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he swan song (in ancient Greek: κύκνειον σμα) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gestureᾆ

effort or performance gi!en "ust #efore $eath or retirement% &he phrase refers to an ancient

#elief that s'ans (Cygnus spp%) sing a #eautiful song in the moment "ust #efore $eath ha!ing

#een silent (or alternati!el not so musical) $uring most of their lifetime% &his #elief 'hose

#asis in actualit is long$e#ate$ ha$ #ecome pro!er#ial in  *ncient Greece # the +r$ centur

,- an$ 'as reiterate$ man times in later .estern poetr an$ art%

Contents

  /hi$e0 

• 12rigin an$ $escription

• 3-ontro!ers

• +4ostclassical cultural references

• 56$iom

• 78eferences

Origin and description/e$it0

6n Greek mtholog the s'an 'as a #ir$ consecrate$ to  *pollo an$ it 'as therefore

consi$ere$ a sm#ol of harmon an$ #eaut an$ its limite$ capa#ilities as a singer 'ere

su#limate$ to those of song#ir$s%

 *esop9s fa#le of &he ;'an an$ the Goose incorporates the s'an song legen$ as sa!ing itslife 'hen it 'as caught # mistake instea$ of the goose #ut 'as recogni<e$ # its song% /10 &here

is a su#se=uent reference in *eschlus9  Agamemnon from 57> ,-% 6n that

pla-ltemnestra compares the $ea$ -assan$ra to a s'an 'ho has sung her last final

lament% 4lato9s 4hae$o recor$s ;ocrates saing that although s'ans sing in earl life the $o

not $o so as #eautifull as #efore the $ie% *ristotle also note$ that s'ans are musical an$

sing chiefl at the approach of $eath% , the thir$ centur ,- the #elief ha$ #ecome a

pro!er#%/30/+0

2!i$ mentions it in &he ;tor of 4icus an$ -anens: &here she poure$ out her 'or$s of

grief tearfull in faint tones in harmon 'ith sa$ness "ust as the s'an sings once in $ing its

o'n funeral song%/50 &he s'an 'as also $escri#e$ as a singer in the 'orks of the

poets ?irgil an$ @artial%/citation needed 0

Controversy /e$it0

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&he most familiar Auropean s'an the mute s'an (Cygnus olor ) although not actuall mute is

neither kno'n for musicalit nor to !ocali<e as it $ies% &his has le$ some to critici<e s'an song

#eliefs since anti=uit one of the earliest/70 #eing 4lin the Al$er : in BB *C Natural

History  (#ook 1D chapter EEEii: olorum morte narratur flebilis cantus, falso, ut arbitror, aliquot

experimentis) states: o#ser!ation sho's that the stor that the $ing s'an sings is false%4eterson et al% note that Cygnus olor  is not mute #ut lacks #ugling call merel honking

grunting an$ hissing on occasion% /F0

o'e!er the 'hooper s'an (Cygnus cygnus) a 'inter !isitor to parts of the eastern

@e$iterranean $oes possess a 9#ugling9 call an$ has #een note$ for issuing a $ra'nout

series of notes as its lungs collapse upon eEpir #oth #eing a conse=uence of an a$$itional

tracheal loop 'ithin its sternum% &his 'as propose$ # naturalist 4eter 4allas as the #asis for

the legen$% ,oth mute an$ 'hooper s'ans appear to #e represente$ in ancient Greek an$

Agptian art%/+0/70

&he 'hooper s'an9s nearest relati!es the trumpeter  an$ tun$ra s'ans share its musical

tracheal loop% Hoologist C%G% Alliot reporte$ in 1>I> that a tun$ra s'an he ha$ shot an$

'oun$e$ in flight #egan a long gli$e $o'n 'hilst issuing a series of plainti!e an$ musical

notes that sou