If you’ve ventured near Twitter in the last 24 hours you cannot have escaped what is perhaps the weirdest trend to appear there recently, namely, jokes and memes on the theme of #feralhogs. It all originates from a fairly left field tweet by @WillieMcNabb, a defender of rural gun-use after the latest mass shootings in the US:

Despite the onslaught of mockery that McNabb has endured since his oddly specific tweet, he is adamant that the urban elite of today do not understand the problems that country-dwellers endure on a regular basis, and that their sympathies for savage wildlife are misplaced.

Wild pigs are killers, he argues, and should be slaughtered with guns. While he may be unaware of it, the debate around what to do with #feralhogs is in fact an old one, and the high point of that debate can be traced to a precise moment: on 9 January 1386, in the town of Falaise in the Normandy region of France, the local executioner acknowledged receipt of payment “for his efforts and salary for having dragged and then hanged at the [place of] justice in Falaise a sow of approximately three years of age who had eaten the face of the child of Jonnet le Macon, who was in his crib and who was approximately three months old, in such a way that the said infant died from [the injuries]”.

Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Show all 43 1 /43 Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a fire dragon dance under a shower of molten iron sparks on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Pig, in Zaozhuang REUTERS Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Filipino-Chinese children display piggy banks at the start of celebrations for Lunar New Year in Chinatown, Manila, Philippines AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A lion dance troupe performs among visitors jostling for freebies thrown to them during celebrations for the Lunar New Year of the Pig in Manila's Chinatown district AFP/Getty Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world People buy flowers at a New Year market in Hong Kong's Victoria Park AP/Vincent Yu Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a night parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Lion dancers dance around firecrackers as they explode in the street while ushering in Chinese New Year in San Francisco, California Getty Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world People look at festive New Year pig ornaments in the China Town area of London AFP/Getty Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Drummers perform in front of a mural reading "2019" at a temple fair at Longtan Park in Beijing AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a night parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. The Lunar New Year this year marks the Year of the Pig in the Chinese calendar. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Vincent Yu AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A performer blows fire during Chinese New Year celebrations at Manila's Chinatown Reuters Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Comparsa Tymbalia from Spain during the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Ivan Abreu/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Ivan Abreu (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A performer takes part in a night parade to celebrate Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. The Lunar New Year this year marks the Year of the Pig in the Chinese calendar. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) Vincent Yu AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Dancers perform a Dragon dance next to revelers in Manila EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world anterns are carried through the streets to be hung on Chinese New Year in Chinatown in London Getty Images Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Diners take part in the largest yum cha meal in Sydney, Australia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Children celebrate the Lunar New Year in Chinatown in New York Getty Images Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A crowd jostles to grab items being thrown at them during celebrations AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers take part in a Chinese New Year parade in Tsim Sha Tsui EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Korea National University of Arts performance during the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Ivan Abreu/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Ivan Abreu (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Cape Town Carnival from South Africa during the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Ivan Abreu/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Ivan Abreu (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world HONG KONG, HONG KONG - FEBRUARY 05: Dancers from the Korean National University of the Arts perform at the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade on February 5, 2019 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Theodore Kaye/Getty Images for Hong Kong Tourism Board) Theodore Kaye (Credit too long, see caption) Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Dancers in traditional ethnic clothing perform at a temple fair at Longtan Park in Beijing, Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019. Chinese people are celebrating the second day of the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, the Year of the Pig on the Chinese zodiac. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Mark Schiefelbein AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Girls react to a squealing Teacup pig, a rare pet in the Philippines, at the start of celebrations leading to the Chinese New Year at Manila's Lucky Chinatown Plaza in Manila AP/Bullit Marquez Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A family poses in front of red lanterns on display at the Longtan Park for a temple fair ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year in Beijing, China AP/Andy Wong Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Vendors carrying pig-shaped balloons for sale to mark the Lunar New Year in Hanoi, Vietnam AP/Hau Dinh Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A vendor packs sweets at the Dihua Street market in Taipei, Taiwan on 29 January. Taiwanese shoppers started hunting for delicacies, dried goods, and other bargains at the market ahead of the Lunar New Year AP/Chiang Ying-ying Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Women take a selfie near a tree decorated with red lanterns AP/Andy Wong Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world An ethnic Chinese-Thai man offers flowers after prayers at the Leng Nuei Yee Chinese temple AP/Sakchai Lalit Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Two divers perform an underwater Chinese Lion Dance ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations at Aquaria KLCC underwater park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 30 January AP/Vincent Thian Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Travellers wait for their trains at a railway station in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province on 28 January. The world's largest annual migration has begun in China with millions of Chinese travelling to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year Chinatopix via AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Dancers perform the dragon dance in during new year celebrations in the Chinatown disctrict of Manila, Philippines AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Lion dancers perform on the glass deck of the King Power Mahanakhon building, Thailand's tallest, in Bangkok AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Chinese performers dressed in traditional costumes attend a rehearsal of a reenactment of a Qing dynasty (1636-1912) imperial sacrifice ritual to worship the Earth, on the eve of the Chinese New Year, at Ditan Park in Beijing EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A woman takes a photo in a sculpture made of pigs as part of celebrations for the Year of the Pig in Sydney, Australia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Year of the Pig merchandise for sale at a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A diver wearing a traditional Chinese outfit feeds fish on the eve of Chinese New Year in Manila, Philippines EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Fireworks explode behind the Sydney Opera House as it glows red as part of celebrations for Chinese New Year of the pig, in Sydney, Australia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Men perform a dragon dance called Liong ahead of Chinese New Year during the Grebeg Suro ceremony in Solo, Central Java province, Indonesia Reuters Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Performers rehearse a re-enactment of a Chinese New Year Qing Dynasty ceremony at the Temple of Earth in Ditan Park in Beijing Reuters Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Lion dancers pose on the glass deck of the King Power Mahanakhon building, Thailand's tallest, in Bangkok AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A Malaysian ethnic Chinese family take a selfie a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia AP Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world Indonesian ethnic Chinese people carry offerings during Chinese New Year celebrations at a temple in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia EPA Year of the Pig: Chinese new year celebrations around the world A tourist walks under decorative lanterns ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations at Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia EPA

Although nothing else is known about the execution of the famous “Sow of Falaise”, beyond this receipt, we do know of over 200 trials of animals and insects in medieval and early modern Europe: from the 13th to the 17th century, pigs, dogs, rats and even grasshoppers were put on trial and punished for their crimes.

Animal trials fell into two categories: secular cases against individual animals who had maimed or killed humans, and cases in ecclesiastical courts against vermin like mice and locusts, who were excommunicated for grain-related crimes. Indeed, one 16th-century lawyer, Barthelemy de Chasseneuz, shot to fame through his defence of a group of rats who were put on trial for destroying the barley crop of the region (he was played by Colin Firth in the 1993 film The Hour of the Pig). But the question remains: why did medieval people hang pigs? Did they believe animals possessed free will? That they understood the difference between right and wrong? Is this simply another example of a primitive “Dark Ages” mentality?

It’s important here to understand the way punishment operated in the medieval justice system, which was largely based on the Germanic concept of Wergild, the compensation paid by a person committing an offence to an injured party or, in case of death, to their family.

The victim’s worth was assessed: a murdered woman of child-bearing age carried a greater value for her surviving kin than an old woman, for example. Thus, a pig who had killed a child needed to be sacrificed as part of the compensation to the surviving family. Added to this was the Catholic concept of public penance, which mandated that criminals carry out their punishment in public so that the community could participate in the expiation of the crime. The sow was “drawn”, or dragged, through the town to the execution site and hung there in front of a crowd who themselves formed part of the ritual.

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Much effort seems to have gone into ensuring that the animals received a fair trial and, at least in the ecclesiastical cases, were given defence lawyers (the Sow of Falaise, in a civil court, is unlikely to have had a lawyer). Secular trials were based on the idea that animals, which were in the service of a household, could be tried, convicted and executed, like any other members of that household.

There was also a longstanding belief that a murder, whether committed by humans, animals, or inanimate objects, needed to be properly expiated in order to prevent the intervention of the devil. Meanwhile, ecclesiastical trials were based on the premise that, as in the Bible, swarms of insects were a sign of god’s wrath and so the Church needed to intervene.

In the end, no one is entirely sure why animals were punished as if they were malicious. Indeed, what jurists theorised and what the populace believed were, and continue to be, areas of divergence. But the story of the Sow of Falaise reminds us of the uneasy relationship humans continue to have with their animal neighbours, whether it’s feral hogs or urban foxes.