Swan of Avon

Swan of Avon
a nickname for William Shakespeare. It was invented by Ben Jonson in a poem he wrote in the First Folio. The phrase refers to the swans (= large white water birds with long necks) on the River Avon at Stratford, where Shakespeare was born, and also to the ancient Greek belief that the souls of poets pass into swans.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Swan of Avon — Ben Jonson’s name for Shakespeare …   Eponyms, nicknames, and geographical games

  • (the) Swan of Avon — the Swan of Avon [the Swan of Avon] a ↑nickname for William Shakespeare. It was invented by Ben Jonson in a poem he wrote in the ↑First Folio. The phrase refers to the ↑swans (= large white water birds with long necks) on the River …   Useful english dictionary

  • Swan (rivière) — Swan (fleuve) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Swan (homonymie). Swan Perth et la rivière S …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Swan — (sw[o^]n), n. [AS. swan; akin to D. zwaan, OHG. swan, G. schwan, Icel. svanr, Sw. svan, Dan. svane; and perhaps to E. sound something audible.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) Any one of numerous species of large aquatic birds belonging to {Cygnus}, {Olor}, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • Swan (fleuve) — 31°56′50″S 115°54′58″E / 31.94722, 115.91611 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • swan — n. & v. n. 1 a large water bird of the genus Cygnus etc., having a long flexible neck, webbed feet, and in most species snow white plumage. 2 literary a poet. v.intr. (swanned, swanning) (usu. foll. by about, off, etc.) colloq. move or go… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Avon River (Western Australia) — Avon River Karte des Avon River DatenVorlage:Infobox Fluss/GKZ fehlt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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