Pigs or swine, were among the earliest animals domesticated by early humans in the transition from existence as highly mobile hunter-gatherers to more settled farmers practicing the first forms of agriculture. Alongside dogs, sheep and goats, pigs proved amenable to a life alongside humans that dates back at least ten thousand years. Prior to that wild pigs were a staple food item, and a large boar - male pig - with its razor sharp tusks, was a formidable opponent even to large groups of hunters armed with spears and other weapons.
In The Egyptian Book of the Dead, the black pig was the symbol for the male god 'Set'. Although ancient religions most often took the pig as a positive symbol, the Jewish and Islamic religions designated it as 'unclean'. References to its undesirable (dirty) traits are also found in Christianity and Buddhism. The pig came to symbolize humankind's long list of moral weaknesses including sloth, ignorance, gluttony, lust and stubbornness. In Europe, the pig's inclination to roll in mud (to soothe its irritable skin, apparently) - plus its size - made it a favorite insult. French Revolutionaries portrayed King Louis as a pig, symbol of man's lower instincts. In art, the pig became a general symbol of disgrace, and people were caricatured as such for displaying loutish behavior, drunkenness and greed.
If you are born in the year of the pig according to the Chinese Zodiac, you are a splendid companion, and an intellectual with a strong need to set difficult goals and carry them out. You are sincere, tolerant and honest -- but by expecting the same from others you are incredibly naive. Your quest for material goods could be your downfall.
See also: Animal Tattoo Index.
