Medieval animals

Cultural History · Socio-Economic History

Play piggy games, win piggy prizes: Swine entertainment in medieval Europe

At medieval carnivals and country fairs, various games involving pigs took place. This blog post discusses four instances of this remarkable swine entertainment in medieval Europe.

Thijs Porck • 04-09-2020

Cultural History · Art History · Literature

Proverbial Pigs in the Middle Ages: Ten Medieval Proverbs Featuring Swine

Swine make a frequent appearance in the proverbs of the Middle Ages; this blog post provides a fair sample of medieval piggish wisdom!

Thijs Porck • 06-03-2020

Cultural History · Literature · Legal History

Homicidal Hogs: Murderous Pigs on Trial in Medieval France

A sow eating a baby from a cradle: a horrifying image in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales may have roots in actual medieval history.

Thijs Porck • 18-10-2019

Cultural History · Art History · Literature

Medieval piggyback rides: Riding boars in the Middle Ages

With their ferocious characters, daunting tusks and relatively bulky statures, boars make unlikely steeds. Nevertheless, the Middle Ages feature various examples of boar riding.

Thijs Porck • 17-05-2019

Cultural History · Art History

This pig is on fire: A late medieval pig in Leiden’s Pieterskerk

A late medieval painting on a pillar in Leiden’s Pieterskerk shows a pig, surrounded by flames. What is going on here?

Thijs Porck • 02-11-2018

Cultural History · Literature · Political History

The boar who would be king: Royal boar prophecies in medieval England

Various medieval English kings sought to identify themselves with the boar, including Henry II, Edward III and Richard III of York. This blog calls attention to the role of the boar in medieval English royal prophecies.

Thijs Porck • 05-07-2018

Cultural History · Art History · Literature

Pigs and Bagpipes: Geoffrey Chaucer's Miller in Context

Geoffrey Chaucer drew on various medieval traditions surrounding pigs to characterise one of his most memorable characters in the Canterbury Tales: Robin the Miller

Thijs Porck • 02-02-2018

Cultural History · Art History · Archaeology · Literature

Lucky pigs and protective boars: The medieval origins of the Glücksschwein

Why are pigs associated with good luck? Traces of 'lucky pigs' are found in late medieval board and card games, while the use of boar effigies as talismans is attested as far back as the early Middle Ages.

Thijs Porck • 13-10-2017

Blogs

Play piggy games, win piggy prizes: Swine entertainment in medieval Europe

Proverbial Pigs in the Middle Ages: Ten Medieval Proverbs Featuring Swine

Homicidal Hogs: Murderous Pigs on Trial in Medieval France

Medieval piggyback rides: Riding boars in the Middle Ages

This pig is on fire: A late medieval pig in Leiden’s Pieterskerk

The boar who would be king: Royal boar prophecies in medieval England

Pigs and Bagpipes: Geoffrey Chaucer's Miller in Context

Lucky pigs and protective boars: The medieval origins of the Glücksschwein