Boar - Stag - Lion - Wolf
At a first glance, a person from the 21st century would most likely stare in
confusion at the graphic to the left, thinking,
Is that a pig
with tusks
?!
People ran around advertising themselves as being prideful about being
associated with a pig?! The graphic to the left is, in all
actuality, a boar. A boar is a wild pig with a small set of curved
tusks. It is, in a sense, the European warthog - only it is smaller and
more furry than the African warthog. To hunt and kill a boar by one's self
was a mark of great courage, as with their domestic cousins, boars are
stubborn. Add the stubbornness to the will to live, and the tusks, and the
result is a worthy opponent that won't hesitate to try and bring you down in
self-defense.
According to W. Cecil Wade, the author of The Symbolisms of Heraldry
or A Treatise on the Meanings and Derivations of Armorial Bearings, the
boar is a warrior's charge, representing the warrior as being a fierce combatant
that will only cease fighting when his life is taken.
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A noble creature, the stag has been looked upon by many as being a peaceful
animal that only rises to strike back in fear and anger at danger. The
stag, or male deer, has been sought after by hunters of all eras and times not
only for food, but so that a hunter can bring a bit of nobility into their house
by mounting their neck and head upon the wall, antlers curling forward in
mockery of the cold, heavy metal crowns that the nobility of the past wore to
assume their rank.
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Perhaps the most famous, best recognized heraldry symbol of all is the
lion. The lion has the nickname "the King of Beasts," and is
often portrayed as such stereotypically though movies like
The Lion King,
books (
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe's Aslam), and statues that
often flank the stairs leading to important buildings like libraries and
political centers. In nature, the lion acts like royalty. Lions band
together to form
prides, with most of the members being female and lead
by one dominant male. The females of the pride hunt while the male merely
lazes around, making sure that his territory remains his - exactly how most
monarchs act by sending their knights to do their bidding while keeping their
plush-covered throne warm.
Artists in the medieval times have come up with more than sixty various poses
for the lion, known as attitudes (Slater 84). Some of these attitudes
can be seen on other creatures, however it is the lion that has the most.
A few of these attitudes are shown here with each creature - the boar is in the
recognizable rampant pose, the stag in a relaxing dormant, the
lion to the left salient, and the wolf in passant. One
possible explanation for the lion having the lion's share of the poses (pardon
the pun) is that it is considered to be the very first charge to be placed upon
a shield (84).
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Thanks to stories like
The Three Little Pigs and
Little Red Riding
Hood, the wolf has been given a negative image - one of a fiend that uses a
mixture of cunning and brute strength to satisfy his dark desires.
Ironically enough, this is only half true. Wolves
do use wit and
muscle to get the job done, but what other choice do you have when you lack opposable
thumbs? As to whether their desires are dark are not can only be left open
to debate. Wolves form and roam in packs and have a hierarchy system of
their own much older than humans - according to some Native Americans, it is the
wolves who taught humans how to cooperate. The medieval hierarchy system
might even be based off of wolf packs! The pack rankings work just like
the medieval hierarchy system, only with less politics, scheming and intrigue.
In a heraldic standpoint, the meaning of a wolf upon a shield would most
likely relate to how a wolf pack hunts. By working together, a wolf pack
can bring down herbivores weighing several hundred times more than a single
wolf! W. Cecil Wade believes that the appearance of a wolf upon a crest
means that either the knight himself, or someone in their family was a valiant
captain that succeeded in a long siege. Remember the stereotypes wolves
get from children's tales? The wolf is an inspiring creature of fear, and
may even symbolize the knight and their family as being dangerous to
offend. Since wolves work in families, it can be assumed that the family
is very loyal to each other, making it an unwise target to attack.
The computer game WOLF by Sanctuary Woods gives players a first-hand
experience at how a wolf pack works. The following is a series of pictures
that were taken from the WOLF help files that described to players unfamiliar
with wolf packs how they work, and it does a very nice job of comparing a wolf
to a medieval hierarchy. There are only a few errors - the first is that
the proper wolf-term for "scapegoat" is "omega," and the
second error is that "explorers" in the medieval era wouldn't be
sporting a fancy modern-day blue jacket. I myself have compiled the .gif -
please give it five seconds to let it change to the next rank. The image
is © 1994 Sanctuary Woods.
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