The Boar of the Anglo-Saxons

To the Anglo-Saxons the boar was a symbol of kingship, plenty, and protection in battle. It was seen in the everyday life of the nordic Anglo-Saxons, and was eaten along with apples at the ceremony of the mid-winter feast. It was also a symbol of strength and fertility. The boar with its crescent shaped tusks also symbolized the "Great Goddess" which was the goddess of battle, motherhood, and as the "Great Sow" (symbol of death).

The Symbol of a Boar

According to Thegns of Mercia the complex etymology of the boar is as follows:

"It would appear that the fundamental name for a ‘pig’ in Old English is sú or sugu. This means ‘sow’ and is cognate with the Old Norse sýr and the Old High German sau. These are derived from the Proto-Germanic sugó, which is itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European suhzkéhz, which is similar to the Sanskrit sukarah - a wild boar or swine. An associated word with the same roots is the Old English swín / swýn which gives us the modern word ‘swine’. This is cognate with the Old Norse svín.

There seem to be two words in Old English specifically for the Wild Boar. These are Eofor (“Ever”) and Bár. Eofor, which is cognate with the Old High German ebur and the Old Norse jór / jöfur, derives from the Proto-Germanic eburaz, which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European epuros. This is also the source of Latin aper - meaning ‘a wild boar’. Our modern English word ‘boar’ comes from the Old English bár. from West-Germanic *bairaz. This is said to be of unknown origin with no cognates outside West Germanic. It is tempting to derive it from the Proto-Indo-European root b(h)ars / bars - “bristling”. The modern English term ‘hog’, comes from Old English hogg. This is thought to be a borrowing from Old Norse höggva - to chop or cut."

A Anglo-Saxon Pin representing a Boar

The boar as a symbol of protection in battle is often seen on Anglo-Saxon war helmets. The golden boar was a symbol of divine power; often connected with the sun god Frey (only the golden boar is connected to the sun god Frey since gold was connected with his magic).

The Boar not only was adorned ceremonial objects, but also practical weapons as well. The Anglo-Saxons believed that anything with the adorned with the symbol of a boar was endowed with a magic energy that would suppress the fears of the user and inspire the warrior to to be brave in battle.

Image of the Gold Boar that placed upon the helmet in the Picture Below (Last Image)

The infamous Berserker warriors of the Anglo-Saxons were almost cult-like in their symbolism. They belonged to an elite order of Odin. In battle they wore only skins of boars, bears, or wolves; as well as a mixture of potent herbs that they believed would endow them with power of the animal that they wore. The Berserker  Warriors were fierce and charged into battle without any notion of maintaining personal safety, believing that any Berserker warrior was guaranteed a place in Valhalla. 

Vendel era bronze plate. Place of discovery: Öland, Sweden. Depicted are a berserker on the right and Oden on the left.

The Berserker Warriors even had an attack named the "Boar's Snout" (or Swine Array) which Berserker Warriors believed was given to the Viking People by Odin, the God of War. The Boar's Snout was used to create a hole in the enemy's shield wall and strike fear and panic through the opposing side.