While Bladud probably didn’t take much notice of the mud-rolling, he certainly did notice that the steaming mud appeared to cure the pigs’ leprosy. This is exactly what they did when, roaming through the area now known as Bath, Bladud and his pigs discovered a hot spring, which had turned the surrounding ground to mud. The only thing pigs love more than rolling in mud, is rolling in nice warm mud.

Image - Thermae Bath Spa Pigs will be Pigs Luckily, his fortunes were about to change, and it would be his herd of pigs he’d need to thank. All he had for company and a source of income was a herd of pigs who also caught his skin condition. Prince Bladud, legendary father of King Lear, may well have been the first ever person to bathe in the naturally hot, mineral-rich waters but he might never have started the bathing tradition at all, had it not been for his four-legged companions.Īccording to legend, poor Prince Bladud was wandering the countryside in 863 BC having been banished from the kingdom due to his incurable leprosy. Visitors come to Bath for the Georgian architecture, the history, the entertainment, the shopping and of course the bathing.

Featuring a diseased prince, a herd of pigs and a mysterious hot mineral spring, Mary Stringer from Thermae Bath Spa tells the peculiar tale of Bath’s legendary beginnings. Bath is famous for its Roman heritage, but you might not have heard the remarkable story surrounding its fabled foundation.

Bladud of Bath by Howard C. Levis