Baird's Entry - Pig-Faced Woman

Pig-Faced Woman

Think she but simply an ugly sort of lass? Nay! ‘Tis she, the Pig-faced woman of lore! Cursed by sheer revenge, destined to live in shame after rejecting the pleas of destitute street beggars. Be careful whose requests ye deny, lest they be the entreaties of witches, themselves.

Bitter witches love nothing more than tricking otherwise fine Irish and British women of noble blood. Those who are lucky receive not eternal damnation, but a choice at the time of their marriage; Be seen as hog-faced by only their husband, or to the entire world, sharing only their beauty with their betrothed.

Many a story has been told of husbands, upon stating their final marriage vow, then lifting the veil to reveal the snuffling snout of a finely aged sow. Or the wedding party, upon watching the husband kiss his new bride, place his Christian lips against the glistening nose of a fat gilt. From thenceforth, the bride will ne’er be recognized as anything other than the poor, pig-faced woman.

In my travels I have interviewed such a specimen, one Mrs. Adeline Covington of Marylebone. Fair, flaxen hair cascaded down her back, with tendrils peeking out from a wide-brimmed bonnet. But beneath that floppy cotton hood? The result of a witch's contempt and revenge… black beady eyes, wrinkled pink skin, and the unmistakable nose of a swine! O! In my shock and stupefaction, I could not help but let forth a laugh! The long-jawed Mrs. Covington simply laughed along, addressing me in a surprisingly eloquent voice. She assured me her husband only saw her as the same stunning beauty from the day they married.

In a separate interview with Mr. Covington, I asked with the utmost delicacy and discretion if he had observed any other porcine attributes or behavior in his wife. After all, Dear Reader, we may rightly ponder: how are we to know if this piggish curse is strictly confined to, as the title suggests, the face? His bewildered response, coupled with my swift ejection from the Covington household, may have left me with no more clues to the extent of the affliction —but I can now confirm with conviction that the husband is indeed, as Mrs. Covington claimed, blind to the curse.

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The winner of the last poll was, at long last, the Pig-Faced Woman! There's some very interesting real life lore behind these "cursed" figures in history-- the article on Wikipedia is well worth the read. Although Baird's Compendium remains, of course, the definitive source on the subject!

Over time we'll keep filling out the compendium with new and mysterious creatures voted on by you. Sponsors can vote on next month's entry here:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/103828808