I love that carol. I remember singing it in costume when I was at Llancaiach Fawr (17th century re-enactment in Wales) where I had a higher harmony to sing on the chorus!
The legend is based around Queen's College, University of Oxford - Reginensi Atrio - the Queen's Hall.
Apparently, the Boar's head became a tradition in Hall where the students and fellows would dine to commemorate an act of valour/courage by a student of the college who had been walking in the forest of Shotover and reading Aristotle. Suddenly, he was attacked by a wild boar. The student promptly thrust the book of Aristotle down the boar's throat, crying, "Græcum est," (trans: "With compliments of the Greeks.") and choked the beast to death.
He then carried the boar back to Hall where it was cooked and processed into Hall with this carol!
The words we have now are based on those from 1521 in Wynkyn de Worde's "Christmasse Carolles", but apparently the carol is older - at least 15th century. When the legend of the student braving the ferocious boar with a volume of Aristotle comes from I don't know - but then, Queen's Hall isn't exactly a young college!!!
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Lovely!
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Kidding, What's the story? I love the carol...
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Apparently, the Boar's head became a tradition in Hall where the students and fellows would dine to commemorate an act of valour/courage by a student of the college who had been walking in the forest of Shotover and reading Aristotle. Suddenly, he was attacked by a wild boar. The student promptly thrust the book of Aristotle down the boar's throat, crying, "Græcum est," (trans: "With compliments of the Greeks.") and choked the beast to death.
He then carried the boar back to Hall where it was cooked and processed into Hall with this carol!
The words we have now are based on those from 1521 in Wynkyn de Worde's "Christmasse Carolles", but apparently the carol is older - at least 15th century. When the legend of the student braving the ferocious boar with a volume of Aristotle comes from I don't know - but then, Queen's Hall isn't exactly a young college!!!
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