The Transcendent Pig is a character in Diane Duane

Diane Duane

Diane Duane is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her works include the Young Wizards young adult fantasy series and the Rihannsu Star Trek novels.-Biography :...

's Young Wizards

Young Wizards

Young Wizards is a series of novels by Diane Duane.The Young Wizards series presently consists of nine books, with a tenth in progress, focusing on the adventures of two young wizards named Nita and Kit. Each novel pits Nita and Kit against the "Lone Power", an entity ultimately bent on the...

series and Barry Hughart

Barry Hughart

Barry Hughart in Peoria, Illinois, is 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 Hughart, was an architect.Hughart was educated at Phillips Academy...

's Bridge of Birds

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 The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox series...

. He originates in Chinese mythology.

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

So You Want To Be a Wizard is the first book in the Young Wizards series currently consisting of nine books by Diane Duane. It was written in 1982 and published in the next year.-Plot introduction:...

(the first book) and first appears in The Wizard's Dilemma

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.-Plot summary:...

(the fifth book). The pig is omnipresent

Omnipresence

Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present everywhere. According to eastern theism, God is present everywhere. Divine omnipresence is thus one of the divine attributes, although in western theism it has attracted less philosophical attention than such attributes as omnipotence,...

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