The boar was used as an emblem in some instances during antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (i.e. predating the development of classical European heraldry).
This is reflected in the boar helmets worn in battle, attested in archeological records and both Old English and Old Norse written sources.
The boar is closely associated with Freyr and has also been proposed to be a totemic animal to the Swedes, in particular the Yngling royal dynasty who ruled at a cultic centre for the god.
The motif had, in 1415, been used as the coat of arms of the Serbian Despotate and is recalled in one of Stefan Lazarević's personal Seals, according to the paper Сабор у Констанци.
The Buzic noble family of Bohemia used a boar's head as heraldic device from the 14th century, later (as Zajíc) combined with a hare.
[4] Modern rulers who have used the boar's head as part of their coats of arms include Joseph Bonaparte and Joachim Murat.
The O’Hanlon family coat of arms features a boar and was used as the Standard Bearer for Orior (present day Ulster).
Some Irish Keating families have been granted arms containing a boar going through a holly bush to symbolize toughness and courage[citation needed].
Three boars' heads appear in the coats of arms of the related clans Swinton, Gordon, Nesbitt and Urquhart.
In Spain, the coats of arms of the noble families Garmendia, Urraga, Urrutia, Urieta and Urmeneta have a boar.
The name of the city, which was first mentioned in writing in 1206, refers to the word "Malacka" which means "piglet" in the Hungarian (Magyar) language.
The Lorne Scots, a Canadian Army Infantry regiment use the Boar's Head as a symbol due to their affiliation with Clan Campbell.