@juergen_hubert@germany@folklore oh that's something! The one royal animal, king of the forest, valued even above the wild boar... I think the stag / deer is the most important folklore animal.
From a anthropological perspective, after the big cave bears went extinct when the most recent major ice age ended, it was the boar & stag that took over the role. Becoming the shamanic(which during the time evolved towards religious practice) & royal animal.