The Transcendent Pig is a character in

Diane Duane Diane Duane (born May 18, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the ''Young Wizards'' young adult fantasy series and the '' Rihannsu'' Star Trek novels. Biography Born in New York ...

's ''

Young Wizards ''Young Wizards'' is a series of novels by Diane Duane. The Young Wizards series presently consists of eleven books, focusing on the adventures of two young wizards named Nita and Kit. Each novel pits Nita and Kit against the "Lone Power", an e ...

'' series and is mentioned in each of

Barry Hughart Barry Hughart (March 13, 1934 – August 1, 2019) was an American author of fantasy novels. Background Hughart was born in Peoria, Illinois on March 13, 1934. His father, John Harding Page, served as a naval officer. His mother, Veronica H ...

's Master Li and Number Ten Ox books (''

Bridge of Birds ''Bridge of Birds'' is a fantasy novel by Barry Hughart, first published in 1984. It is the first of three novels in ''The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox'' series. The original draft of ''Bridge of Birds'' is included in a special slip ...

'', '' The Story of the Stone'' and ''

Eight Skilled Gentlemen ''Eight Skilled Gentlemen'' is a novel by Barry Hughart, first published in 1990. It is the third, and final, part of a series set in a version of ancient China that began with ''Bridge of Birds'' and ''The Story of the Stone (Barry Hughart), The ...

''). The pig originates in

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of t ...

"Cattle are under the protection of the god of Cattle-breeding, aided by the King-of-Oxen and the Transcendent Pig. During their lifetime they were both dangerous giants. The King-of-Oxen, who terrified his enemies by his enormous horns and buffalo ears, was yet tamed by the lady Nu-kua, who threaded a miraculous rope through his nose. Equally ferocious and hideous, with his black face, the Transcendent Pig had the impudence to swallow Erh-lang, the nephew of the August Personage of Jade himself, but he regretted it, for Erh-lang slew him." This paragraph is the only known English reference to the Transcendent Pig.

In the ''Young Wizards'' series, the character is first mentioned in ''

So You Want to Be a Wizard ''So You Want to Be a Wizard'' by Diane Duane is the first book in her long-running Young Wizards series of novels which currently consists of eleven books by Diane Duane. It was written in 1982 and published the next year. In 2012 a revised "New ...

'' (the first book) and first appears in ''

The Wizard's Dilemma ''The Wizard's Dilemma'' is the fifth book in the ''Young Wizards'' series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to ''A Wizard Abroad ''A Wizard Abroad'' is the fourth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It is the sequel to ''High W ...

'' (the fifth book). The pig is

omnipresent Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present anywhere and everywhere. The term omnipresence is most often used in a religious context as an attribute of a deity or supreme being, while the term ubiquity is generally used to describe ...

, and tends to speak of past events as if they are happening right now. Its origins are unknown, even to

The Powers that Be In idiomatic English, "the powers that be" (sometimes initialized as TPTB) is a phrase used to refer to those individuals or groups who collectively hold authority over a particular domain. Within this phrase, the word ''be'' is an archaic vari ...

, who did not create it. Wizards in the books are instructed to ask the pig what the meaning of life is as soon as they meet it, just in case the pig slips up and answers. He is aware that this is what they are trying to do and is relatively good natured about it.

References

{{Reflist
"Interview with Diane Duane"
by

Harcourt Books Harcourt () was an American publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for adults and children. The company was last based in San Diego, California, with editorial/sales/marketing/rights offices in New York City a ...

, 2005
"Writer-In-A-Can 1: Meeting the Transcendent Pig"
Diane Duane's account of her search for the character, June 15, 2003 Young Wizards Pigs in literature