"The Boar's Head Carol is one of the most enduring and fascinating carols of the English medieval Christmas repertoire. This macaronic carol, dating back to at least the early 15th century, describes the ceremonial presentation of a wild boar's head at the Christmas feast, a custom that survives most notably today at Queen's College, Oxford, where the tradition has been continuously maintained for centuries."
"In medieval England, the boar's head was brought to the table with great ceremony: preceded by trumpeters and attendants, it was borne aloft on a gilded platter, richly decorated with bays and rosemary. This tradition is documented in numerous royal and collegiate records. For example, at the coronation of Henry II's son in 1170, the king himself is recorded as carrying the boar's head into the hall with trumpets sounding. Queen's College, Oxford, founded in 1340, has preserved this custom to the present day,"
"The boar's head feast also echoes older, pagan Yule rituals, including the Norse sacrifice of a boar to the god Freyr, signifying fertility and good fortune, elements which were adapted into Christian festivities. Noted scholars such as Jacob Grimm have linked this banquet tradition to the sonargöltr boar of Germanic paganism."
The Boar's Head Carol originated by at least the early 15th century and commemorates the ceremonial presentation of a wild boar's head at Christmas feasts. The custom of serving a boar's head as the principal dish at grand celebrations has deep roots tied to the danger and valor of hunting a fierce animal, making the head a trophy and symbol of victory. Medieval practice involved trumpeters and attendants bearing the decorated head on a gilded platter. Numerous royal and collegiate records document the ritual, and links exist to older pagan Yule sacrifices associated with fertility and good fortune.
Read at Medievalists.net
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