The Grape Goat

Local Tradition

Autor: Libuše Šuleřová ncient peasants believed that the god of harvest took on various animal-like forms. They imagined the god as being very enervate and aged after harvest. Therefore, it was necessary to slay him ritually so that he might be born again in full power the next spring. This generál notion has been supported by real archaeological evidence (animal statuettes) dating back to neolith, which is approximately 5,500 BC. Ancient Greeks sacrificed a goat to Dionysos, which as they claimed was a way how to punish the beast for all damage done to vineyards. However, the goat was the embodiment of the god itself... This custom, or at least parts of it, survived in various forms all over Europe up to the 19th century, despite the fact that its originál purpose had long been forgotten.
The Grape Goat, whose tradition is connected with the Znojmo Region (pronounce [znoymo]) and the adjacent part of Lower Austria, may at least partly revive the ethnographic "wasteland" of this region – for there has not been any local folk tradition alive here for the last hundred years! We dare hope that this "seed" will thrive and like wild grapevine, it will live its own life when good-hearted people, amateur actors, wine shopkeepers and wine-cellar owners také it up and foster it. It is the winemakers and vintners that should be interested in spreading the tradition around.
There is no doubt that the legends about the Grape Goat go back deep into history. As the goddess of harvest, the Grape Goat and her race are responsible for the growth of grapevine and for the quality of wine. She rewards good husbandmen and on the other hand she punishes lazybones, shirkers, crooks and cheatérs. If she is bored, she may play rnischievous tricks on people.
The tradition of the Grape Goat and her race is not limited to only one dáte. It is connected with several festivals and holidays throughout the whole year.

At Easter - Swains used to drive the "re-born" goat in a syrňbolic way to a vineyard where she met her family again.
In late summer - Vineyard sentinels ušed to make a vow and put up a sign prohibiting the entrance to vineyards. Only under these circumstances the goat was able to finish her work.
Between vintage and St Martin's Day there used to be a custom to gift friends with the Grape Goat. A wooden skeleton was decorated with blooms, fruit, grapevine leaves and grapes. Such a gift was meant to bring good luck and good health.
Not until St Martin's Day was one allowed to enter a wine cellar. The Grape Goat was there with her kids, which meant an absolute menace to everybody.
On St Martin's Day or shortly after - the so called "Warranting of the Grape Goat" took place. It was a ceremony where the feeble Grape Goat was handed over to a landlord. Lodged in the warmth of the inn, the goaticould get stronger and fresh again by the spring. It was inconceivable to hold the ceremony without a lot of feasting. In a way, it was a parallel to the sacrifice rituál mentioned above.
At Christmas - Vineyard sentinels (in Czech "hotaři")' went carol-singing. Apart from other gifts from ! husbandmen, they received wine which ihey poured into a firkin. This firkin was placed on a cart drawn by the Grape Goat (festoonedswith ribbons).

The Felloship of the Grape Groat

In 1993 Jiří Svoboda, a teacher from Znojmo (in German - Znaim), met Hans Zuckriegl, a native of Vrbovec (in German - Urbau), in Vienna. Their subsequent meetings resulted in a close co-operation. Zuckriegl agreed to the publication of several wonderful tales which had once been told in Vrbovec and which had not been published in any of the books of tales before. So it was that these old stories appeared as late as 2000, in a book called "Of the Znojmo Tower". By endeavour of a few enthusiasts, the Fellowship of the Grape Goat was founded in 2004, counting as of the present day more than sixty members and several members - correspondents. This Fellowship was asšigned the "intellectual heritage" of Jiří Svoboda, Father Founder. The Fellowship has taken on an important commitment - to revive and to develop the old tradition which was alive in this part of the country before World War II and the subsequent expulsion of the Sudeten Germans. The main goals and major activities of the Fellowship could be summarized as follows:

To search for and get tpgether old archive materials, information f and artefacts concerning or related to the Grape Goat tradition ,; and to viniculturé.
To try to revive the old folk customs and terminology related to the Grape Goat tradition.
To publish such materials or information on the Fellowship's web page, in publications of all kinds, on maps, promotion leaflets, company adverts and signs, trademarks and labels, including the promotion of this region and the City of Znojmo.
To support promotion of the renown of Znojmo wine, winemaking and viniculture, and related activities like goat breeding.
To enrich and, in a collective effort, to create public cultural consciousness towards the countryside and the region.
To take part in organization of cultural events and to enrich these events with elements of the Grape Goat tradition, if possible.
To propose, put forward and to support new nature trails and byways for walkers and cyclists, footpaths, and tourist routes.
To support the foundation of organizations of similar kind in other countries.
To aim all the activities to the benefit of the whole region, to integrate and harmonize them, and to enforce that the Grape Goat as a symbol should represent the whole Znojmo region.

The Calendar of the Fellowship’s Activities

Easter - Driving of the Grape Goat into a vineyard. Usually the last Satrday in April. This year - May 7lh 2005.
Late Summer - The vineyard is closed and the Vineyard sentinels make a vow. Usually - a Saturday in early September. This year - September 10th 2005.
Autumn - The Passing of the Grape Goat. Usually the second Saturday in October. This year - October 15lh 2005. The Warranting of the Grape Goat. Usually the second Friday in November. This year - November llth 2005.
Christmas - Vineyard Sentinels' Carol-singing. Usually the first Friday in the new year. Next year - January 6"' 2006.

The Tale of the Golden Droppings

Once upon a time in a small shanty on the outskirts of a village, a poor cottager lived together with his goat. He had no other property but a few shrubs of grapevine áhat a rich farmer would give hirn finstead of wage.
One day the cottager worked on the farmer's field. He had been toiling there from the early morn, and when the nópii came and the sun was shining high in the sky, he decided to havearest for a while. He was weary, thirsty and hungry as well. So he nestled himself in,the shadow of a giant walnut tree, had a bite of something, took a sound sip from his bottle woven in a wicker cover, and somehow his ' eyes started dropping. His head fell Painting by: Libuše Šuleřová to his breast, and in a moment he slept like a log. Just before falling
asleep he had a feeling that he could see his goat grazing on the baulk as if she were untying herself from the pole and flying away to the vineyard.
"I ought to drive her off", he murmured half asleep, "lest she should do any damage." But he just waved his hand. "Utter nonsense! The goat untying herself! I must be dřeaming!" The dream seemed to go on. The goat was walking along the vine shrubs, leaving a few black droppings on each of them, pawing them into the soil with her hoof.
When the cottager woke up, the goat looked pleased, grazing by the pole. Had there not been traces of the goaťs hooves in tilled earth, he would háve believed iťall had been just a dream. "A fpol of me!" said he and went to háve a look around. When he had removed a little soil with his foot, he stood amazed. Instead of black goat droppings, he saw pieces of pure gold. "Uh! This is the end of my poverty!" he rejoiced, bending down to piek up the gold. But hey! No matter how hard he tried, he was not able to get the gold out of the ground. It was stuck as if it had been part of solid rock. He covered it again and got back to his work. In the évening he wanted to háve one more try but whát a shock it was when he-found only the droppings again. "Iťs thé wine and the hot sun - I should not háve drunk so much!" he said in disappointmenť.Then he untied the goat and went home.

Some weeks later, when grape harvest had begun, everybody was wondering how come the cottager had such abeautiful line of grapevine. There were grapes that scarcely anyone had seen before. The cottager realized that it might háve been the outgrowth of his goaťs making. He sold the grapes quite favourably, so he fared well in the end. And since it was widely believed then that extraordinarily ravishing grapes are the proof of the Grape Goaťs favour, he contemplated his strange dream. He learnt a lesson that the grapevine shrubs should bé mucked.

And so it was that the Grape Goat taught people to collect hideous dung from their cattle and to bring it to their fields where it turned into gold in the end.