Hog Taxonomy, Employment and Diversity

[EdgelordDancer Any]

Most non-soulcast meats on Roshar are derived from farming hogs and chickens. Similarly that's where feather and leather can be acquired on-world. I'd guess farmers would selectively breed for such different purposes, like people have bred dogs or cows for different purposes elsewhere. Once farmers have started the process of selectively breeding for traits, maybe they would start breeding for other novel purposes. They could introduce small hogs for keeping as pets, or huge hogs for riding in style to the farmers market and showing off to your peers. I have questions about the phylogeny of these beautiful animals, which may or may not be relevant for a miniature of a Herdazian hog rider I'm making. Let me invite you into my rabbit hole which holds hogs instead of the aforementioned animal. Instead of just knowing what hogs look like on Roshar I will invite discussion as to why they would look a certain way. These are my questions:


Genus and genetic diversity - Judging by the lovingly rendered illustration of Highprince Sadeas(by lamaery_in_the_cosmere) in the Cosmere RPG world guide I'd infer that there are hogs on Roshar similar to the domestic pig Sus Domesticus, BUT! was that the only starting point, or where they ended up after thousands of years of domestication? Would there be ancestral genetic splits allowing for creatures resembling the elegant Babirusa, fluffy Bushpig or elven Red River Hog? Or did multiple genus of hogs make it to Roshar before the local cultivars even began? Maybe someone brought along their pet Pygmy Hog, or rode in on a giant Warthog? In addition, would Shinovar cultivars of hogs be taxonomically different than those in Herdaz?


Furs - Fashion! I cannot recall many mentions of hog fur being incorporated in attires, though mink fur seems to have been popular, and the leather from hogs is very valued. If the fur is not popular, I'd imagine balder breeds would be easier to work, though I'm not a tanner. Highprince Sadeas is rather fluffy, however, so is it fashion? Hog fur could theoretically make for some very unique clothing; incorporating large spots, wooly curls or the changeant look of thin bristly fur atop a saturated skin. I also bet some fashion-forward brightlord or brightlady, short on conversation starters at parties, would pay some pretty broams for a hat made entirely from the snoot fluff of Bornean Bearded Pigs or the ear tufts of Red River Hogs. What is the fashion? What would people want to wear enough for farmers to breed fluffy hogs?


Meat - Could there be Wagyu equivalent hogs, bred to be the very tastiest?

Foraging - Hogs are famously talented foragers. Could they be used by herbalists like a vegetarian hunting dog, snuffling their way to rare plants?

Some of these questions also apply for other animals earth denizens may be familiar with, such as Minks, Chickens and Sheep so please share if you have opinions or trivia of these as well. If you know a cool chicken share with the class.

[Aliroz-The-Confused]

This is the best thread on this website.

[Oranjejuicemonki He/Him]

I want hog wagyu!

[earthexile]

Hogs aren't dumb. We know there are herds living in the lands of Alethi lords, considered to belong to the local Brightlord for the purposes of hunting rights. That means they've figured out how to get themselves through Highstorms, and they're out there when things get all Investiture-y. I don't know if there is WoB on this, but I wonder whether they could, like horses, have made their own bonds with local spren to adapt to the environment. 

[EdgelordDancer Any]

On 2/22/2026 at 7:28 PM, earthexile said:

Hogs aren't dumb. We know there are herds living in the lands of Alethi lords, considered to belong to the local Brightlord for the purposes of hunting rights. That means they've figured out how to get themselves through Highstorms, and they're out there when things get all Investiture-y. I don't know if there is WoB on this, but I wonder whether they could, like horses, have made their own bonds with local spren to adapt to the environment. 

Very good point, I love that! Maybe hogs could be bonding with spren for a ryshadium adjacent line. What kind of spren would they bond do you think? I think a gravitationspren would help with staying put in strong stormwinds, or lifespren could help with sourcing sustenance perhaps.