Guest Writer - A Swan On Saturday - Part II - Heather

I had been wanting to post about the Greek myth 'Leda and the Swan' for a long time. I wanted to look into the strange story of why there would be sex with a swan, what is this myth? Then I realised, why should I write it when I'm friends with an expert on the subject!?! I asked Heather, fresh back from completing her MA in Greek and Roman Archaeology at Newcastle University in England, to write up a post. Please enjoy this second instalment in the three part series.

From Heather:

A Swan On Saturday - Part II - The Myth

Leda was the beautiful Queen of Sparta who unwittingly attracted the attention of the ever-horny, womanizing top Olympian, Zeus. Zeus decided to seduce her. To do so, he turned himself into a swan. For some reason. Maybe it was a secret fantasy of his, and what good is being the head of a pantheon of gods if you can’t pursue all your secret fantasies? In his disguise, pretending to be pursued by an eagle, Zeus fell into Leda’s lap for protection. Of course, Leda took one look at this most beautiful specimen of swanliness and simply had to have him. Or let him have her. Whichever way that works (though really, it doesn’t with a swan).

Leda and the Swan shared a magical night, the kind where time slows down and feathers float through the air, though in this case they were Zeus’ and not from a pillow torn in the heat of passion. Zeus flew off into the night, and Leda returned to her husband’s bed for more carnal exploits. Apparently, for all his swanliness, Zeus hadn’t quite satisfied Leda.

Months later, as these things go, Leda gave birth to two eggs. Yes, eggs. The eggs cracked open to reveal two sets of twins, one sired by each man, one divine and one mortal. They were Helen, Clytemnestra, Castor and Polydeuces. Helen became Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships and a ten-year war. Clytemnestra became the wife of Agamemnon, leader of the Greek forces in Troy, who she promptly killed to be with his cousin. Castor and Polydeuces have their own story of heroism and brotherly love, and eventually became a constellation and the astrological sign Gemini.

Funny thing is that this isn’t the only instance of bestiality in Greek mythology. Pasiphae fell in love with a bull, jumped into a handy cow costume, and soon gave birth to the Minotaur. Zeus turned his lover Io into a cow to hide her from his wife, Hera. He also turned into an eagle to carry off Ganymede, and a bull to carry off Europa. The Satyrs, who had sex with anything that moved, were half goat, and the Centaurs, who raped many a maiden, were half horse. Oh, those crazy Greeks.