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When reading the animal entries within the pages of medieval bestiaries, I was struck by the overwhelmingly negative and sinful symbolism attached to the hedgehog. They were made to represent "obstinate sinners," who hide from their own sin by denying blame and dodging the responsibility for their sins. Their characteristic spines were likened to the vices of man and thus were said to be full of that sinful wickedness. The small mammal is specifically described to be cunning and deceitful— two words that I definitely don't believe to be fitting of the modern perception of the animal.
The creature is further made out to be a thief, feeding their offspring by taking the grapes off vines and thus cheating others out of the literal fruits of their labor. Many bestiaries claim that the hedgehog will climb up grape vines to rip the fruit off and roll over the fruit with their spines in order to transport it back for their young. I remember that when I first read the description likening hedgehogs' fruit consumption to robbery, I couldn't help but wonder— why? Why is it that only the hedgehog gets the title of thief when plenty of other animals contained within the pages of a bestiary do the same thing? Even now I still wonder. The hare, a symbol of virtue, is known to sneak into farms and eat away at whatever happens to grow there, yet its entry contains no references to the thieving habits of rabbits. The way that hedgehogs are singled out and painted to be thieves leads me to believe that they were thought of in much the same way that modern people think of pests such as ants, rats, or raccoons.
For the most part, human impressions of the creature have improved dramatically. Within the modern context, hedgehogs are perceived by most to be cute, pure, and innocent creatures— a far cry from the sinful thieves medieval bestiaries made them out to be. Online, there are communities spread out across multiple social platforms, like Instagram and Tumblr, that are devoted to simply sharing their love for and enjoying adorable aesthetic photos of the small animal. They have become a thing to be desired, culturally transformed over hundred of years from a pest to a precious pet. The main exception to this,however, is the country of New Zealand.
Of course, I don't mean to say that New Zealanders are an anomaly of modern culture among developed nations, but it is worth noting that within the country hedgehogs as a species are considered to be pests. This is, obviously, not without reason. Even as a hedgehog lover myself, I acknowledge the fact that they are an invasive species on the island and have had a hugely negative and devastating effect on countless native species. They need to be removed and eradicated on the island for the sake of the native animals they're hunting into extinction.
In my opinion, the hedgehogs' invasion of New Zealand seems to reflect the title of thief that was assigned to them by the authors of medieval bestiaries. Their "sins" have increased in severity and petty fruit theft has been upgraded to the theft of native bird eggs. Where as they were previously cheating others out of the fruits of their labor, they now cheat native birds, reptiles, and insects out of their chances to live.
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