Emma Swan



Emma Swan is the main character of Once Upon A Time. She is portrayed by Jennifer Morrison. She is a bail bonds collector and the biological mother of Henry, whom she gave up for adoption ten years prior to the start of the show. She is also the daughter of Snow White and Prince James.

Birth
Emma was born into one of the royal families of the fairytale world, with her parents being Snow White and Prince Charming. On the day of her birth, however, the Evil Queen cast a dreadful curse on the Enchanted Forest, causing time to stop and everyone to forget who they truly were. To protect their daughter, Snow White and Charming put Emma in an enchanted tree that transported Emma to a different place in the future, so she would be safe from the curse. Rumpelstiltskin prophesied that on her 28th birthday, Emma Swan would return to save all of the fairy tale characters and undo the Queen's curse.

Early life
After being found on the side of the road (on Earth) by a seven year old boy, Emma was stuck in the foster system for 16 years. She was used as a "meal ticket" by every family she was fostered by, finally escaping the system when she turned 16. Soon she found herself in prison, where she discovered she was pregnant with Henry and subsequently gave birth to him.

She initially informed Henry that his father had been a trainee firefighter who died saving a family before she could tell him he had a son, however she later informed Mary Margaret that she had made up the story to spare Henry the pain that his father was not an honorable man.

Date With a Cheating Man
Emma went on a fake date to a fancy restaurant to meet a man named Ryan, after supposedly meeting on the internet. They chat, and she says that it's her birthday and has no family to spend it with. Emma then tells Ryan that she figures he embezzled money from his employer and abandoned his wife when she bailed him out. Realizing that she is a bail bondsman, he makes a run for it only to discover that she has clubbed his car. When Emma suggests that Ryan should give what money he has to his family, he asks her what she knows about family. Emma knocks him out and says "Nothing."

Meeting Henry and Arrival in Storybrooke
She then goes home and lights a cupcake for her birthday. She wishes that she won't be alone for her birthday this year, and when she blows out the candle, the doorbell rings and Emma finds Henry at her doorstep. She has no idea who he is, but Henry knows her by name. He introduces himself and says that he's her son. Henry forces his way in and explains that ten years ago, she gave a baby up for adoption and he's that baby.

Emma tells him to give her a minute and retreats to the bathroom. When she calms down and comes out, Henry asks her to come home with him. When she threatens to call the police, Henry says that he'll claim that she kidnapped him. Emma says that she can tell when people are lying and starts to make the call, but Henry says that he needs her to come with him to Storybrooke, Maine. Emma reluctantly agrees.

As they drive, Henry asks to stop for food but Emma refuses, saying they're not a on a road trip. He starts reading from his storybook of fairy tales and insists that they're all true. When Emma says they're not, Henry dares her to tell if he's telling the truth. Emma does but points out that just because someone believes something doesn't make it real. Henry says that is what makes things real, and that he has problems that she's going to fix for him.

Meeting Regina
Henry asks Emma not to take him back to the mayor, explaining that his adopted mother is evil and only pretends to love him. The mayor, Regina Mills (the Evil Queen), runs out and embraces him, but he insists that he's found his real mother and runs inside. Sheriff Graham is with her and goes inside to check on Henry, Regina invites Emma in for a glass of apple cider.

She explains that she didn't know who Henry's parents were and that the records of the parents were sealed. Emma assures Regina that she has nothing to worry about, and that the father doesn't even know that Henry exists. The mayor explains that she's strict with Henry but she wants him to excel in life. When Emma comments on Henry's claims about fairy tales, Regina says that she has no idea what she's talking about.

She invites Emma to leave and the bail bondsman goes out to her car. As she turns back, she sees Henry in his bedroom window, watching her. As Emma drives out of town, she realizes that Henry left his book on the car seat. She looks up and sees a wolf on the road ahead of her. The car goes out of control and hits the town marker, knocking Emma unconscious.

Getting Threats from Regina
In the next episode, Regina went to see Emma with a basket of delicious, honey crisp apples, saying that they're from the tree that she has had ever since she was a little girl. The mayor suggests that Emma will enjoy them on her way back home.

Emma points out that Regina telling her to leave is just encouraging her to stay, and that she wants to stay and make sure her biological son is okay. When Regina says that she has things under control, Emma asks what she means and Regina says that she has the boy in therapy and warns Emma not to underestimate her power.

Emma is first seen waking up at the inn and looking out the window over the town. In another scene, Regina knocks on her inn suite and tells her about honeycrisp tree and offers her an apple, which she accepts with a awkward "thanks" as Regina tells her she will enjoy it on her ride home, but Emma says that she is staying for a while. Regina has a short outburst and reveals she has Henry in therapy. In another scene she is at a diner about to eat the apple when the waitress hands her a cup of hot choclate.

The waitress tells her she has an admirer, and she turns around to see Graham. Emma and Graham chat, he tells a corny joke. When she asks him about the hot chocolate, he has no idea. Henry turns around and says that he was was the one who sent it. When Emma asks him if he has school, he replies with a "Duh, Walk me". As they walk to school, she almost bites into the apple Regina gave her, but Henry grabs it from her and throw it behind him telling her not to eat it, indicating it might be a poisonous apple.

They form a plan called "Operation Cobra," where they will try to break the curse. Henry then shows her a picture of when she was a baby with her dad and tells her Snow White is, in fact, her mom, but she has a hard time believing it's true. Once they get to the school, Emma asks Mary Margaret who he thinks she is, she replies with "Snow White."

Emma is shocked to find out Mary Margaret is her mom, but Mary Margaret asks here who Henry thinks Emma is, she says "I'm not in the book." She then goes to find Henry's therapist, and they talk about the book. Before she leaves, he gives her some files about Henry, saying "he talks about you a lot." We soon find out that it is a part Regina's plan. Graham walks in her room and asks to check her room for the "stolen files" and arrests her once he finds them.

Graham takes a few "mug shots" and they talk about Regina. In the next scene, she is in the inn where the inn keeper asks her to leave because of her "arrest." She leaves the inn and walks to her car where she gets a phone call from Regina and asks her to drive over to her house. Henry is about to walk into the room just when

Emma indirectly calls him crazy, and he runs out of the office, which was all a part of Regina's plan. Emma tells Regina that she has no soul and walks out of the room. She is seen at Mary Margaret's house sipping hot cocoa with cinnamon on it, where we find that Mary Margaret also likes hot cocoa with cinnamon. They talk about the "breaking and entering," and she tells her she is going to stay.

Mary asks her "who will protect Henry if you don't?" Emma walks in and apologizes to Henry. She burns the book pages about herself from the book after reading them, and he forgives her. They continue on with their "Operation Cobra".

Love affair with Sheriff Graham
She began a love affair with Sheriff Graham and while kissing Emma, he started feeling and remembering his life as the Hunsman of the fairytale world. Due to his betrayal, Regina crushed his heart and killed him. Graham thanked Emma before dying in her arms.

Sheriff of Storybrooke
Following the above mentioned death Emma is initially fired as Deputy sheriff of Storybrooke. Regina's choses a "replacement" canidate Sydney Glass. Though in the Process it appears those on the War council in Fairy Tale world side with Emma with the exception of David Nolan, who due to his wife's friendship with Regina, backs Sydney. During the debate Emma pretty much throws the election away admitting the Fire Bombing of Regina's Office was done so she could win the election but regardless she is elected to replace Sheriff Graham.

Etymology

 * Emma - in German means all embracing, and universal. The English meaning of Emma is whole and complete.
 * Swan - is possibly from the the famous ballet "Swan Lake", or possibly "The Swan Princess".

Trivia

 * Loves her hot chocolate with cinnamon, a trait that she shares with her mother and son.
 * She is the only one that can leave Storybrook beside Henry, who left briefly in the episode Pilot to find her and had no choice but to come back to Regina
 * She is the only fairytale character who does not have an alternate idenity due to being a baby when she escaped the curse and not having a fairytale of her own.
 * It is hinted that she had a relationship with a married man, who may possibly be Henry's father. In the episode, 'The Still Small Voice', she warns Mary-Margaret, who had been spending time with David Nolan, to not get involved with a married man.
 * The apples given to Emma by Regina are, in reality, Red Delicious (Larger, Fully Red, and More Oblong) instead of the Honey Crisps (Smaller, Mostly yellow with some red, and Rounder) as stated in the show. In addition Honey Crisp Apples are a cross pollination of two other apples discovered in 1977 it is highly unlikely that these would have been in Maine as long as alluded to (28 years) since this apple was still was under patent by University of Minnesota at the time.