The zodiac sign Capricorn was originally a hybrid creature with the front part of a goat and a fish tail - the sea goat. This association had been common in Mesopotamia since the Bronze Age. For the Sumerians, the sea goat was a symbol of their deity Enki.
The Greek mythology to which this image alludes adopted the sea goat from the Babylonian zodiac signs. Two legends arose to explain the sea goat as part of the Greek pantheon. One is about Amalthea, Zeus' foster mother, often depicted as a goat. In gratitude for her role as a mother, Zeus later gave her a place in the starry sky.
The other equates the sea goat with the god Pan. In the legend, Zeus jumps into a river to escape from Typhon. When attempting to transform into a fish, he only manages to transform the lower half of his body into a fishtail due to haste. In the fight with Typhon, Zeus wins, but loses the tendons in his leg. Together with Hermes, Pan heals the wounds. As thanks, Zeus gave Pan the place in the starry sky in this version.
Both stories and other interpretations also see the sea goat as a symbol of ascent, of hope. For my representation I chose the front part of an ibex and the tail of a marine mammal.
Oil on Canvas
50 x 100 cm
2023
The zodiac sign Capricorn was originally a hybrid creature with the front part of a goat and a fish tail - the sea goat. This association had been common in Mesopotamia since the Bronze Age. For the Sumerians, the sea goat was a symbol of their deity Enki.
The Greek mythology to which this image alludes adopted the sea goat from the Babylonian zodiac signs. Two legends arose to explain the sea goat as part of the Greek pantheon. One is about Amalthea, Zeus' foster mother, often depicted as a goat. In gratitude for her role as a mother, Zeus later gave her a place in the starry sky.
The other equates the sea goat with the god Pan. In the legend, Zeus jumps into a river to escape from Typhon. When attempting to transform into a fish, he only manages to transform the lower half of his body into a fishtail due to haste. In the fight with Typhon, Zeus wins, but loses the tendons in his leg. Together with Hermes, Pan heals the wounds. As thanks, Zeus gave Pan the place in the starry sky in this version.
Both stories and other interpretations also see the sea goat as a symbol of ascent, of hope. For my representation I chose the front part of an ibex and the tail of a marine mammal.