myths symbols sandplay

The Zodiac: Capricorn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zodiac literally means animal circle and is the symbol of celestial glory, the complete circuit dome of light, firmament, halo, lofty sentiments, pathway of fate, and time. The zodiac is also the field of sun hero epics. The lunar zodiac is a circle of twenty-eight star groups associated with the days of the month. The solar zodiac is the sun path comprised of twelve mansions associated with the months of the year (Jobes).

The zodiac is also a “symbol of relationship in the universe, and of cyclical and seasonal transformation; it is the Wheel of Life; an archetype; the harmony of the Many and the One; the fall into the phenomenal world and the salvation from it” (Cooper, pg 198). The goat that represents Capricorn in the western zodiac symbolizes the gate of the gods, the janua coeli, in the winter solstice. (The two solstices, at the highest and lowest points of the year, are called janua coeli or heaven's gates.)

In the mansion, Capricornus, the sun enters on December 21, which is the Babylonian month of Tebet. The Sun Carrier varies according to cultural beliefs. In Babylonia the sun carrier is the goat-fish, in China it is the rooster, in Egypt it is the baboon, and in Europe the sun carrier is the goat. According to Jobes, the ruling planet is Saturn; the flower is holly; the Druidic tree is the birch, the element is the Earth; the color is blue-violet; and the birthstone is lapis lazuli or turquoise.

Other associations of the mansion Capricornus is the quality of influence, which is feminine, cold, dry, and unfortunate. Capricornus influences the knees; the keyword or nature is I use; and the type is actional. Guardians or rulers and their corresponding symbols are: the Greek Hesta and her lamp; the Norse Svipdag and hand; the Roman Vesta and the hearth; the Occultist Angel Humiel and the talismanic gem known as beryl. Also associated with the mansion Capricornus are the Hebrew Tribe, the Naphtali; the Christian Disciple Matthew and the Angel; the biblical book of the Gospels; and the tarot card The Wheel.

See Bibiography category for reference information.

Deities Associated With Goats

Artemis – Greek moon goddess, virgin of the hunt, protectus of maidens; daughter of Zeus; wild goat was sacred to her

Augusta Caesar – had coins stamped with the image of the mountain goat as Capricorn was the sign of his birth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agni – Vedic fire god; a goat pulled his chariot; Agni was also depicted riding a he-goat

Baphomet – medieval idol or symbol of the mystic rites of the Knights of Templar; sometimes portrayed as a goat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dionysos – Greek deity; the goat was an attribute or form of Dionysos; sometimes depicted wearing a goat skin

Ea-Oannes – Assyrian fish deity; Lord of the Watery Deep; associated with the goat or goat-fish

Faunus – Roman son of Picus; ancestor of the fauns; god of shepherds; goats for sacrifice to him; identified with the Greek Pan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marduk © Juulijs/Fotolia

Marduk – Sumero-Semitic; originally a god of the spring sun who became a supreme god of the Assyrian and Babylonia pantheons; son of Ea (sea god); Marduk created heaven and earth and placed the 12 mansions of the zodiac in heaven; also known as Bel; one of his attributes was the goat.

Ningirsu – Sumerian agricultural deity; son-husband of Bau; depicted as a goat; analogue of Marduk

satyrs – one of the race of woodland spirits; half goats with goat horns and tail; originally represented the wisdom of fertility; later symbolized abandon and folly; also represented unbridled lust

witches – in late Middle Ages, were "portrayed as being transported through the air on goats. In these representations the devil appears usually as a male goat whose rump the witches kiss” (Biedermann, pg 153).

for references see Bibliograpy

 

More Goat Symbolism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thor's goat drawn chariot.

 

Four horned goat – emblem of the prophet Daniel

Goat blood – in ancient Scotland, a cross is dipped in goat’s blood and set on fire to call the clans to war

Goat disposition – licentiousness, whoremaster

Goat-drawn cart – chariot of Thor or Pan

Goat gallbladder – African symbol of honor, placed in the hair

Goat poetry – ancient Greek poetry about the crimes and mysteries of man

Goat reins – in ancient funeral rites, black goat reins were sacrificed and given to the dead man as a viaticum to assist his resurrection

Goatskin – used to make shields

Goat’s rue – symbol of reason, also called cat gut

Goat with fish tail – ancient Babylonian symbol of the god Ea, supreme sky deity sometimes depicted as a goat-fish or merman; corresponds to Capricornus in western zodiacs

One horned goat – biblical depiction of Alexander the Great representing his swiftness in battle and his great strength

Ride a goat – part of an initiation into a secret society, often done with humor

Scapegoat – to bear blame; among Jews of antiquity a goat was used. “Over its head on the Day of Atonement the high priest confessed the sins of all people, thus placing them on the goat, after which it was driven into the wilderness as propitiation to Azazel" (Jobes, pg 666).

Separate sheep from goats – separate good from evil, from the Last Judgment

Three goats – emblem of the notorious Becchi family of Florence, mentioned in Dante’s Inferno

The Aegis

 

 

 

 

 

 

The female goat and the male goat have opposing symbolism. The female goat is usually viewed as nurturing and protective while the male goat is interpreted negatively. In Greek mythology, the she-goat Almathea nursed the infant Zeus. Her skin became the aegis, the projector and preserver, and her horn became the cornucopia that symbolize abundance and plenty (Cooper).

Jobes describes the aegis as "the skin of the goat which acted as Zeus’s foster mother and, by Hephaestus, made into an invulnerable breastplate or shield for Zeus. Zeus lent it to other deities and finally gave it to Athena" (pg 38). Jobes goes on to describe the aegis as "a goat skin covered with dragon scales, bordered by serpents, and had the head of the Medusa attached to it, all symbols of fertility and growth. 

The origin or use of goat skin as an item of clothing is discussed by Beidermann, "The divine robes of Pallas Athena include the original Greek ‘aegis’, the skin of the female goat, which according to  Herodotus [IV, 189] was a garment worn by Libyan women and (along with the Olive tree, which was sacred to Athena and imported from Libya) suggest the North African origins of the goddess" (pg 152). Cooper states that the aegis represented "protection; preservation; fecundity. The aegis was worn, while the shield was carried" (pg 10). The aegis was worn by Minerva, Italian goddess who is "represented in art as grave and majestic, wearing a long robe, bearing the aegis on her breast, armed with helmet and spear" (Jobes pg 1106).

See Bibliography for resources.

Goat Symbolism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 10th sign of the western zodiac is Capricorn. "Its dual nature, expressed allegorically in the form of a goat whose body terminates in a fish’s tail, refers to the dual tendencies of life towards the abyss (or water) on the one hand, and the heights (or mountains) on the other; these two currents also signify, in Hindu doctrine, the involute and evolute possibilities: the return to or the departure from the ‘wheel of rebirth’ (that is, the Zodiac)." (Eberhard, pg 38).

The goat has a broader symbolism aside from the zodiac sign of Capricorn. As with most symbols the goat has positive and negative symbolism. The goat represent agility, fertility, generative heat, reproductiveness, sociability, abundant vitality; also lasciviousness, poverty, stench, stupidity, and winter. In some traditions, the goat symbolizes the masculine principle and the reproductive powers of the sun. "The goat typifies foolishness in the valley, but that which is far-seeing and sure footed when on the mountain" (Jobes, pg 665).

The dream significance of a black goat is inconstancy in love; a white goat represents coming misfortune. In heraldry, the goat is the symbol of "the warrior who wins a victory by diplomacy or policy rather than by physical valor" (Jobes). In the northern sky the constellation Capricornus is also known as the Horned Goat. According to Jobes to goat is "in various European languages called gat, ged, geit, get, goot, gote, the radical of all being ‘at’ Egyptian for goat, which also meant heat. In Sanskrit the word is aga," which yields might A, which means mighty sun.

In China, the goat represented yang and is guardian of the direction south, southwest, and west; the hours one to three p.m.; and Wei, the eighth of the twelve terrestrial branches. The goat also symbolizes the good and peace.

In Christianity, the goat "symbolizes those damned in the last judgment…[and is] shown to distinguish sinners from the righteous" (Jobes). The scapegoat is Christ burdened by the sins of the world. The goat is also a familiar of witches and a form of the devil. The goat represented sharp hearing in Egyptian and Hebrew symbology. Early Hebrews considered the goat to be clean and therefore sacrificed goats to Jehovah to atone for sins. "In Greek mythology a goat nursed the infant Asclepius. The aegis of Athena was made from the hide of Amalthea, that she-goat which had nursed Zeus" (Jobes). The goat was also a form of Dionysus, the god of the grape harvest, winemaking, and wine. Pan had the ears, horns and limbs of a goat. The Minoan god of the waning year was the goat.

See Bibliography for references.

Goat Miniatures

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I review photos of clients’ sandplay scenes, the most frequent use of the goat is its placement among other farm or domesticated animals in several children’s scenes. I am aware that the children may have access to several petting zoos whose main attraction is usually an active and hungry heard of small goats. Is the use of the goat in their scenes a reflection of their possible interaction with goats at petting zoos, their association with typical farm animals, and/or a representation of a deeper symbolic meaning? As I recall the cases associated with the sandplay scenes, there are other more dominant themes and miniatures in their sandplay. As I research information for goat symbolism, I generate more to think about than answers to my questions.