A PAGAN REFLECTION ON KING RICHARD III AND HIS LEGACY
The White Boar was the personal device or badge of King Richard III. Livery badges were potent
symbols of political affiliation in the Wars of the Roses. Richard distributed these in large numbers at
his coronation and at the installation of his son Edward as Prince of Wales.
Richard's choice of badge would have been a personal one, but according to record the boar had
been a badge of the royal possession, the "Honour of Windsor". Another suggestion is that the boar
was a pun on "Ebor", a contraction of Eboracum (Latin for York).
The boar was used as an emblem by at least three Roman legions, predating the development of
classical European heraldry. There is a Pictish Boar on the Royal inaugural stone of Dunadd in Argyll
where ancient Kings of Ireland were crowned. The mythological boar Gullinbursti, a representation
of the god Freyr, as is Hildisvíni ("battle pig"), the boar of the goddess Freya was used in the Viking
era. The image of the boar also appears in the early English epic poem, Beowulf .
The Boar relates to the warrior spirit, courage, leadership and direction. Being strong, dangerous,
intrepid and difficult to kill, meeting enemies with nobility and courage, signifying bravery and
perseverance, being a fierce fighter, refusing to yield. The Sow reflects generosity, nurture and
fertility representing “Giving”, and the Boar “Taking Away”.
Many Pagans see the Boar as sacred, supernatural and magical. In Celtic Mythology the Wild Boar
and Sow are sacred to the goddess Cerridwen, a shape-shifter with a cauldron of wisdom and
inspiration. Cerridwen is linked with the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. She is known by
other names including the local variant, Black Annis.
Broom was another emblem for Richard’s dynasty. The Latin word for Broom is Genista, making
Planta Genista – or Plantagenet.
Last of his royal line, Richard III embodies the Wounded King, who is sacrificed for the earth’s benefit
in the battle between the old king and the new. This ancient archetype is considered the source of
the Arthurian legends and many other international cross-cultural tales of bravery.
Moonbramble
Pagan Federation