Swans

Swans are waterfowl of either black or white color, though usually the latter. They were an important bird in the tales of the Elder Days. The Teleri seem to have especially revered swans, naming their city Alqualondë (the Swanhaven), and building their ships in swan-form. As well, the white swan's wing was the symbol for Tuor and his company (House of the Wing) in Gondolin.

Inspiration

"...they [Ronald and Hilary] would scamper away from the yard, and run round to a place behind the mill [at Sarehole] where there was a silent pool with swans swimming on it."

― J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography