Among the Egyptians, the pig is considered an unclean animal. This belief is held so strongly that even touching a pig by accident is seen as a serious matter. If a person happens to brush against a pig while passing by, he does not simply wash his hands. Instead, he immediately goes to the river and bathes completely, plunging into the water with all his clothes still on. This action shows how deeply the Egyptians feared ritual impurity and how important cleanliness was in their religious life.
The Low Social Status of Swineherds
Because pigs were viewed as unclean, those who worked with them suffered great social hardship. Swineherds, although they were fully Egyptian by birth, were treated as outsiders. They were not allowed to enter any of the temples, even though these sacred places were open to all other Egyptians. This exclusion was a serious punishment in a society where religion played a central role in daily life The Egyptian Origin of the Greek Gods.
Their social isolation did not end there. No one was willing to marry into a swineherd’s family. Egyptians refused to give their daughters to swineherds or to take wives from among them. As a result, swineherds had no choice but to marry only among themselves, forming a separate and isolated group within Egyptian society.
The Rare Use of Pigs in Religious Sacrifice
The Egyptians did not normally offer pigs as sacrifices to their gods. In fact, pigs were rejected in almost all religious ceremonies. However, there were two exceptions: Bacchus and the Moon. These two deities were honored together at the same time, during the full moon, with the sacrifice of pigs.
This festival was the only occasion when pigs were considered acceptable for religious use. The Egyptians believed there was a special reason for their hatred of pigs during the rest of the year and their use of them during this one festival. Although this reason was well known among them, it was considered improper to speak of it openly.
The Ritual of Sacrificing a Pig to the Moon
The method used to sacrifice pigs to the Moon followed strict rules. Once the animal was killed, specific parts were immediately prepared for burning. These included the tip of the tail, the spleen, and the caul, which is the fatty membrane around the internal organs. All the fat found inside the animal’s belly was added, and these parts were burned at once as an offering.
The remaining meat was not wasted. It was eaten on the very same day that the sacrifice was made, which always fell on the night of the full moon. At no other time would Egyptians even taste pork. Outside this festival, eating pig flesh was completely forbidden Ephesus Walking Tour.
Offerings Made by the Poor
Not everyone could afford to buy a live pig for sacrifice. Poorer Egyptians found another way to take part in the ritual. Instead of using real animals, they shaped pigs out of dough. These dough pigs were baked and then offered as sacrifices in place of living pigs. This practice allowed even the poorest people to honor the gods according to their means.
These customs show how strongly Egyptian religion shaped both daily behavior and social structure. The pig, though useful in other cultures, was deeply disliked in Egypt. This belief affected personal hygiene, religious practice, and even marriage. At the same time, the single festival where pigs were allowed shows that Egyptian religion was complex, full of rules, symbols, and exceptions that were carefully observed by all levels of soc
