Mfcttrf

I discovered yesterday that the Russians often use the word "кабан" ("wild boar") or its Old Russian analogue "вепрь" to talk about people:

(1) Что ещё раз доказывает, что здоровья у Уайта предостаточно, чтобы ронять любого. Он вообще кабан ещё тот. Просто не умеет вовремя и точно бить, чтобы всю силу удара проявить, то корпус не вложит, кинув просто одну руку, то промажет. (Source)

(2) Когда он выбирается за КПП, он рыщет в поисках самки аки вепрь. (Source)

(3) Саша был на вид лет сорока, рост — ​190 см, (здоровый как кабан, примерно 120 кг), волосы на голове короткие, на обоих бедрах спереди наколки в виде тигра. (Source)

(4) Куда мне с таким кабаном сладить? Он мне сам руки скрутил и заставил! (From Google Books)

(5) У нас в спортзале мужик носился как кабан, потом сразу тяжести, далее баня, бассейн и холодный душ, почти каждый день. (Source)

(6) Лоуренс растолстел, посмотрите трейлер 'Смерть на похоронах' там он вообще кабан. (Source)

(7) Даже не удивившись, я услышала, как запор щелкнул, и в дверь ввалился злой, как кабан, Сардонет. (Source)

(8) Он крутой, как кабан. (Source)

(9) Она должна быть в хорошей форме, чтобы спать с таким кабаном. (Source)

I am unsure precisely what qualities the word "кабан" expresses in each of these sentences, but the Russians appear to me to see the wild boar as a big, strong, hot-tempered, and dangerous animal, and I am completely surprised by this. I cannot speak for all Japanese, but I see the wild boar rather as a cute, small, and peaceful creature. Here is a typical video showing a cute wild boar wandering in a city: https://youtu.be/KBqBRxPwFJQ. As you see in the video, no one is afraid of the boar. And wild boars are by no means big - they are pretty short, well below the human waist, and have very short legs.

Experts, even Russian-speaking ones, clearly say that boars are harmless, at least unless seriously provoked. Let me quote from a Russian article:

Директор зоопарка Алексей Григорьев, кандидат ветеринарных наук, знает о кабанах почти все: - Это животное практически совершенно лишено агрессии. Когда в средствах массовой информации сообщают, что кабан - хищник, мне просто смешно. ... Чтобы дикий кабан преследовал мальчика, этот мальчик должен был бы либо животное ранить (а это само по себе непросто), либо попытаться нанести вред детенышам. Я наблюдаю кабанов не один год, и могу сказать, что даже самка с детенышами, заметив человека, всегда старается уйти, скрыться в чаще. Кабан неконфликтен, он избегает столкновений с другими животными. (Source)

As you see, this expert laughs about the popular conception that wild boars are aggressive. My view on wild boars fully coincides with the view by this expert.

Sure, if you seriously attack a wild boar or threaten its babies, it can respond with counter-aggression if it sees no other choice, but this is common to all animals, I believe. I think there is nothing really special about the wild boar in this regard.

I am puzzled how the Russians could end up having such an irrational fear of boars. After all, boars are much smaller and less aggressive or dangerous than bears, aren't they? Yet the Russians say "добрый как медведь" ("kind as a bear") and call bears by the cute word "мишка." I am totally confused by this. I think it is much more natural to call a big hulk a bear rather than a boar. Bears are big and intimidating, whilst boars are rather small and almost completely vegetarian.

In my culture the wild boar is portrayed as an animal that, if really provoked and left no choice but to fight, becomes totally reckless. That is, if a wild boar has to fight, it fights for real, no matter who the enemy is. It is about the true fighting spirit.

But it does not seem to be any fighting spirit that the Russians convey by using the word "кабан". At least this is what numerous examples, including Sentences (1)-(9), seem to suggest.

I got intrigued by this apparent cultural difference and am curious why the Russians see the wild boar how they see it. Maybe there are some relevant fairy tales, cartoons, songs, poems, novels, or movies. After all, children learn about animals from fairy tales, and the first impression is the most important. And fairy tales are notorious for being too different from the reality.

My question is this: Precisely what qualities do the Russians mean when they figuratively call someone a wild boar or compare someone to a wild boar, and why? The question "why" refers to how the Russians learn about wild boars, that is, to things like fairy tales, cartoons, etc. And I am especially curious to know the default meaning of "ты (как) кабан" ["you are (like) a wild boar"] and whether this phrase is a compliment or an offence.

When you say that someone is кабан it's about him being huge, bulky and sometimes being strong is also implied, quite often it's used with adjective "здоровенный", like in "Да он же кабан здоровенный, куда тебе с ним тягаться". Depending on context, it can be said quite friendly or can have some negative connotations.

The other word used more or less in the same context is лось (which also could be здоровенный лось. Because, you know, moose and boars are huge and bulky :)

There's also бык or бычара, but this more about not being just strong but aggressive and stupid at the same time.

I can not help but notice that you quite often asking why something is the way it is - well, for good or for bad when it comes to languages this question is quite counterproductive. It's the way it is. Why, for instance not, "здоровенный медвежара" - well we can speculate that bears were taboo animals that's why but we quite often say сильный как медведь.

It's my own speculation, but I think there are two reasons behind this perception of a wild boar:

1. They are much more likely to do damage to the land and crops than other animals.


2. They rely on their body mass in their fight tactics and general behavior more than other animals.

Russian Urheimat was of course populated with bigger animals like bears, elks, wisents etc., but when you are about to think of something big and sturdy and, most importantly, not willing to go out of their way once their mind is set on something, nothing beats the wild boar.

If early Russians played Family Feud and were asked to fill the gaps in "he goes through the crowd like a … through the fence" or "he's moving like a …, nothing can stop him", what would be the most popular answer?