“ ’Bring me the two most precious things in the city,’ said God to one of His Angels; and the Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird.
‘You have rightly chosen,’ said God, ‘for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.’ ” (Wilde, 15)

This quoted passage from “The Happy Prince,” reminded me of the vey beautiful image of a Swallow. With some research, I found that the image of a swallow was quite popular in the early days of sailing. Apparently, the image of a swallow was often tattooed on sailors, in the case that if they were to drown, the swallow would carry their souls to heaven. Grieving mothers considered the bird to be sacred, as it was thought to carry the soul of their deceased children. Consequently, killing a swallow was deemed unlucky. It was thought that because swallows return to the same nest each year, that the permanent image of the bird on ones body, would assure that the sailor returns home safely.
In “The Happy Prince,” for some reason, I always imagined the return of the Swallow and the leaden heart to heaven to be breathtakingly beautiful. In a way, Swallow was the Prince’s guardian angel, while he was frozen in the form of a statue. The Prince’s redemption would not have been possible without his fellow Swallow. He guided his soul, throughout the story and at the end they were carried to Paradise with God.
Interestingly enough, swallows also represent everlasting love and loyalty, this being because swallows are known to mate with one partner for life. Swallows also are known to represent hope and freedom, as well. I think that this is especially true, and even more so in this story, where the Prince and Swallow share an unbreakable bond. Despite being hesitant at first, they become dependent of one another order to find redemption, forming a love that lasts in the eternity of heaven. As they both meet death, we sense a type of freedom as they are liberated and deemed as worth of Paradise by Angels.