The “Bentheim Black Pied Pig” archetype

Cultural context

In the farmsteads of Europe the pig stood close to the hearth. A fat sow in the sty meant a house that would get through winter, and a large litter was read as a sign of plenty, so the animal came to stand for fertility and for the comfortable stability of country life. The wild boar, its bristling forebear, lived in the same imagination as a different sort of creature: stubborn, hard to turn aside, ready to defend its own. Villagers knew both faces. One was generous with its bounty and loyal to the household that fed it; the other owed nothing to anyone. The archetype keeps the two together, a figure of rural warmth and pragmatic thrift that is quick to share a meal, slow to give up a good spot by the fire, and always aware of what the larder holds.

Scales

Seen through the poles of temperament, the boar is a creature of appetite for life. Interest in closeness and in a mate runs strong in him, and it is matched by a vitality that does not tire: he gets up after the hard winter, the long march, the lost litter, and goes on. His body is his first tool, built for strength and athletic effort, and he trusts it. The mind is no slouch either. He likes to turn a problem over and work out its logic, and he is open to the unfamiliar, snuffling at a new smell or a new path before deciding what it is worth. Beneath the muscle lies a quiet search for meaning, a sense of belonging to the soil and the seasons that he would never put into words. Among others he is bold and lively. He is at ease in company, loves a game, and a joke at the trough costs him nothing. He will also give of himself, helping at his own expense, and he works with discipline, keeping to order and to the ways his family always kept. Gentleness and tolerance make him a fair neighbour, honesty and modesty make him a plain-spoken one. Yet a rebellious streak keeps him from bending to whatever the herd happens to be shouting, and his independence means he would rather root out his own supper. Under it all runs a fine sensitivity to the moods of those he loves, shown rarely and usually sideways.

Strong traits

Fertility and courage form the core of the boar. The first makes him generous with energy: he starts things, opens doors for others, and whatever stands near him tends to grow. The danger is arithmetic. He takes on more than one pair of trotters can carry and finds himself spread over five jobs at once. Courage sends him forward where others would hang back, and when his family is threatened he plants himself in the path and does not move. It comes with a price, though. He may charge before he has looked at the ground, and once he has committed, stubbornness will not let him retreat even when retreat would be wise.

Noticeable traits

Honesty, kindness and loyalty make up the next layer. He tells the truth the way he roots up a field, straight through, and people trust him because he is consistent, even when he leaves a bruise by not softening the blow. His kindness is practical: he feeds the hungry, forgives a blunder and asks for nothing at once, which is exactly why he sometimes ends up exhausted and used by those who noticed. Loyalty ties him to his herd, to its old yard and its old faces. He stands by them in bad weather but finds it hard to move house, or to let go of a past that has stopped serving him.

Muted traits

Self-satisfaction and greed sit in the shadow of this nature, quieter than the rest. He knows his own worth well, and sometimes too well: the calm certainty turns into a wall, and he stops noticing what the neighbours do well. Thrift, sensible in a lean year, can slip into hoarding, a reluctance to leave the warm corner and the full trough, and then the generosity that defines him goes thin.

How to be around

How should you treat the boar? Remember that he is strong, willing and straight-talking, and that all three can wear him out. Give him real work and praise it aloud. Say what you mean in plain words; hints slide off his hide. Watch for kindness tipping into martyrdom and comfort turning to smugness, and answer both with a friendly, specific word.

With a woman

With a woman-sow, start by asking what she would like to run herself, then hand it over whole: the kitchen, the budget, the autumn preserving. She is loyal to household ways and repays trust with fierce, practical devotion. When she is busy, ask what is needed and take a task off her list instead of offering opinions. Admire a result with something concrete, such as "That jar of pickled plums is the reason I came to dinner." If she has been giving away too much of herself, bring her tea and tell her the evening is hers.

With a man

With a man-boar, hand him the hard job at the front and let him carry it. Courage is his language, so set a goal, name the finish line, and step aside. When he charges ahead without looking, skip the lecture and ask, "What will you do if the bridge is out?" Then let him answer it himself. He takes a question as respect, whereas advice sounds to him like a challenge.

With a teenage boy

A teenage boy-piglet is all appetite and elbows, so feed him, quite literally, and talk while he eats. Tell him your own blunders from when you were fourteen; he forgives faults that are shared. Let him fix what he broke instead of lecturing, and praise the repair out loud. If he swaggers, laugh with him and not at him; the swagger is a coat he has not grown into yet.

With a teenage girl

Agree with a teenage girl-piglet on a word she can say that means "get me out of here", no questions asked, and keep your promise to honour it. She is blunt and hates being managed, so ask what she thinks before you say what you think. When she snaps, answer the content rather than the tone. Notice her generosity with friends before she has to point it out.

With a child

Tell a child-piglet yes whenever you honestly can, and let the mud, the noise and the games happen. He learns through play and through his snout. Give him a small plant to look after and let him report back at day's end. When he grabs the last bun, skip the scolding and ask, "Shall we split it and see who gets the bigger half?"

With an animal

An animal-boar reads a person by smell and by routine. Feed it at one hour and in one place, let it root through a patch of loose earth, and sit nearby with a low voice while it checks you over. Hoarding is a worry for him, so keep the bowl steady instead of hiding treats. A summer mud wallow is a necessity, not a nuisance. Scratch behind the ears once it leans against your leg.

After a quarrel

To quarrel with a boar or get under his skin, stand between him and his dinner, correct him in front of strangers, or lecture him on running what he built himself. A man-boar goes red when his word is doubted or his path is blocked. A woman-sow bristles if her pantry is rearranged without a word and her loyalty is taken for granted. The teenage boy-piglet erupts at mockery of his first real efforts, the teenage girl-piglet at honeyed lies offered in place of a blunt truth. A child-piglet sulks when a game is cut short, and an animal-boar grows furious at an empty bowl in its usual place or a stranger squatting on its patch of ground. Once he is angry he stays that way, chewing on the slight all week.

How to befriend

To befriend a boar or win him over, come with plain talk and something good to eat. Say honestly what you want, share the table, and remember what he told you last time. A man-boar warms to someone who stands beside him on the bad day without making a speech; a woman-sow, to the guest who notices the work behind her welcome and brings one small gift for the household. A teenage boy-piglet comes round when you hand him a real responsibility, a girl his age when you meet her blunt question with a blunt answer. A child-piglet is won by the grown-up willing to get dirty, and an animal-boar by the person who turns up with food each day and keeps a quiet voice. After a few weeks of this, he will count you in his herd, and a boar does not retire a member of the herd lightly.

Similar archetypes

Close facets: images with a similar set of qualities.

Complete opposite

The opposite facet: images whose qualities point the other way.

Find your most suitable archetypes

Archetypes are facets of personality and behaviour: sometimes a hamster, sometimes a lion. Take a test for yourself, a friend or a pet.

Pick an animal

Refine traits

All archetypes