Symbolic image of swan in the Russian linguistic culture

The article deals with the symbolic characteristics of the ornithological image of “swan” in the Russian linguistic culture. There are established the main evaluative meanings of this image: women beauty, spiritual purity, faith and self-sacrifice. Swans in the Russian fairy tales are magic beings who help the main characters and protect them. There is emphasized their celestial essence of these images and their belonging to the world of supreme creatures.