Let the Straw Goat Guard Our Presents
A straw Christmas goat stands guard over the presents in a typical Swedish household beneath the tree, a tradition so ancient it’s believed to date back to Viking times, when the last grain of harvest was considered magical. Or perhaps it has something to do with Thor. Who knows?
Through the years, it has evolved from a prankster, to a scary creature demanding gifts, to bringing the Christmas gifts, to making sure the presents and decorations are correctly done, or for good luck. There are even more old traditions than those.
Why a Goat?
I’ve had a few people ask me why a Christmas goat exists as a tradition in Sweden in the first place.
I had the same question my first Christmas in Sweden. My husband bought a straw goat to sit by the tree. I believe I was told something about gnomes under the floorboards and goats either beating children or guarding the presents. I chose to believe they were guarding the presents from the gnomes or something. However, our goat is currently in a losing battle guarding the tree from the cats.
But anyway, I decided to look this up and here are some of the theories from Wikipedia:
Theory 1: The Usual Pagan Origins
“The Yule goat’s origins go back to ancient Pagan festivals. This event clearly marks the Sun’s annual re-entry into the astrological sign of Capricornus, and a kid goat sacrifice was made in honour of the Norse god Njord or Saturn; the god of agriculture and plenitude who rules this particular sign. The ‘cornus’ element in Capricorn’s name refers to the cornucopia or ‘horn of plenty’ with its promise of a bountiful harvest to come. …. The last sheaf of grain bundled in the harvest was credited with magical properties as the spirit of the harvest and saved for the Yule celebrations, called among other things Yule goat.”
Ok, so the wheat and harvest thing is cleared up, but why a goat? Why not a pig? A sheep? A cow?
Theory 2: Yet Another Goat God
“This connects to ancient proto-Slavic beliefs where the (Yule) festival honors the god of the fertile sun and the harvest. This god, Devac (also known as Dazbog), was represented by a white goat, consequently the Koliada festivals always had a person dressed as a goat, often demanding offerings in the form of presents.”
I still don’t get the goat connection. Harvest, yes. Goat no.
Theory 3: It’s Corn!
“Other traditions are possibly related to the sheaf of corn called the Yule goat. In Sweden, people regarded the Yule goat as an invisible spirit that would appear some time before Christmas to make sure that the Yule preparations were done right. Objects made out of straw or roughly-hewn wood could also be called the Yule goat, and in older Scandinavian society a popular Christmas prank was to place this Yule goat in a neighbour’s house without them noticing; the family successfully pranked had to get rid of it in the same way.”
Questions. Why would the sheaf of corn be referred to as a goat? Was it shaped like a goat? Why not the Yule worm? Also, why would an invisible goat spirit want to criticize your Christmas decorations? I think it’s more likely people of this time were smoking that corn sheaf with some questionable substances inside.
Theory 4: The Singing Goat
The function of the Yule goat has differed throughout the ages. In a Scandinavian custom similar to the English tradition of wassailing, …. young men in costumes would walk between houses singing songs, enacting plays and performing pranks. This tradition is known from the 17th century and still continues in certain areas. The group of Christmas characters would often include the Yule goat, a rowdy and sometimes scary creature demanding gifts.
So, a bunch of guys drunk off Christmas wine and beer dressing up as goats and demanding gifts. Because that’s what goats do, they demand gifts (when they aren’t criticising your decorating tastes).
Theory 5: Santa Goat
During the 19th century the Yule goat’s role all over Scandinavia shifted towards becoming the Christmas gift-bringer, with one of the men in the family dressing up as the Yule goat. In this, there might be a relation to Santa Claus and the Yule goat’s origin in the medieval celebrations of Saint Nicholas.The goat was then replaced by the jultomte or julenisse during the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century, although he is still called the Joulupukki (Yule goat) in Finland, and the tradition of the man-sized goat disappeared.
Santa goat is coming to town! Also, enjoy this “nightmare fuel” photo of a goat man delivering Christmas gifts above. Courtesy of Folklore Thursday.
The Christmas Goat of Gävle: The Goat We Love to Burn
In the Swedish city of Gävle, the biggest straw goat is erected in the town square every year since 1966, with the idea of bringing in tourists. Well, the tourists certainly come now, but not to see the goat standing. It’s because the goat is famous for being illegally set on fire almost every year. They have tried fire-proofing it, hiring guards, setting up cameras, etc., but it rarely survives until Christmas. This year, it only survived one day before being set on fire.
Partial List of Goat Destructions
1976 – Goat run over by a car
1988 – During a severe blizzard, volunteers guarding the goat retreat into a nearby café for a break and some coffee, assuming that no one could possibly start a fire in the raging storm. They were wrong, and the goat burned.
2001 – Swedes tricked an American tourist into burning it down by telling him it was an annual tradition.
2005 – Burnt by unknown vandals reportedly dressed as Santa and the gingerbread man, by shooting a flaming arrow at the goat.
2010 – (failed attempt) – Two men tried to bribe a guard to leave his post in an attempt to kidnap the goat by helicopter and fly it to Stockholm.
Respect Our Magical Gift Protector
Whether the straw goat is channeling Viking magic, giving us some fresh corn, or simply standing there to make sure no one snatches our Christmas presents, it’s clear that this tradition here to stay. So, this year, while you’re admiring your Christmas decorations and hoping for peace on Earth, remember to give a little thought to the goat.
And be prepared for the next time I go on a Christmas animal rant, because we really need to talk about the Christmas pig.