Twrch Trwyth from the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen

The boar, Twrch Trwyth, and his seven sons, "the young pigs," were men before being transformed into pigs for unknown sins. The retrieval of the grooming implements Twrch Trwyth carries between his ears--comb,scissors, and razor--becomes a particularly important part of the story's symbolism. This is one of the tasks Culhwch must perform in order to win his bride. In this story, the boar seems to symbolize the uncivilized and savage condition of the realm outside Arthur's courtly enclave.

Culhwch, whose name means "pigsty," is King Arthur's nephew. And, with help from the cultured and well-groomed knights of Arthur's court, Culhwch must do more than complete the tasks the giant Ysbaddaden has set for him. He must also succeed at fully integrating himself into his uncle's civilized world. Savageness, however, is not easily tamed. This is illustrated by the fact that, even though the grooming implements are eventually captured, Twrch Trwyth himself escapes from the knights. But Culhwch's own, successful, transformation is later signaled by the use to which the captured razor is put. It slays the giant Ysbaddaden, whose whose huge,uncouth presence is more truly inhuman and bestial than even Trwyth Twrch. For the savage boar has a kind of stubborn nobility the giant lacks. It is Ysbaddaden, rather than the boar, who most fully represents the uncivilized surroundings Arthur's court must struggle against.

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Twrch Trwyth is well covered in the following sites:

• The Hunting of Twrch Trwyth contains information on quests in Culhwch and Olwen.
  
  
• See Dogs and Boars for the symbolism of Twrch Trwyth. The second paragraph is especially helpful.
  
  

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The Questing Beast

The Questing Beast, whose more physically descriptive French name is the "Beste Glatissant" or "the barking beast," has a leapard body, a serpent head, a lion's hindquarters, and rabbit's feet. A noise like the barking of a hound pack issues from its stomach. Usually pursued by Pellinore,the Questing Beast's collection of unlikely body parts links it to chaos and incest. Indeed, the beast is said to be the result of a woman's desire for her brother. When the the brother rejected his sister's incestuous advances, the she made a bargain with the devil, who then murdered the brother and fathered the Questing Beast on her. (Note that, in this story, incestuous desire is felt solely by the woman.) Significantly, Arthur catches a glimpse of this beast shortly after his own incestuous encounter with his half-sister Morgause. And, similarly, many versions of the story maintain that Arthur was unaware Morgause was his sister, and responsibility for their sin is solely Morgause's. In this episode, the beast functions as a symbolic reminder that the unrest and disorder it represents will be a consequence of Arthur's incestuous lust.

However, in a few stories, the symbolic meaning of the Questing Beast is much more benign. For example, in T.H. White's The Once and Future King, the Questing Beast is actually a misunderstood creature. There is, in fact, no good reason for Pellinore to be hunting him, and the Pellinore's long search for the beast epitomizes all the meaningless knightly pursuits encouraged by a chivalry ungrounded in the "might makes right" purpose.

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