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Lair of the Beasts: Boar to be Wild
Animal Mythology By Nick Redfern
July 03, 2010
Nick Redfern returns into the Lair of the Beasts
© N/A
One of the things that has long-fascinated me about the animal kingdom, is the way in which certain mythologies, tales and legends attach themselves to particular beasts. And, perhaps, there is no finer example of this than in the case of the wild boar.
The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a particular species of pig that includes no less than sixteen sub-species, and which is part of the biological family Suidae. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it is able to successfully mate. These potentially-lethal and notoriously bad-tempered creatures are native across much of Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean, much of Asia, and as far south as Indonesia. Populations of wild-boar have also been artificially introduced in some parts of the world, most notably the Americas and Australasia; where they are hunted for both sport and food.
In Greek mythology, two boars in particular are very well known: the Erymanthian Boar was hunted by Heracles as one of his Twelve Labours; while the Calydonian Boar was hunted in the Calydonian Hunt by dozens of other mythological heroes of times past, including some of Jason’s legendary Argonauts and the huntress Atalanta. In addition, Ares, the Greek god of war, had the alleged ability to transform himself into a wild boar, and even had the gall to gore his son to death while in this particular form to prevent the young man from growing too attractive and stealing his wife.
And, from the world of Celtic mythology, we hear equally fascinating folkloric tales of the wild boar, which was sacred to the Gallic goddess, Arduinna. One such tale is that of Fionn mac Cumhaill (or Finn McCool), who lures his rival, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, to his gored-by-boar death.
The Norse gods Freyr and Freyja both kept boars: Freyr’s was named Gullinbursti – meaning Golden Mane, as a result of its unique bristles that glowed in the dark and illuminated the ancient, darkened pathways upon which Freyr roamed. Freya, meanwhile, rode the boar Hildesvini (that translates as Battle Swine), when she was not using her cat-drawn chariot. According to the poem Hyndluljoo, Freyja concealed the identity of her protégé Óttar by turning him into a wild boar.
In ancient Persia (now Iran), during the Sassanid Empire, boars were respected as both fierce and brave creatures; while in Hindu mythology, the third avatar of the Lord Vishnu was Varaha; yes, you surmised correctly: a wild boar.
Swiftly moving on to ancient Rome: it is known that at least three Roman Legions had a boar as their emblems: Legio I Italica, Legio X Fretensis, and Legio XX Valeria Victrix. X Fretensis was centrally involved in the First Jewish–Roman War, which culminated with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in 70 AD. In addition, it was stationed in Roman-occupied Judea for centuries and was involved in numerous other acts of oppression against the Jews. By one theory, resentment of this Legion’s boar emblem, which came to be identified with extreme destruction and persecution, partly accounts for the deep-rooted traditional Jewish aversion for pork.
The wild boar is also a long-standing symbol of the city of Milan, Italy. For example, in Andrea Alciato’s Emblemata of 1584, beneath a woodcut of the first raising of Milan’s city walls, a boar is seen lifted from the excavation. Not only that: the foundation of Milan is directly credited to two Celtic peoples: the Bituriges and the Aedui, who had as their emblems a ram and a boar, respectively.
In Medieval hunting, the boar was very much a beast of venery, the most prestigious form of quarry, and was regularly hunted by packs of bloodhounds. And with respect to the wild-boar and hunting, a story from Nevers, which is reproduced within the Golden Legend, states that one night Charlemagne dreamed he was about to be killed by a wild boar during a hunt, but was rescued by the appearance of a child, who had promised to save the emperor if he would give him clothes to cover his nakedness. The Bishop of Nevers went on to interpret this dream as meaning that the child was Saint Cyricus and that he wanted the emperor to repair the roof of the Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte de Nevers - which Charlemagne duly did.
Moving on to Scotland, the ancient Lowland Scottish Clan Swinton is said to have to have acquired the name Swinton for their bravery in successfully clearing their area of wild boar. Indeed, the chief’s coat of arms and the clan crest allude to this legend, as does the name of the village of Swinewoo, which can be found in the county of Berwick, and which was granted to them in the Eleventh Century.
Meanwhile, in England, a Forest of Dean legend tells of a Godzilla-like boar, known as the Beast of Dean or the Moose-Pig, which was said to have terrorised local villagers in the early part of the 19th century. So the story goes, in 1802, utterly tired by being harassed by the mysterious giant boar which, reputedly, was large enough to have felled trees and crushed hedges and fences, farmers from the village of Parkend undertook an expedition to capture and kill the creature, but found nothing whatsoever. The legend, however, still lives on.
Nick Redfern’s latest book is Monsters of Texas, co-written with Ken Gerhard (CFZ Press, June 2010).
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Welcome back Nick; I've been needing my parazoological fix......................