Spirals and Swans CommentaryLothlorien is built on principles of a sacred architecture. You can read about some of them here The images on the previous page illustrate some of the principles well. We see how the image of the spiral and the lemniscate figure heavily in the scenery. Looking at the Swan Boat we will see these principles repeated to reinforce the idea that Lothlorien is a bridge point, a portal to a world beyond.
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The Spiral
On the columns we can see clearly the spiral. Spirals have been used to signify a link to a spiritual world. The spiral is made up of two interlinking lines signifying the principle of Earth connecting with Spirit. The spiral journeys upward pointing to a heavenly or other worldly point of contact. The columns also recall the lemniscate:
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Swan
The Swan head on the boat is a half lemniscate. We can imagine if the swan's neck continued around it would curve to complete the form of a lemniscate. The effect is a dreamy recollection of a connection with another world. It is a floating ethereal reference to another place. The Swan is a symbol of the Goddess Venus. The Swan also refers to the idea of Lothlorien as a bridge between two worlds. Venus rides a Swan between the worlds of earth and spirit. Here is an image of the Swan boat floating through a golden light. Once again we have a reference to Venus and the colours and composition remind us of Botticelli. |
A bridge
Finally the bridge contains all the elements of the swan and the columns. The bridge is white and contains the same style of construction as the boat. Within the bridge are half lemniscates, like the swan head, and spirals. The bridge takes us over and upwards to the kingdom invisible.
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The lemniscate is a completed or close ended spiral. The lemniscate signifies a completed connection between worlds within nature.