Wild zwijn before 1870

This lithograph of a wild boar was created by Joseph Zephyris Gengembre in the 19th century. Here, the boar emerges from a dim and wooded landscape. In ancient times, the boar was not merely a creature of the forest, but a symbol laden with meaning. Its image recurs throughout history. In Greek mythology, the Calydonian Boar was a beast of immense size and ferocity, sent by Artemis to ravage Calydon. The boar is a symbol of untamed nature, but also courage and strength, virtues celebrated in the hunt. Consider the animal's prominent tusks, which recur as a symbol across cultures. In some, they represent virility, while in others, aggression. This ambiguity reveals how symbols evolve, shaped by the collective unconscious. The boar, therefore, is more than an animal; it is a vessel carrying layers of cultural memory, continually reinterpreted through the ages.