LatinFilter: help me modify this latin… phrase?

February 27, 2015 8:49 AM

The text on at 19th century English shilling includes the text "GEORGIUS III • DEI GRATIA" What would the translation be if, instead of "the grace of God" I wanted it to say, "the grace of The Swan?"

Here's an image of the coin.

Must be "the swan," singular, not "swans" or "a swan, any old swan." Google Translate tells me "swan" can be translated as both "cygnus" or "olor" - I would prefer using the "cygnus" form as the reference will probably be more broadly understood to non-latin speakers. I put "cygnus gratia" into Google Translate and it gave me "swan grace," which made me suspicious that I was losing out on some meaning, so I turn to you, all-knowing Mefites.

(It's for a book featuring a swan-based religion.)

posted by TangoCharlie to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

Best answer: My Latin is atrocious, but I do know nouns, and you're looking for "of the swan", which is a genitive: second declension, singular genitive, cygni. And I'll wait for a proper latinist to explain why that's wrong.
posted by holgate at 9:04 AM on February 27, 2015

Best answer: Should be cygni gratia.
posted by chaiminda at 9:05 AM on February 27, 2015

Also I think is is technically "by the grace of God/swan" but that doesn't matter in how you write it in Latin.
posted by chaiminda at 10:13 AM on February 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Must be "the swan," singular, not ... "a swan, any old swan."

There is no difference in Latin.
posted by languagehat at 11:25 AM on February 27, 2015 [2 favorites]