The Wild Unknown Tarot - Mother of Cups

danieljuk

Obviously when we look at cards we all see different symbolism which means something to us! I was looking online at wildlife sites and Swans don't show they have eggs inside, Pixna was right. The only way you can tell if a Swan has eggs inside is that she will sit on a nest ready to lay them! But a UK Swan charity here called the Swan Sanctuary had a bit about the Swan's feeding habits and they are not greedy animals and so they don't fatten up, they just eat what they need and leave the rest! So there isn't really a scientific answer about her stomach in the card, unless it represents she is a larger Swan to not be messed with!

But I think sometimes card imagery is not literal! The stomach might show that she is a Mother or in abundance (depending on how we read it). In the book meaning for this card it's talked about that she both rivalling the High Priestess with her psychic abilities (manifesting / gazing into the cup in front of her) and as protective of her children as a Swan is to hers. She is aggressive and defensive when pushed.
 

Hash

I'm guessing it's pretty hard to not show some kind of outer sign when your internal reproductive organs swell up to 10 times their normal size. But like you said, everyone sees their own unique interpretation. Whether a mother swan will show an outer sign or not while nesting, it appears obvious that Krans made the belly swollen on this particular swan.
 

Pixna

I'm thinking that this isn't the swan's belly at all. It really looks more like a nest, especially when you take a look at pictures of swans and their nests. They tend to have extremely large nests. My impression is that the swan is raised up to protect her nest, which may or may not have eggs in it yet. I think the way this image is drawn is a little misleading or not quite as accurate or realistic as some of the other images in the deck, and perhaps that's what is making us think this is the swan's belly rather than her nest.

Danieljuk, that's also what I've read about swans -- that they aren't greedy and take only what they need.