Tradition: Swiss Mythology
Alternative Names: Dorfsschwein, Village Pig
Category: Pig

The Myth

The Village Pig is a mysterious supernatural creature from the legends of the Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland, recorded by Jakob Kuoni in 1903. It was particularly known in stories told by the Stubetiknaben, young men who went out at night along country fields, forest paths, and village streets. During these nocturnal wanderings, a pig would suddenly appear among them and prove extraordinarily difficult to escape.

Some accounts describe the creature forcing itself between a man’s legs and carrying him away to a distant dwelling or barn. It would apparently continue its journey as long as it could find a house or livestock shelter. In other stories, the Village Pig pursued bachelors who had fled into barns, peering through windows or looking through barn doors while standing on a ladder. One man harassed by the creature in the meadows encountered a whole group of young piglets accompanying it.

The man eventually ordered the supernatural animals to leave in the name of the Devil. They immediately withdrew with grunts and squeals and disappeared into nearby woods. Another legend from Altstätten claims that the Village Pig once entered a church. When the clergyman and sacristan attempted to catch it, the clergyman mounted the animal, only to be carried away on its back. These stories portray the Village Pig as a mischievous and persistent nocturnal creature that tormented people who encountered it after dark.

Sources

“Dorfschwein.” SAGEN.at. https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/schweiz/st_gallen/dorfschwein.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com