The Swan symbolizes grace and beauty. It is a bird associated with love, music, poetry; it is often pictured singing to a lyre. In Greek mythology, the swan is a bird sacred to Aphrodite and Apollo.

To find Lyra, look for Vega, which forms the brightest point of the Summer Triangle. The summer triangle consists of Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, Altair in Aquila the Eagle, and bluish Vega in Lyra the Harp. Vega soars almost directly overhead in summer, while the bright stars of winter nights are hidden almost directly beneath our feet.

Dec 16, 2012 · At Knossos on Crete a small alabaster lyre is decorated with a swan's head on each arm of the instrument. Slightly later, across the Aegean in the 14th century BCE, lyres develop S-shaped arms and are frequently decorated with water-birds.

At 22.5 centimetres in height, this extraordinary figurine identified as a "swan goddess"(45) is thought to have formed the side handle of a kithara, a type of lyre, the swan's head having contained the crossbar to which the strings were attached.

Detail of Apollo riding a swan from a painting depicting the contest of Apollo and Marsyas. Apollo rides on the back of a large swan. He holds a lyre and is crowned with a wreath of laurel.

Lyra is a compact constellation named after the ancient Greek stringed instrument, the lyre, which resembled a U-shaped harp. For many night-sky watchers its rising heralds the arrival of the summer Milky Way. Vega is Lyra's most luminous star and the fourth brightest in the night sky.

Aug 18, 2020 · Next to Cygnus, the swan flying through the Milky Way, lies tonight’s constellation: Lyra, The Lyre. A ‘lyre’ is an ancient Greek stringed instrument, an early ancestor of the modern harp. It’s often referred to as “The Harp” in modern charts for the sake of familiarity.

Nov 28, 2014

Jan 31, 2022 · Greek God Apollo powers include being a master of archery, divination, and poetry. Apollo symbols include the swan, laurel wreath, and lyre. When you think about it, Apollo's powers are truly incredible! Apollo powers may even be greater than any other Olympian God when you think about them.

Of Apollo the swan sings as he alights upon the banks of the eddying River Peneios; with clear voice and to the beating of his wings the swan sings of him. And of Apollo, the minstrel, holding the lyre in his hands, sings first and last.