Goat

The goat is a common wild animal, and the most important farm animal on the Southern Continent. They are especially important in Ara culture, where goat herding is the traditional main livelihood.

Domestication

The relationship between the goats and the people goes far beyond the known history. The earliest humans, the Wanderers, were living a nomadic life. They probably first hunted the goats, but soon also became the herders and protectors of the animals, and even in the oldest stories the goats were already domesticated.
The goats are excelent multi-purpose farm animals. They provide meat, milk and fur, and are are also useful for carrying items and pullings carriages. Special goat breeds have been bred for these various purposes.

Cuisine

Goat is the most commonly consumed meat in the most continental cultures. In the Faren culture the elite prefer game and birds, while goat is thought suitable for the common people. In the Ara and Sayal cultures goat meat is the main meat type consumed by all.

Goat milk is usually only consumed by the herders, because it does not keep well. Goat milk cheese is produced to conserve it for longer time, and it forms a stable in the Faren diet. The Ara also produce a selection of fermented milk products, such as yoghurt (oçtäńarän), and alcoholic beverage (pusü).

Famous Breeds

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by George Shaw et. al.

Long red

wool, Yamenawa

The long red or Nem laum aren, is a wool breed from the highlands of the Serme Mountains. The breed is medium to large in size, with large horns. It grows a long coat, that is eccelent against the cold mountain nights, and can be sheared twice a year for wool.
Contrary to the popular belief, the long reds are not red, but usually white. The misconseption probably stems from the confusion of Nem aren 'red' and the ethnonyme Ara, and the fact that the Ara wool products are often dyed red.

The finest wool quality wool is considered sacred to the goddess Áfawarsal the Weaver. The Sister of the Weaver use it for weaving the clerical fabrics, clothes for the priestesses and the Ara royalty. Weaving the sacred clothing is done by the virgin Sisters, and any lay people or men are forbidden to touch the fabric during production. Lower quality material is often exported and is highly popular in Farensal.

Spotted lightning

milk, pack animal, goat racing, Farensal

The Spotted Lightning, Nem narhau bilunde is a large, short haired breed popular in Farensal, but originally from the nomads of the southwest. The breed is short-haired, black or brown, and often spotty. The horns are small.
Due to their large size, the breed is a good pack animal, but is especially popular in goat cart-racing. The pack and carriage goats are usually spayed males, because they are larger but friendly, and the smaller females are used for milking.

by Kornelia Laubach

Packgoats

Goats are essential animals for transporting items, either by carrying or pulling carts. Best pack goats are usually castrated bucks of large goat breeds. They can carry up to third of their body weight.

by Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck

Genetic Descendants

• Mountain goat

Geographic Distribution

• Southern Continent

Related Ethnicities

• Ara people
• Farens
• Sayal people

Related Materials

• Clerical fabrics

Power symbolism

Goats are the symbol of power in the Ara people tradition. The goats are though to be intelligent and proud animals. They travel fearlessly in the perilous mountains, climbing up to the highes peaks to greet the gods and spirits that live there, especially the sun god Tinku. This symbolises the relationship between Áfawarsal the Weaver and Tinku, and this is why goat is the sacred animal of Áfawarsal.

It is believed that all the wild goats are Áfawarsal's flock, and she uses their wool to weave the threads of fate that guide all the people.

The Archpastors, the leaders of the monastic order of the Sister of the Weaver, wear a goat-horn crown to symbolize their position as the leader of the flock that is the congregation.

Wild goats

Habitat

The wild mountain goats were once wide-spread over the whole continent, but due to competition with the domestic goats and agriculture they are now mostly encountered in sparsely inhabited highlands.

Predators

The goats are commonly preyed on by the wolves and lions. On the highest mountains their principle threat are the mountain dragons. They hunt by flying high to the clouds, and then ambushing their prey on the bare mountain slopes that offer no places to hide.