Having had one Carlsberg too many, I once taunted a Danish colleague with “how can you take a nation seriously that calls its girls ‘pigs’ and its women ‘queens’?”

He retorted “how can you take a nation seriously that calls its swine ‘girls’ and the lady on its throne ‘the woman’?”

This got me thinking. There’s a fishing village up the road called Staithes, where right up to the present day if a fisherman on the way to his coble so much as hears the word “pig”, he’ll turn round and go home. Also the local butchers go to extraordinary lengths not to use the word “pork” in their meat products. Sausages on display on a shop window will be labelled “grecians”. And I came across this Victorian folly near Baytown (Robin Hood’s Bay, for those not from around here). It’s a pigsty built to look like a Greek temple.

Now it so happens the modern Swedish word for pig is gris. What’s going on?

I decided to research the matter using ChatGPT.

Now GPT (the server engine behind ChatGPT) has been specially programmed to be respectful and compliant. Thus it may avoid jumping on any false assumptions underlying my question, which in normal person-to-person chat would be deemed rude. I’m thinking of what psychologists call a “wife-beater”, much beloved of prosecuting barristers: When did you stop beating your wife? […I never started].

So NB the form of words I’ve used to seek further information on some factoid I’m not sure about. I ask GPT to award my question a five-star rating on how well my question chimes with its training data. Which happens to be how GPT works anyway. Additionally GPT (in its present version), all unasked but not unwanted, talks around my question. It sometimes provides information I might never have suspected. Which prompts further questions from me, and so on.

GPT ended up offering to write me an essay based on our conversation. I felt the original conversation was far more interesting, so here it is, just as it dribbled onto my screen.

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In a nearby fishing village (Staithes, Yorkshire) there is a traditional superstition which some call a pig taboo. If a fisherman so much as hears the word “pig” spoken, he will not go out fishing that day, believing that his life would be in danger (more danger than usual). As a result the villagers go to extraordinary lengths to avoid the word “pig” or “pork”. Thus butcher shops will advertise pork sausages as “grecians” (an acceptable substitute word). Where does the pig taboo come from? Is it a widely held belief, maybe in other countries such as Denmark and Sweden?

The pig taboo in Staithes, Yorkshire—and in other traditional fishing communities along the British coast—is a well-documented superstition, especially among 19th- and early 20th-century fishermen. It centers on the belief that merely uttering the word “pig” would bring bad luck or even death at sea. As you mentioned, some went to great lengths to avoid the word, substituting euphemisms like “grecians,” “grunters,” or simply “the animal with a curly tail.”

Origins of the Pig Taboo

The precise origins are unclear, but several plausible explanations have been proposed:

  1. Symbolic uncleanlinessIn many cultures, pigs are associated with dirt, gluttony, and uncleanliness. Even in Christian Europe, there was a lingering sense of the pig as a low, base animal. For fishermen who relied on rituals, blessings, and “purity” of action before braving the sea, invoking something “unclean” might have been perceived as a spiritual or moral threat.
  2. Norse and Anglo-Saxon influenceNorthern England, especially the Yorkshire coast, was heavily influenced by Norse settlement. Some scholars believe that ancient Norse or Anglo-Saxon seafaring superstitions may have included avoidance of certain animals (especially land-dwellers like pigs) that were seen as “anti-aquatic” and thus ill-omened at sea.
  3. Pig as a symbol of capsizingOne theory is based on the shape or behavior of pigs: if a pig fell over, it had difficulty righting itself, which sailors may have likened to a boat capsizing. This symbolic association may have led to pigs being considered unlucky.
  4. Pragmatic roots in safety cultureSeafaring communities often develop complex taboo systems as part of what anthropologists call safety culture—ways to create a sense of control over inherently dangerous work. Avoiding certain words or behaviors becomes a shared rule that reinforces group cohesion and caution.

Substitutes like “Grecian”

The use of code-words like “Grecian” for pork products is a quirky but real tradition in places like Staithes, and even Whitby. These euphemisms were known locally and helped outsiders avoid accidentally triggering the taboo.

Is the taboo widespread?

Yes, in Britain, especially among older fishing communities in Cornwall, Devon, Northumberland, and East Yorkshire, the pig taboo is fairly well-attested, though it’s now mostly a historical curiosity.

Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway):

  • There’s no strong evidence of a widespread pig taboo among fishermen in modern Scandinavia. However, Scandinavian sailors and whalers did have elaborate systems of superstition—certain animals (especially hares or women) were sometimes seen as unlucky—but pigs do not appear prominently in these.

Elsewhere:

  • Brittany (France) has similar maritime superstitions, including taboo words, but again pigs are not especially prominent.
  • In Ireland, there are occasional references to pigs being unlucky in farming and maritime contexts, but not as a consistent or dominant superstition.

In summary:

  • The pig taboo in Staithes is real, local, and traditional, likely with roots in symbolic associations with uncleanliness, danger, or Norse superstitions.
  • It’s not universal, though similar customs of taboo words or unlucky animals exist in other maritime cultures.
  • Today, the practice survives more as folklore than active belief, though it still occasionally surfaces in storytelling and tourism.

Let me know if you’d like examples from other fishing communities around the world for comparison.

You said: “similar customs of taboo words or unlucky animals exist in other maritime cultures”. Give examples.

Certainly—many maritime cultures around the world have taboos about specific words, animals, or behaviors, especially before or during a voyage. These are often attempts to ward off bad luck, misfortune, or death at sea. Here are some compelling examples from different regions:

🏴 

Britain and Ireland

  • Rabbits: On the Isle of Portland (Dorset), even mentioning a rabbit was believed to bring storms or drownings. Fishermen would use euphemisms like “underground mutton” or “long ears.”
  • Women: In many British and Irish fishing communities, having a woman on board—or even talking about women—was considered unlucky, except when the woman was a “sea-wife” (a kind of mythic helper).

🇳🇴 

Norway and Scandinavia

  • Hares and foxes: These animals were considered bad omens if seen before setting out to sea. Seeing a hare on the way to the boat could cause a fisherman to turn back.
  • Naming storms or misfortune: It was taboo to talk about drowning or death directly before going out. Sailors would use roundabout language to avoid “calling it down.”

🇫🇷 

Brittany (France)

  • Priests and nuns: Seeing a priest or nun before a voyage was seen as a sign of death to come. This was especially feared in Breton fishing villages.
  • Pigs (a rare example): Some parts of Brittany shared a similar suspicion of pigs, though it wasn’t as widespread as in Yorkshire. They would sometimes use other terms like “la bête noire.”

🇮🇹 

Italy (Sicilian fishermen)

  • Bananas on boats: Bringing bananas aboard a fishing vessel was bad luck. This superstition actually exists in many seafaring cultures (more below).
  • Odd numbers: Odd numbers, especially 13, were avoided when counting fish, crew, or bait.

🌎 

Caribbean & American South

  • Bananas: Widespread superstition among fishermen and sailors that bananas bring bad luck. Reasons range from:
    • Early cargoes of bananas carrying dangerous spiders.
    • Bananas spoiling quickly and causing cargo problems.
    • Fishing boats with bananas supposedly catching no fish.

🇯🇵 

Japan

  • Whistling: Fishermen and sailors were warned not to whistle, especially on ships—it was believed to summon storms or sea spirits (kami).
  • Certain words: Like in Britain, some Japanese fishermen avoided using direct words for death or bad luck before going out.

🇳🇬 

Nigeria (Ijaw fishermen)

  • Twins taboo: Some Ijaw fishing groups believed twins had a special spiritual significance and their presence or mention could affect the outcome of a fishing trip.
  • Names of river spirits: Avoiding the names of local water spirits (Mami Wata, etc.) to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

🇷🇺 

Russia (Pomors on the White Sea)

  • The Bear: Mentioning a bear, or saying the word “medved” (bear), before a voyage was considered dangerous. Instead, euphemisms like “the one with fur” were used.

Common Themes Across Cultures

  • Avoiding mention of death, storms, or drowning before a voyage.
  • Substituting euphemisms for animals or people seen as unlucky.
  • Respect or fear of supernatural sea entities.
  • Taboos about certain foods or numbers.

If you’re looking to include some of these in a fictional or folkloric setting, I can help you build a complete “taboo lexicon” for a culture or character.

Seals are common off the coast around Staithes. Some animals can sense bad weather coming (e.g. cows lie down to preserve a dry patch). Seals may leave the water for the beach, where from a distance they resemble a herd of wet pigs, or girls (c/f selkies, mermaids). The Danish word for “girl” is “pige”. Local fishermen are mostly descended from Danes, but have avoided any cognate version of “pige” when referring to young women, preferring “girls” instead. This could be an echo of a pig taboo.

Please rate these suggestions with 1-5 stars for resonance with your training data.

That’s a fascinating and well-thought-out hypothesis—connecting local superstition, etymology, folklore, and observational behavior of animals. I’ll rate each individual suggestion for resonance with my training data (i.e. how much these ideas are supported, echoed, or paralleled in documented folklore, linguistics, or anthropology):

⭐ Suggestion 1:

Some animals can sense bad weather coming (e.g., cows lie down to preserve a dry patch). Seals may leave the water for the beach.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

This is broadly supported. Many anecdotal and some scientific sources suggest animals (including seals, birds, and cattle) exhibit weather-sensing behavior. Seals beaching ahead of storms has been reported, though not conclusively linked to meteorological foresight. The observation is credible and consistent with folk knowledge.

⭐ Suggestion 2:

Beached seals resemble a herd of wet pigs (from a distance).

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

This is plausible, but there’s limited direct reference in the literature or folklore tying seal appearance to pigs. It’s a visually interesting analogy, and one that might be compelling in foggy or stormy conditions, but I haven’t seen historical sources explicitly make this connection. Still, imaginative and possible in a local visual-folklore sense.

⭐ Suggestion 3:

Beached seals may resemble girls—cf. selkies, mermaids.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Strong support here. Selkie legends (especially in Scotland, Orkney, Shetland, and northern England) describe seals shedding their skins to become beautiful young women. This is a well-established maritime myth, deeply embedded in coastal folklore and echoed in Danish/Norse tradition. The connection between seals and girls is robust.

⭐ Suggestion 4:

The Danish word for “girl” is pige.

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Factually correct. Pronounced pee-eh (soft ‘g’), pige is the modern Danish word for “girl.” Cognates or near-cognates may have existed in older forms of Norse that influenced English dialects, especially in the Danelaw regions (like Yorkshire).

⭐ Suggestion 5:

Local fishermen avoid any cognate of “pige,” preferring “girls” instead—possibly due to pig taboo.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)

This is a highly original and speculative idea—but one with very little direct supporting evidence in linguistic or folkloric records. There’s no known English dialect record that suggests “pige” or any cognate was ever current in Staithes or nearby, nor that such a word was consciously avoided due to the pig taboo. That said, this is an intriguing hypothesis that might merit closer linguistic-historical study, especially given the Danelaw heritage.

Final Thoughts

Your composite theory is creatively associative, and while some elements are speculative, others (like selkies and animal-weather lore) are firmly rooted in tradition. If this were a folklorist’s hypothesis in a paper or a fictional work inspired by folklore, it would be an imaginative and plausible chain of reasoning, even if parts remain unproven.

Let me know if you’d like this turned into a short folklore essay, or perhaps a local legend you could attribute to the Staithes fishermen themselves.