For over 200 years in western Europe, there was a pervasive belief among large portions of the population that the upper classes in society were hiding something - women horribly cursed with the heads of pigs . Not an insult or a metaphor, no, these were women who were thought literally to be pigs from the neck up. Crowds gathered to harass potential pig-faced women and chase their carriages, and they apparently made appearances at fairs. This is an incredibly bizarre series of events that is all but forgotten in the modern day, but bears were shaved, legacies were tarnished, and there were men from an ocean away proposing marriage to a pig-faced woman.
On the creature of the week, it's a bird who can escape from any predator, but after you hear the route it needs to take, you'll wonder if it shouldn't just let itself get caught.
Songs:
"The Rain" by Carmelo Costanzo
"White City, Black City" by Esther Garcia
"Chaos in the Mouse Kingdom" by DDmyzik
"Taking Dark Matter Lightly" by Alan Singley
"Something Elated" by Broke for Free
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I have a vintage hand made doll of the Pig-Faced Lady. It has been in my family for over 50 years. I am not sure where it is from.
Hi! I really love your podcast.
I think the pig-faced lady story has inspired Penelope, a rom-com with Nina Ricci as the pig-faced woman.