Goats: Symbols of Strength, Stubbornness, and Success!

#49 Week 11

Author

Sigrun Sørumgård
March 10, 2025

Do you know why goats are beloved in myths, farming, symbols and more?

  1. Domestic goats are descendants of wild species of goats and were probably first domesticated on which continent?

  2. How many stomach chambers does a goat have?

  3. In Roman mythology we meet creatures that have half human and half goat bodies, the same do we meet in Greek mythology. What is the name of both the creatures in Roman and Greek mythology (they are not the same, although the creatures themselves are similar)?

  4. Which country is famous for its tree-climbing goats that eat argan fruit?

  5. How many teats does the goat have?

  6. Which country has the most goats nationwide?

  7. In medieval European folklore, the goat was often associated with which mythical creature, known for mischief and wild behaviour?

  8. In which two months can you be born, if you were born in the zodiac sign Capricorn?

  9. What is the average gestation period for a goat?

  10. What does the acronym G.O.A.T stand for?

The Wonder Wall

  • It is estimated that out of a total of 570 goat breeds, only 69 are single-purpose dairy types.

  • “Fainting” goats have become an internet phenomenon. However, this breed of goat (Myotonic), doesn’t actually faint. Due to a genetic mutation, when they are frightened, their muscles freeze up, causing them to fall over. While they remain totally conscious, and their muscles quickly return back to normal, people should avoid purposely frightening goats.

  • Goats have rectangular pupils. This shape allows them to have a wider field of vision than humans and other animals that have circular pupils. They can see 320-340 degrees around them, without having to move. The ability to see everything around them, except for what is directly behind them, is very useful in avoiding predators. However, goats have to move their head if they want to look up or down due to the rectangular pupil shape.

Friday´s Questions & Answers

  1. Which country was the first to give women the formal right to vote and in what year?

    New Zealand in 1863. However women could not stand for election to parliament until 1919, when three women stood.

  2. What is the colour of International Women’s Day?

    Historically, purple was a colour that denoted justice and dignity, and now it is used to represent women. Green is a symbol of hope. Today, purple is the colour of International Women's Day, and combined with green and white represents the feminist movement.

  3. Which European country introduced national suffrage first?

    In 1906, the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, which later became the Republic of Finland, was the first country in the world to give all women and all men both the right to vote and the right to run for office. Finland was also the first country in Europe to give women the right to vote.

  4. In which country was a National Women’s Day first marked, on 28 February 1909?

    USA. In 1909 the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Women’s Day on February 28. On March 19, 1911, the first International Women’s Day was held in four European countries; Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. On March 8, 1917, women in Petrograd, Russia, took to the streets to protest food shortages, poor living conditions, and the millions of deaths that occurred as a result of World War I. The date of this historic strike, which helped give rise to the Russian Revolution, became the official date for International Women’s Day in 1921.

  5. Which country was the first to legally require equal pay for men and women?

    In 1961, the first act on equal wages for women and men was passed in Iceland. Iceland has also become the first country in the world to force companies to prove they pay all employees in the same roles equally - no matter what their gender, sexuality, or ethnicity is.

  6. What is the symbol often associated with International Women’s Day?

    The Venus symbol (♀) (a circle with a cross handle) is the most used symbol of the International Women's Day. It is often combined with other symbols such as a raised fist, number 8, a globe, a flower, and a heart.

  7. Which woman, former United States secretary of state, famously said, “Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights”?

    Hillary Rodham Clinton, on September 5, 1995, at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

  8. What is the theme of the International Women’s Day in 2025?

    IWD 2025 campaign theme is 'Accelerate Action'

  9. Which country had the first woman in the world to be elected head of state in a national election?

    Vigdís Finnbogadóttir of Iceland became the first woman in the world to be elected head of state in a national election, in 1980.

  10. Which U.S. state was the first to grant women the right to vote in 1869?

    The first state to grant women the right to vote had been Wyoming in 1869, followed by Utah in 1870.