Constructing Humans, Symbolising the Gods: The Cultural Value of the Goat in Greek Religion

According to Liliane Bodson, in the ancient world animals were perceived either as an incarnation of the sacred power emanating from the natural environment, or as the primordial link with nature and the Other: “L’‘autre vivant’ que l’homme découvrait à la fois si proche et si différent de lui est apparu, par le mystère de son comportement, comme le relais primordial et, d’abord, l’incarnation de la force sacrée confusément perçue dans le milieu naturel”. This has affected the religious attitude of men towards animals, which oscillates between trust and diffidence, assimilation and opposition, through different forms of symbolisation and identification. One interesting example of the complex relationship between men and animals is that of the goat, an animal widely attested in the ancient basin of the Mediterranean Sea, and associated with the symbols of death and regeneration. I propose to analyse the goat within the Greek world, focusing, in particular, on its link with Artemis or Dionysus, as a divine hypostasis, or with Zeus and Athena, as an instrument of divine power.