Wild Boar (Franchise)

Wild boars are animals that are seen in various How to Train Your Dragon Franchise Media, starting with the first TV series, Dragons: Riders of Berk.

Description
The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) are even-toed mammals native to Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. Domestic pigs arose from the Wild boar, and are sometimes classified as a sub-species of the wild boar. Boar have long heads with ending in a flat snout. They have both upper and lower teeth, of which the canines can grow into curling tusks on males. They have a coarse and sparse brown hair coat, and relatively thin hindquarters. They are a rather vocal creature and have a well developed sense of smell.

Boar are considered omnivores and have an extremely diverse diet ranging from roots and tubers, nuts and berries, tree bark, to worms and grubs, fish, carrion, and sometimes small live animals. Partly because of this, Boar have spread around the world and are considered a nuisance and invasive species in some areas. They can cause extensive environmental damage to area where they are not native, and have even been known to kill small young livestock.

Attacks on humans are rare, but have happened throughout human history. Often aggression is increased in mating season, especially by males. Boar can fight back when provoked. Females may attack to defend their young.

In the How to Train Your Dragon Franchise, boar are portrayed as aggressive even toward dragons with an excellent sense of smell, such that they can track the blood of an injured animal.

Function
In both actuality and the Franchise, wild boar are hunted as a food source for humans. But in the Franchise boars are also food for at least some dragons, notably the Changewing. They are also used - presumably to eat - in some Viking ceremonies, such as the "400 boar feast" during Matrimonial Unions.

In the Franchise, boar are also used as pets - such as the briefly mentioned Björn Boar, and for entertainment. Tuffnut is a major proponent of wild boar as entertainment, notably with his "Boar Pit" on Dragon's Edge. It is uncertain what he does with the boars in a pit, but whatever the case, does not seem particularly pleasant for the boars.

Boars are also portrayed a bit as minor villains in the Franchise. On several occasions, boar are seen menacing or injuring dragons, including juveniles and even vulnerable adults. In the game, School of Dragons boars are being a pest species to the farming at the School.

Dragons: Riders of Berk
The very first episode, "How to Start a Dragon Academy", highlights the dragons' usefulness by tapping into their instinctive behaviors. One demonstration is scaring off and herding a group of wild boars into a building, presumably for slaughter later.

The episode "The Terrible Twos" shows a single boar menacing two Typhoomerang babies (Torch's Siblings). The boar is quickly dispatched by the mother dragon (Torch's Mother) in flames.

"How to Pick Your Dragon" continues the theme of Boars being a danger to dragons. In this episode, Stoick is paired with a troublesome Thunderdrum named Thornado. Stoick finds that Thornado is protecting another Thunderdrum (Whirlwing) from wild boars who also had his wings damaged by boars.

Dragons: Defenders of Berk
In "Live and Let Fly", the Dragon Riders go to Changewing Island to study the Changewings. The Changewings hunt three boar in a pack. The Changewings separate out one. The Twins indicate they know this one, named Bjorn Boar, and make a noise to distract the dragons. However doing so gives the Riders away, and are chased away from the island.

The episode, "The Flight Stuff" introduces Gustav's Monstrous Nightmare, Fanghook. Their initial meeting in the woods involves a wild boar.

In "Zippleback Down" Tuffnut is caught in an old Dragon trap net. To pass the time he talks to (and trains) Torch the Typhoomerang. He indicates Torch can meet his sister, if she hasn't been killed by boars.

"You can meet her, if she hasn't been eaten by a pack of angry boars, torn limb from limb in a frenzy of wild animal rage..."

- Tuffnut in "Zippleback Down"

Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 1
In the episode, "When Darkness Falls", the Dragon Riders are looking for a location to settle as an outpost. They fly to many islands, only to find them unsuitable for one reason or another. One such island contains a group of aggressive boars, which chase off both riders and dragons. In fact, the Riders accidentally visit this unnamed island twice and are chased off a cliff each time. Later, Tuffnut uses the boars to fill his "boar pit" on Dragon's Edge.

Eating boar is mentioned in the episode, "Big Man on Berk", when Fishlegs is hyponotized into thinking he is Thor Bonecrusher. This persona likes eating wild boar.

"I like to nap after a feast of wild boar and mead."

- Fishlegs as Thor Bonecrusher

The sixth episode of Season 1, "Gone Gustav Gone" revisits Tuffnut's Boar pit, though the boars are not actually seen. In attempt to be useful while visiting Dragon's Edge, Gustav fills in the big hole under the Twin's hut, which turns out to be Tuffnut's prized Boar pit.

"I'm telling you, if you get five boars, you can stack them on top of each other. That's a four-boar stack..."

- Tuffnut in "Gone Gustav Gone"

In the following episode, "Crushing It", Gobber discusses Tuffnut's boar pit, indicating that it is too shallow. Later in the episode, after Gobber gets knocked on the head and becomes delirious, he chases around the some boars wanting to talk and cuddle with them. The boars are from Tuffnut's boar pit.

Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 2
In the episode, "Snow Way Out", boar make a brief appearance on Glacier Island and are scared away by a screaming Fishlegs.

In "Snotlout Gets the Axe", some boars are seen wandering around the Island of Friga after a wedding between a Jorgenson and a Hofferson fails. Spitelout was in charge of acquiring the boars for the "400 Boar Feast".

Dragons: Race to the Edge, Season 4
Boars are not seen very much in this season, however, one comedic mention takes place in the episode, "Out of the Frying Pan". The Twins invent a "secret" language called "Boar" Latin, a play on "Pig" Latin.

In the episode The Longest Day, Ruffnut prepares 2 wild boars to play Stack the Yak but is interrupted by Tuffnut.

How to Train Your Dragon (game)
In this game, the player can catch wild boar in the "wild zone" and feed it to their dragons. Wild boar can also be put into recipes.

School of Dragons
Boars are not visually seen, but are part of a player Quest called, "The Wolves Are Coming!". Despite the Quest title indicating wolves, the quest is actually about dealing with boars spooking sheep on the School of Dragons Island. In the Quest, the player must speak with several NPC characters and lure the boars to the Wilderness.

"Wild boars eat almost anything from roots to earthworms. I've even see them snatching a snake or two!"

- Snotlout in School of Dragons

"Wild boars will follow the food and are omnivores, which means they'll eat anything."

- Phelgma in School of Dragons

Trivia

 * Wild Boar are also mentioned in the How to Train Your Dragon Book series. In How to Steal a Dragon's Sword, Toothless goes out hunting behind Hiccup's back, and eats the wild boar he hunted. When he flies back to Hiccup, he still has wild boar in his mouth and is chewing it. Hiccup scolds the little dragon, and Toothless lies about not having boar. Hiccup is able to quickly point out Toothless' lie due to the scent.