Illustration for Božena Němcová's Fairy Tales 

Here, in Artuš Scheiner's illustration for Božena Němcová's fairy tales, we see a princess embracing a swan, observed by a royal court. The swan, a symbol of purity and transformation, is deeply rooted in mythology. Think of Leda and the Swan, a tale of divine intervention. This image reverberates through time, echoing in countless iterations across cultures. The motif carries with it both beauty and a latent sense of the uncanny—a reminder of the powerful, often disruptive forces that underlie the surface of our conscious lives. The embrace itself speaks to a deep, subconscious longing for connection and perhaps, transformation. Is the princess human? Is the swan a symbol of something more? These echoes in this seemingly simple illustration speak to a powerful, cyclical progression—symbols resurfacing, evolving, and taking on new meanings across time.