A headstrong, charming, and social animal, pigs have manifested different meanings throughout centuries and across cultures in various religious, spiritual, and socio-political spaces. What then is the spiritual meaning of a pig?
While symbolizing various things, pigs represent conflicting messages in Western and Middle Eastern cultures, as opposed to Asian and Island cultures. While the former typically represent pigs as unclean, the latter often sees pigs as a sign of wealth, fertility, abundance, and joy.
As a result of the various meanings attributed to pigs from Western, Middle Eastern, Eastern, and indigenous communities across socio-political, spiritual, and religious spaces, these will be discussed in detail to decipher holistic meanings.
What Does A Pig Symbolize?
Pigs symbolize various things across different cultures throughout the centuries (both negative and positive); these will be individually explored to illustrate the cross-pollination of meaning attributed to pigs, as highlighted above.
Native American Pig Symbolism
Native American symbolism takes a nuanced approach when deciphering the spiritual meanings behind pigs, and by extension, similar distant cousins of pigs such as wild boars.
Pig spirits are understood to be teachers, providing companionship, joy, reason, thoughtfulness, attentiveness, and security. However, despite equipping one with the tools for prosperity, it may be a warning to avoid greed, gluttony, or arrogance.
Biblical Pig Symbolism
In biblical texts, pigs are often portrayed in a negative light as a result of the cross-pollination with other Abrahamic religions and cultures from the Middle East. Subsequently, pigs were often deemed unholy or unclean.
Some scholars believe that the concept of “unclean” animals may have been more a result of ancient people’s inability to safely prepare, cure, and cook meat such as shellfish and pork as opposed to the inherent negative characteristics of the animals.
Celtic Pig Symbolism
Celtic society as a warrior society often held animals in high standing that exhibited a degree of resilience, tenacity, grit, and ferocity.
Consequently, pigs and boars were often held in high regard as similar animals (despite the domestication of pigs in contrast to the abundance of wild boars found near Celtic settlements).
The bristles of boars were seen as an indicator of bravery, fertility, riches, and royalty, with many an Arthurian legend having accounts of warriors clashing with wild boars in combat as a show of strength.
African Pig Symbolism
African pig symbolism is difficult to determine due to the variety of animals that may fall under the definition of a pig (such as wild boars, warthogs, and bush pigs) and as a result of the indigenous, island, and Muslim African communities all having different interpretations.
While some cultures view pigs as symbols of positive transition, some see them as symbols of oppression or abundance, depending on how the diet of pigs was introduced in light of trade for pigs or forced consumption from slavers.
Consequently, any symbolism associated with pigs has to be seen in the socio-economic and historical context of the African community in question.
Chinese Pig Symbolism
While different Asian cultures decipher the meaning of pigs differently, Chinese culture is a dominant force in the symbolic meaning of pigs, which often co-inside with other depictions from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, etc.
As the last of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, the pig is believed to have a loud, joyful, and carefree personality. Further to displays of compassion, friendliness, and boastfulness, the pig symbolizes wealth, good fortune, and prosperity.
Coupled with this self-confidence in good fortune, one’s self, and the goodness of others, those born under the sign of the pig are sometimes depicted as optimistic, gentle, and at times, overly trusting, naïve, and gullible.
Fortunately, while some may try to take advantage of a wholly trusting individual, the inverse can also come to light, wherein the desire to confide in a trusting person overcomes any desire to take advantage of their kindness and optimism.
Similar to Native American culture and symbolism of pigs, the folklore around pigs is often phrased as a lesson in the dangers of overindulging in one’s good fortunes and the importance of humility.
What Does A Pig’s Animal Symbolism Mean?
Over and above third-party observations and interpretations of pigs lie their inherent animalistic symbolism in the form of spirit animals, totem animals, and power animals.
Pig Spirit Animal Meaning
Those with a pig as a spirit animal understand the links between yourself, people, the environment, and how your actions play into the “bigger picture” should you wish to shift your focus to important tasks.
The pig as a spirit animal helps the user to remain firm and headstrong when looking to achieve their goals while remembering not to do so at the expense of others.
Consequently, the pig is a marker of success via short, calculated actions while not allowing negative thoughts or distractions to take you off this slow, steady pathway.
Pig Totem Animal Meaning
Having a pig as a totem animal is directly linked to one’s culture, religion, and community; this is because as such a divisive animal across so many communities, the meaning attributed to a pig as a totem animal must be seen within each context.
Generally speaking, the primary contrast is that of an animal with motherly instincts that serve as a symbol of fertility versus Abrahamic depictions of pigs as unclean, mischievous animals.
Pig Power Animal Meaning
As a shamanistic power animal that anyone can utilize, the pig should be invoked when looking to reconnect with the earth and nature. This provides grounding and helps one to navigate a “forest” of challenges with courage and purpose.
As compassionate and sensitive creatures, invoking a pig as a power animal further allows the user to steady their lives, goals, and ambitions while remaining kind to themselves and others while on a journey of stability.
Conclusion
While it is difficult to paint a holistic picture of the spiritual meanings behind pigs, looking at a cross-section of cultures and experiences suggests an entity that is a manifestation of good fortune while also a warning against greed and gluttony.
