Emma Swan

"I'm the savior, right? I'm supposed to bring back all the happy endings."

- Emma to Mary Margaret

Emma Swan, briefly known as Princess Leia, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She débuts in the first episode of the first season of Once Upon a Time. She is portrayed by starring cast member Jennifer Morrison and guest star Abby Ross, and does not have a counterpart.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Character Notes

 * The name "Emma" is of Germanic origin derived from the word "ermen" that means "whole" or "universal".
 * The surname "Swan" is of Scottish origin and is derived from the Old English personal name Swein, which was originally derived from the Old Norse name Sveinn.
 * Has a flower tattoo on the inside of her left wrist.  It is the same flower as her father's crest.
 * Dons a necklace with a small swan engraving on it, which she fashioned out of a key chain that was given to her by former boyfriend Neal.
 * Henry's bedside lamp has a shadow figure of a swan.
 * The inn room key Granny hands Emma has an ornament with an engraving of a swan.
 * Likes hot cocoa with cinnamon, just like her mother and her son.
 * Based on her mugshot on the cover of the newspaper, Emma is approximately 5'7".
 * Possesses a star charm keyring.
 * Wears a shoelace from Sheriff Graham's boot around her wrist. She keeps his boots, missing one lace, in her office at the Storybrooke Sheriff Department.
 * Used to wear glasses as a young adult.
 * The day after the curse, the newspaper Regina reads is dated October 23, 1983 (the show premiered on October 23, 2011). This means Emma's birthday is either October 22, or October 23, depending on whether she was born before or after midnight.
 * Adam Horowitz has stated that Emma's birthday is October 23. However, Emma celebrates her twenty-eight birthday on October 22; the day she arrives in Storybrooke (which was the day before she spends the night behind bars and decides to stay). This is proven when August's wooden state is triggered in Thailand at 8:15 A.M. on October 24—the very same moment that Emma accepts the room key at 8:15 P.M. (the time zone in Phuket is twelve hours ahead of Maine's timezone).
 * In "And Straight On 'Til Morning", in the close-up of Hook's hand as he clutches the magic bean aboard the Jolly Roger, the ring on his index finger has a heart design on the side, with an engraving of a silhouette of a swan's head.
 * There is a swan-shaped fruit bowl on the counter of Emma's New York apartment.
 * The lounge of Granny's Bed and Breakfast has two porcelain figurines of a swan – a small one and a big one.
 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * Jennifer Morrison has stated the in-show inspiration for the character of Emma relates to the story of "The Ugly Duckling". Her last name is derived from this fairytale.
 * According to the show creators, the name is symbolic of the journey they have created for the character as Emma is somebody who has had a very tough time and her journey is to become a swan.
 * Jennifer Morrison also stated that Emma got her last name from her first foster parents.  It is also a reference to ABC's Lost island Swan Station.
 * In the original script, Emma's first name was Anna.
 * Actress Katee Sackhoff auditioned five times to play Emma. When she quit, Jennifer Morrison won the role.
 * According to show writer Adam Horowitz, Emma was supposed to have three children, which eventually evolved into just one.
 * Emma claims to have an extra-special ability which is being able to tell when someone is lying to her. The show creators have stated that she has to be actually looking for a lie, and emotions cloud her ability, which is the reason why it has been failing her in her interactions with people.
 * Mary Margaret alludes to this when she points out that Emma's "superpower" has been known to be unreliable, especially when she's emotional.
 * In the first two episodes of season one, Emma's trademark leather jacket was a cheap jacket tweaked by the costume department. By episode three, the costume department replaced it with custom made leather jackets by Vancouver's Ocean Drive Leather. Five have been created for the show.
 * According to Jennifer Morrison, Emma has had her wrist tattoo since she was "probably 14".
 * Emma's swan necklace is a jewelry piece called a "Swan Talisman Necklace" and can be purchased online.
 * Emma's secondary necklace that is in the shape of a circle was chosen specifically by Jennifer Morrison herself. She states the circular shape draws symbolism to ancient Celtic art of swans, which "are pictured with rings around their necks to represent the connection between divinity and humanity".

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.


 * Emma appears in Henry's storybook in "The Thing You Love Most", "Going Home", "Snow Drifts" and "There's No Place Like Home".
 * Emma appears in a photo in "The Crocodile".
 * Emma's name appears on the squid ink parchment in "Queen of Hearts".