The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus, of the family Bovidae) is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species, and have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. Goats have different cultural significances across the globe. E.g., a goat is considered a "clean" animal by Jewish dietary laws and was slaughtered for an honored guest in Biblical times. Certain polytheist cultures have had gods and demigods who were either part goat (e.g., fauns) or had some kind of special connection to goats.
In Gyongyosian culture, the goat was considered the most unclean animal. No one really knew the reason why, but one explanation was that the goat was lascivious and would eat anything. A Gyongosian who ate goat had to be ritually purified (often a bloody affair), or in some cases was put to death as a matter of course, sometimes by being buried alive. "Goat-eater" was the worst possible insult imaginable in this culture. During the Derlavaian War, Gyongosian soldiers regularly applied it to their Unkerlanter and Kuusaman enemies. When Gyongosians were captured by Kuusamans, the one boon they would ask of the POW camp commandant was that their rations would not include goat, even if they didn't ask for anything else.
At one point during the war, a Gynogosian unit killed an encamped Unkerlanter unit at their campfire and confiscated their meal. The soldiers enjoyed their spoils until they deduced, from the meat's similarity to mutton, that it was goat. They immediately stimulated their throats to vomit up all the forbidden food. Sergeant Istvan, the leader of this unit, appealed to Captain Tivadar - who proved himself to be a man of unusual tolerance and understanding - to purify the sinners, and each man gave his hand to be ritually bled in order to purge the sin. Whenever one of these soldiers was asked about his hand scar, he would say it was from a battlefield brotherhood ritual. Istvan was haunted by the memory of his sin for some time after, fearing that he was not truly purified.
It was a matter of some debate within the Baron Toivo expedition as to whether the unicorns of the tropical continent were more closely related to horses or goats.Kyosti though they might even be a wholly unknown family.
