Erymanthian boar

The Erymanthian Boar is remembered in connection with The Twelve Labours, in which Heracles, the (reconciled) enemy of Hera, visited in turn “all the other sites of the Goddess throughout the world, to conquer every conceivable ‘monster’ of nature and rededicate the primordial world to its new master, his Olympian father,” Zeus.

In the primitive highlands of Arcadia, where old practices lingered, the Erymanthian Boar was a vicious creature that lived on Mount Erymanthos, a mountain that was apparently once sacred to the Mistress of the animals, the haunt of Artemis. A boar was a dangerous animal: “When the goddess turned a wrathful countenance upon a country, as in the story of Meleagros, she would send a raging boar, which laid waste the farmers‘ fields.” One was sent by Apollo to kill the youth Adonis, a favorite of Aphrodite, for revenge on her, as she had blinded Apollo‘s mortal son, Erymanthus because he had stumbled upon her bathing.

The Fourth Labour of Heracles

Heracles‘ fourth labour was to capture the Boar. On the way there, Heracles visited Pholus a kind and hospitable centaur and old friend. Heracles ate with him in his cavern -though the centaur devoured his meat raw- and asked for wine. Pholus had only one jar of wine, a gift from Dionysus to all the centaurs on Mt Erymanthus. Heracles convinced him to open it, and the smell attracted the other centaurs, who did not understand that wine needs to be tempered with water, became drunk and attacked. Heracles shot at them with his poisonous arrows, and the centaurs retreated all the way to Chiron’s cave.

Pholus was curious why the arrows caused so much death, and picked one up but dropped it, and the arrow stabbed his feet, poisoning him. A stray arrow hit Chiron as well, but Chiron was immortal, although he still felt the pain. Chiron’s pain was so great, he volunteered to give up his immortality, and take the place of Prometheus, who had been chained in Tartarus (part of the underworld), although he was an immortal Titan. Prometheus‘ torturer, the eagle, continued its torture on Chiron, so Heracles shot it dead with an arrow. It is generally accepted that the tale was meant to show Heracles as being the recipient of Chiron’s surrendered immortality. The tale of the centaurs sometimes appears in other parts of the twelve labours, as does the freeing of Prometheus.

Heracles had visited Chiron to gain advice on how to catch the boar, and Chiron had told him to drive it into thick snow, which sets this Labour in mid-winter. Having successfully caught the Boar, Heracles bound it and carried it back to Eurystheus, who was frightened of it and ducked down in his chamber pot, begging Heracles to get rid of the beast, a favorite subject for the vase-painters. Heracles obliged.

The Erymanthian boar is omnivorous, but loves meat. It is even more aggressive than a dire boar.

Dire Boar ( +10HD Giant x2 Fiendish Advanced x3 )                              CR 17
XP 102400
N Colossal animal
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; low-light vision, scent; Perception +18

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DEFENSE

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AC 40, touch 7, flat-footed 35 (+33 natural, -8 size, +5 Dex)
hp 407 (15d8+340)
Fort +19, Ref +9, Will +8;
Defensive Abilities ferocity; DR 10/good; Resist cold 15, fire 15; SR 19;

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OFFENSE

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Speed 40 ft.
Melee gore +30 melee (8d6+36)
Space 25 ft.Reach 25 ft.
Special Attacks Smite Good 1/day (swift action, +Cha bonus to attack, +HD bonus to damage; persists until target dead or creature rests).

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STATISTICS

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Str 61, Dex 20, Con 41, Int 2, Wis 25, Cha 20;
Base Atk 14; CMB 35; CMD 49
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception), Toughness
Skills Perception +18

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ECOLOGY

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Environment temperate or tropical forests
Organization solitary, pair, or herd (3-8)
Treasure none

Combat

The Erymanthian boar charges its opponent, trying to disembowel the victim with its savage tusks.

Ferocity (Ex): The Erymanthian boar is such a tenacious combatant that it continues to fight without penalty even while disabled or dying.