BOTTOMS UP - Swans feed in the water obtaining food by up-ending or dabbling, and their diet is composed of the roots, tubers, stems and leaves of aquatic and submerged plants. In Greek mythology, Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce the beautiful Leda, the wife of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. The swan was also associated with Aphrodite/Venus, who had a chariot that went through the air pulled by two swans. Native Americans think of the swan as a symbol of trust. The song of a dying swan is thought to be one of the joy of entering the afterlife.