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...of all birds swans are most prone to the killing of one another. Aristotle
Leda and the Swan (Mosaic, Kouklia / Cyprus 3rd century AD)
Leda and the swan, Mosaic, 3rd century AD, Kouklia. Leda was the wife of the Spartan King Tyndareus. She was visited by Zeus in the form of a swan. The result of this visit was Polydeukes (Pollux) and Helen who married later Menelaos and was the reason for the Trojan war. After Zeus in the same night there was an encounter with her husband and the result was Castor the twin brother of Polydeukes (The twin brothers are known as the Gemini . The instesting story is that one brother was mortal while the other immortal (guess who!). It looks strange that the Zeus used the form of the swan to approach Leda, but probably the explanation is that ancient Greeks admired the beauty of the swan. It is therefore not surprising that the swan was the favorite bird of Venus.
See also : Greek Mythology. Paintings, Drawings
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