Emma Swan
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Emma Swan Princess Leia[1] |
| Occupation: | currently sheriff of Storybrooke, formerly a bail-bondsperson in Boston |
| Relationships: | daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White; sister to Neal Nolan; biological mother of Henry Mills; mother of Hope Swan-Jones; ex-lover of Neal Cassidy; wife of Hook/Killian Jones |
| Fandom: | Once Upon A Time |
| Other: | Played by the actress Jennifer Morrison |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Emma Swan is considered the main character in Once Upon a Time. The show revolves around her reunion with her biological son, Henry Mills and the discovery that she is the product of fairytale True Love since her parents are Prince Charming and Snow White.
Canon
In the pilot, Emma Swan is shown as a no-nonsense bail-bondsperson who lives a lonely life. This changes when the son she gave up for adoption, Henry, shows up on her doorstep on her 28th birthday. She returns him home to Storybrooke, Maine, only to find out that part of the reason Henry found her was because he believes she is the Savior intended to break the curse that holds all the fairytale characters in Storybrooke.
"Emma has been build up as a character who’s not into playing games with people’s emotions. She’s brave and head-strong but very vulnerable underneath her armor she constructed around herself, finding it very hard to let people in. Trust has been a real issue for her together with getting to bond with her parents."[2]
Fandom
Common Tropes & Themes
- Pirate!Emma AU, fairly popular AU.
- Princess!Emma AU, another popular AU where Emma has always been a princess (usually in the Enchanted Forest) and the whole Curse never happened. This isn't a complete AU, due to the fact that Emma has always been an actual princess with her parents are Queen and King respectfully in a kingdom in the Enchanted Forest.
- Time travel, where Emma Swan maintains her current canon backstory are quite common.
- Trust Issues, with her canon history it's quite common for fanworks to focus on Emma's trust issues with her experiences with Neal, abandonment feelings about her parents, and growing up in the foster system.
Pairings
The most popular romantic pairings for this character are Swan Queen, Captain Swan, and Swanfire. Other m/f ships include Mad Swan, Gremma, and Wooden Swan. Other femslash ships include Frozen Swan, Star Swan, and Emma Swan/Snow White.
Terminology
- See List of OUAT pairing names for a list of Emma related pairing terminology.
- Ugly Ducklings is the name for fans of Emma.
Notable Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfiction
Fanart
- Emma Swan, fanposter by seduff-stuff
- Maybe I don't Need Answers... by SpookshowBabyx
- Emma Swan: Colored[dead link] by satterm
- Emma Swan Armor, Archived version by Kenda-Oh
- Emma Swan by AnodineduLac
- Baby Emma[dead link] by KatBjorky
- Princess Emma by HollyRoseBriar
- Emma Swan by megancrisp24
- EmmaSwanEdit tag on Tumblr
Fanvids
- I loved her first (Emma & Prince Charming) by MsKTProductions
- Once Upon a Time - The Look you get when you've been left alone by Federica LostVids
- ONCE UPON A TIME - The Product of True Love {Charming Family} by Federica LostVids. This is a tribute to Emma and the Royal Family (The Charmings).
- Emma Swan: Go the Distance by Ron N
- Emma Swan (+Snow) | family means being together (TCSC) by Rebbouch
- Emma Swan | Thrift Shop by PrettyLittleTheories
- Emma Swan || Calls Me Home (3x21/3x22) by Legendary Dreamer Edits
- Emma Swan | Burn by Lavinia Scalisi
- save the hero || emma swan (once upon a time) by beckahmarie2
- Emma Swan // "All My Life I Have Been Alone" by TonyandZivaUK
- safer | emma swan +4x10 by xostelenaforeverox
- Emma Swan|| Female Rebel by Shainira
- Emma Swan || Fight Song by Legendary Dreamer Edits
- my body is a cage (emma swan) by s so (also known as onceuponamirror)
- once upon emma's december by s so (also known as onceuponamirror)
Meta
- In which I have an Emma Swan Thought by punkimonki, formerly seductiveswaan, reasoning why Emma was put and stayed in the foster care system.
- Swan Believer - a meta because they deserve more justice and credit. by sheriffswan
Archives and Communities
Fannish Links
Resources
References
- ^ Alias Emma used in the past!Enchanted Forest; OUAT Season 3 Episode 21 "Snow Drifts" & 22 "There's No Place Like Home"
- ^ Nikki De Graeve at Entertainment Outlook. Once Upon a Time – A Love Triangle & Compass “Dark Hollow” recap Posted November 14, 2013. (Accessed 21 November 2013)