Most of the legends of the Grand Sow agree she was born one night in a village on the banks of the River Grismerie (many feuds have broken out over just which village was her true birthplace). They also agree she was the biggest pig ever to grace Mousillon, and she was more than simply a pig.[1a]
She possessed supernatural powers, varying in the tales from flight to hypnotism, and she was a key participant in the eternal struggle between good and evil. While few men of Mousillon care much about good and evil, many Frogwives insist the duchy’s pigs of legend fight on their behalf, ensuring the cosmic struggle continues even if the minds of Humans are elsewhere.[1a]
Many a peasant has returned wide-eyed after a long evening’s swamping, babbling about the silhouette of an immense pig glimpsed on the horizon or the thunderous snorting of a titanic pig that can only be the Grand Sow herself. And it is true that, in the black of night, the Grand Sow might appear in the world of men. It is not certain whether the Grand Sow is a force for good or for evil, and an outsider would be advised not to ask for a definitive answer on the matter because few things get a group of peasants more worked up than conflicting theories on the Grand Sow. More mysterious still is her relationship with other pigs of legend, such as the infamous Black Pig of the Woods. Some insist that the Sow is an avowed enemy of the Black Pig, while others claim she is his mate or they are somehow two faces of the same entity. Mousillon has a complex cycle of pig-related legends, and the Grand Sow is at the heart of them all, wandering Mousillon for good or ill.[1a]
An encounter with the Grand Sow (or, as the case might be, with one of her earthly avatars) signifies that those who meet her are engaged in some enterprise that will surely change Mousillon. The Grand Sow might fight them (and she is a most ferocious beast) or simply appear as a symbol of the will of Mousillon. In any case, her appearance is not to be taken lightly, for where the Grand Sow trots, deeds of legend will not be far behind.[1a]
Porcine Aviation[]
Despite rumours and legends to the contrary, the Grand Sow does not fly. That would be silly.[1a]