Swiss Farmers Killing Game Animals
In Zurich, the Swiss Confederation did not tolerate farmers engaging in hunting rituals. Hunting was a traditional privilege of the noble class, and killing game animals was strictly off limits. To prevent farmers from continuing their hunting escapades, Zurich noblemen captured and killed all of the farmer’s dogs. To protest this slaughter, farmers killed and ate wild boar. This became a symbolic gesture in retaliation of the dog slayings, proving that farmers could still hunt without their. This symbolic ritual may have extended from an incident in 1477, where young farmers raided the western part of Switzerland. These young farmers were violent and their banner depicted a wild boar 1. In these examples of medieval Swiss culture, the wild boar came to symbolize power and aggression.
References
- 1 - Leeuwen, Jacoba van. Symbolic Communication in Late Medieval Towns. Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press, 2006. <link>