Tradition: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Pig
The Myth
The wild boar was a terrifying beast that appeared at night around the pastures where young horse herders brought their horses to graze. According to an old farmer, the creature would suddenly charge through the shepherds’ campfires, sending millions of sparks flying into the darkness. By morning, the boys’ faces were black with soot, as though they had been turned into Moors.
Whenever the terrifying beast appeared, disaster followed. The boys knew that they would soon have to search in every direction for their horses, which had scattered across the countryside in fear of the creature.
On one occasion, the wild beast suddenly sprang between the legs of one of the young herders. The terrified boy was carried away on a wild and dreadful ride, forced through every kind of terrain until the beast finally brought him to a distant, towering rock.
There he was forced to remain for seven days. Only on the eighth day did he manage to escape, doing so at great risk to his life. When he finally returned to the others, he was half-starved and covered in blood from his ordeal.
Sources
La Fontaine, Edmond de. Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Luxemburg: Jos. Beffort, 1882.