What’s the deal with Satan and goats? In some pictures Satan has a goatee, horns, and hooves like a goat’s. I don’t read the Bible much, but is there a part where it says goats are evil or something like that? I’d like to know. –Jimmy Anderson, Arkansas
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
I don’t know what it is with goats. You get my goat. Old goat. Scapegoat. Bible (well, New Testament) scholars will remember Matthew 25:31-33, “the Son of Man . . . will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left,” the goats presumably being headed for eternal damnation. The preachers say this is because sheep are obedient whereas goats are ornery and do their own thing. Also, goats have–one must speak frankly–prominent genitals. Sheep, on the other hand . . . sheepish? Sheep to the slaughter? Sorry, babe, but I’d rather be a goat.
Satan wasn’t drawn strictly from Pan, and for that matter portraits of the devil weren’t as consistent as today’s highly stylized version might suggest. Artists of centuries past, like Hollywood special-effects geniuses today, tended to be pretty eclectic in their search for frightening imagery. If you look through medieval woodcuts and such, you see a devil who’s often claw footed, with a long pointed tail and sometimes wings–more on the order of a gargoyle. His color varies, too, though Satan was frequently portrayed as either black or red–black being the color of death, and red no doubt suggesting blood and carnality. The trident probably comes from Neptune. I could give you a long list of other precedents from ancient iconography, but let’s skip that. The trick in portraying Satan has always been simple enough. You want a critter of which one thinks: Ooh, that’s scary. But also: You know, I can see the appeal.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration/Slug Signorino.
