Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



on the horse's head. It was an ancient pagan 

 oath in the north connected with the worship 

 of Freyr. But at first blush one would not 

 suppose that a bit of Yankee speech, found in 

 the United States among country people, re- 

 ferred to this very bird, if not exactly to the 

 same oath. 



On the stage or in the funny corner of 

 the newspapers the ordinary Yankee from 

 the country uses an oath or affirmation 

 "I swan!" or "I swanny ! " or "Swan toe 

 man ! " This is called by the dictionaries an 

 attempt to disguise the word " swear," as 

 *' gosh " is used to soften, if not disguise, the 

 name of the deity. But the dictionaries are 

 at fault. "I swan" never meant exactly "I 

 swear " ; nor would there be any reason in 

 softening swear to swan, as God is softened 

 to "gosh." 



Swan is just the bird ; and " I swan " or 

 "it swans to me" meant originally that the 

 speaker had a prophetic, all-overish feeling 



i8o 



