetic spoons can be found in other museums as well.

Birds were frequently represented in ancient Egyptian art and their generally rich symbolism in addition to the appreciation of a beautiful and graceful motif, must had further motivated Egyptian artists to represent them so frequently and in many different contexts – form the walls of tombs and palaces to everyday objects used by ancient Egyptian elite.

It seems possible that more representations of swans can be found among numerous ancient Egyptian artifacts inspired by birds. The stylized form of the motif in many cases does not allow precise identification and according to Adler ducks, geese, swans and mergansers were all possible models used by the artists.

The word used to denote a swan by ancient Egyptians is also not certain. In one of the prayers from Amarna, two words appear – the nḫmt and the snfrw, as paragons of ​​whiteness and ​​blackness. Davies suggested that nḫmt might possibly stand for a swan, while snfrw could designate a crow.  However, Stӧrk argued that the word ḏnḏn might had been used to denote swans in ancient Egypt, connecting the term with  Coptic – ‘play the cymbal, make music, sing’.

Both Whooper and Mute swans are known for their musical sounds, especially the former (cygne chanteur, cisne cantor, cigno selvatico – cigno musico, etc.). Mute swan gets its name from being less vocal than other species of swans, but its wings make a musical sound during flight.

Thus, as the etymology of the birds’ names can generally be derived from their characteristic vocalizations, Stӧrk assumed that the word ḏnḏn was well suited for both of these species of swans.

Since swans were associated with music (and thus with Apollo) in classical times, Stӧrk has also suggested that ‘the embellishments on ancient Egyptian stringed instruments, such as harps and lyres, which have hitherto been thought of as heads of geese, might in fact be those of swans’. 

One of the interesting representations of an angular harp embellished with a head of a bird is depicted on the wall of XVIII Dynasty tomb of Paser (TT367). This is the first representation of an angular harp in ancient Egypt, present in Western Asia since the beginning of 2^nd millenium BC.

Horapollon (Hieroglyphica II, 39) wrote that when Egyptians wanted to denote an old musician they represented a swan, because in their old age their songs are most pleasant. Although this cannot prove that the origin of the theme is Egyptian, as Van de Walle points out, ‘it is not completely excluded that the symbolism of swan song refers to an Egyptian tradition, but of which no testimony has come down to us.’

For all the reasons mentioned above, it comes as no surprise that swans had symbolic significance in ancient Egypt as well. The elegant and graceful birds that majestically glide over water with dazzlingly white wings, must had appeared fascinating and desirable. Hopefully more evidence will be discovered to shed some additional light on the role swans played in the life and religion of ancient Egyptians.

 

Bibliography

B. van de Walle, ‘Schwan’ in Lexikon der Ägyptologie, Vol.5, ed. by W. Helck, E. Otto. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1984
Fr. W. von Bissing, Steingefässe, CG N°18065-18793.Vienna: Imprimerie Adolf Holzhausen,1904-1907
G. Daressy, Fouilles de la Vallée des Rois, CG N° 24001-24990. Cairo: IFAO, 1902
H. Dirk, S. Ikram, ‘Animal representation in the Late Palaeolithic rock art of Qurta (Upper Egypt)’ in Desert Animals in the Eastern Sahara: Status, Economic Significance and Cultural Reflection in Antiquity, ed. by H. Riemer, F. Forster et al., Cologne: Heinrich Barth Institute, 2009
H. Hickmann, Instruments de musique, CG 69201- 69852. Cairo:IFAO 1949
H. Hickmann, ‘Terminologie musicale de l’Égypte ancienne’, BIE 36, 1955
J. de Morgan, Fouilles a Dahchour. Vienna: Adolphe Holzhausen, 1903
J. E. Quibell, Hierakonpolis, Vol. I. London: Bernard Quaritch,1900
J. Garstang, Tombs of the Third Egyptian Dynasty at Reqâqnah and Bêt Khallâf. Westminster : A. Constable & co., 1904.
J. V. D’Abbadie, ‘Le Cygne dans l’Égypte ancienne’, RdE 25, 1973
L. Manniche, ‘Angular Harps in the Amarna Period’, JEA 92, 2006
L. Störk, ‘Ḏnḏn ‘der Schwan’?’, Göttinger Miszellen 19, 1976
P. F. Houlihan, The Birds of Ancient Egypt. Warminster: Aris & Phillips, 1986
P. Vernus,  ‘Cygne’ in  P. Vernus, Y. Yoyotte, Le  Bestiaire des Pharaons. Paris: Éditions Perrin, 2005
R. Engelbach, Riqqeh and Memphis VI. London: School of Archaeology in Egypt, University College, 1915
R. F. Bailleul-LeSuer, ed., Between Heaven and Earth: Birds in Ancient Egypt, OIMP 35. Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2012
T. M. Davis, The Tombs of Harmhabi and Touatânkhamanou. London: Constable and company, ltd., 1912
V. Loret, ‘Notes sur la Faune pharaonique.’ ZÄS 30, 1892
W. Adler, ‘Die spätbronzezeitlichen Pyxiden in Gestalt von Wasservögeln’, in Kāmid el-Lōz, Vol. 16: ‘Schatzhaus’-Studien, ed. by R. Hachmann. Saarbrücker Beiträge zur Altertumskunde 59. Bonn: Rudolf Habelt, 1996
W. M. F. Petrie Prehistoric Egypt. London: British School of Archaeology in Egypt, University College,1920
W. Wreszinski, Atlas zur altagyptischen Kulturgeschichte, Vol.1. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, 1923
(Wing sound of a Mute swan: https://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001383-0300V0; a Whooper swan calls: https://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/Listen-to-Nature/022M-LISTNAT00059-0001V0)