“It's illegal to name a pig Napoleon in France”
MYTH! Historian Sophie Muffat researched every law from the First Empire (1804-1815) and Second Empire (1852-1870) and found no such statute.
The Claim: French law prohibits naming pigs after Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Probable Origin: George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945) features a villainous pig named Napoleon. When the book was first translated into French in 1947, the publisher changed the pig's name to "César." The original name was restored in the 1981 Gallimard edition. Related Real Law: France did have a law (1881-2013) making it an offense to insult the President - but it never mentioned pigs or Napoleon specifically. It was scrapped after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that fining a protester for telling President Sarkozy to "get lost, asshole" violated freedom of expression. Irony: A French restaurant chain named their mascot pig "Napoleon" specifically to flout the nonexistent law. A change.org petition gathered signatures demanding repeal of the law that doesn't exist.
Where the story gets it wrong
This myth likely stems from the French translation of George Orwell's Animal Farm, where a pig character named Napoleon leads a revolt. When the book was published in French in 1947, the publisher changed the pig's name to "César" — a publishing decision, not a legal requirement. France did have a law against insulting the president, repealed in 2013, but it never specifically mentioned pigs or Napoleon.
- Current status
- Unknown