Goat Poster

There is a lovely poster I have noticed in a number of libraries this year. Here it is:


























(click to go to the artist's DeviantArt.)

I... don't quite get it. I find it super cool, but until I did some research today I was like, "Is it a goaty Neptune? What's with the orcas tied to his belt? Why is he so huge? And why a goat?"

Well, it's Capricorn - the sea goat. Which in and of itself is a bit of an enigma. No one really knows why it's half goat, half fish (or shark or whatever). Probably dates to Babylonian times. Wikipedia explains how the horns may be the towers of Babylon and that the fish part could come from the Tigris river. It also states the Babylonian god of crafts, mischief and water, Enki, was represented by a goat and a fish.

The poster itself seems to have gone over well, but some bookmarks the artist did have had some odd detractors. In this post it explains the controversy.