The Wild Boar | Abundant, Fertile and Pragmatic

The boar–and by extension the pig–has a very strong connection with the earth. In early Hinduism, the boar was an aspect of Brahma. The animal is credited with having raised the Earth Goddess Bhudevi from the primeval waters. In contemporary Hinduism, Varaha is the third of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

The Pig and The Boar

Pigs have been domesticated for thousands and thousands of years. Despite this, the wild boar hasn’t vanished. In fact, they remain ever abundant. Unlike the pig that comes in a variety of colourings, the wild boar is generally dark-coloured, possesses dark, coarse hair and has a set of tusks. Males have bigger tusks than females.

The boar is a symbol of brute strength, aggression and open confrontation in the face of adversarial conditions. While the boar would rather be left alone to breed do ‘its own thing’, it is not afraid to attack another party–humans, included–in a confrontation.

The male of the species is solitary and larger than its female counterpart. Whenever a boar appears, it is a prompt to rise up even if a situation makes you feel uncomfortable. It is better to confront the problem than to run away.

Boars are abundant within their ranges. The more territory they have, the more they will breed. Since boars are highly adaptable, they are able to thrive wherever there is water, earth and tree cover.

Like the pig, boars are extremely intelligent. In the event that they are hunted or put under pressure, they become completely nocturnal. Boars have been known to disappear and can become very hard to locate.

The boar is a carrier of infectious disease. Swine brucellosis is a bacterium that is transmitted among the wild boar population through direct contact. When humans contract the disease, the body temperature rises and falls along with flu-like symptoms.

The Pragmatist

The sow–the female boar–is one of those animals that I associate with pragmatic femininity. She’s not really the sort of woman to leave it all behind and chase after a dream. Rather, she focuses on what she does well and does a lot of it.

As mothers, they are fertile and can have lots of kids. They can be good providers and homemakers. At the same time, they can lose interest after the early period and move onto another project. They’re not always able to finish what they start. While highly fertile, they are not predisposed to hard work.

Boars lack the ability to make sacrifices in order to achieve anything of enduring value. The truth is: they’re quite happy in the mud. You could even say that that’s where they belong.