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 single mother of her son, Henry, who she gave up for adoption ten years prior to the start of the show. She is also Snow White and Prince Charming 's daughter.

Birth
Emma was born into the royal family of the fairy tale 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 everyone in the Enchanted Forest. To protect their daughter, Snow White and Charming put Emma in an enchanted tree that transported Emma to the mortal world, 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.

Date With a Cheating Man
Emma Swan went on a date to a fancy restaurant and met a man, Ryan, for a blind Internet date. 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. He realizes that she's a bail bondsman and makes a run for it, but discovers that she's 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. 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
One day, 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.

The Thing You Love the Most She 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 choclate, 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".

Snow Falls
She is first seen in her car as Mary Margaret approaches her. Emma says she is living in her car, and Mary Margaret tells her that she has a spare room Emma could stay in. She says thanks but declines saying she is not the roommate type. She is then seen with Henry on his castle, and he talks about how Mary Margaret and John Doe are soulmates, and they belong together. They come up with a plan to get Mary Margaret to read to John Doe to see if he will remember. Emma talks to Mary Margaret about the idea, and she accepts. She and Henry are at the diner to meet up with Mary Margaret, Mary Margaret says that he grabbed her hand, and she saw it. They decided to go back to read to them again but find out he is missing. Regina is there and says that she was the one who found John Doe years ago. They watch the security tape from the night before and see that he walked out into the direction of the woods, looking for something, so they decide to go after him. In the woods, Emma and Mary talk about Emma's parents and Mary almost finds out about Emma but Henry runs in between them. Emma tells Henry to go home just when Graham finds John Doe's hospital bracelet covered in blood. They find him in the creek by the troll bridge, and she helps Mary Margaret carry him out. She hugs Henry and covers his eyes as Mary Margaret tries to revive him. He comes to, but he does not remember anything. They watch as they hook him up to machines the the hospital and learn he has a wife and that his real name is David Nolan. She tells Regina that something is not right, that Kathryn Nolan (David's wife) is a load of crap. Regina says she is grateful to have Henry. And she is left unsettled, still confused. She knocks on Mary Margaret's door and asks if she can stay in the spare room. Mary Margaret nods and lets her in.

Love affair with Sherriff Graham
She began a love affair with Sherriff Graham but, after he started feeling and remembering again while kissing Emma, he got hurt (and presumably died) in Emma's hands because of Regina crushing his heart.

Etymology

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

Trivia

 * Loves her hot chocolate with cinnamon, a trait that she shares with her mom, who only Henry knows is her mother, and son.
 * Is the only one that can leave Storybrooke beside Henry, who left briefly in the Pilot to find her and had no choice but to come back to Regina
 * She's the only fairytale character who does not have 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 (perhaps Henry's father?). In the episode, 'the Still Small Voice', as 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 Crips (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 patten by University of Minnesota at the time.