Legenda: Proverbia de Hirco

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Proverbia de Hirco

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These proverbs about the Billy-Goat (Hircus) show aspects of the billy-goat that are still proverbial in our culture, as well as some culturally specific references to billy-goats from the ancient world - such as the sacred billy-goat of Thmuis!

For more information about the billy-goat in Latin bestiaries, visit the Hircus in the Zoo. If you find some of the proverbs below difficult to understand, you will find some English translations at the Zoo page, along with some additional notes there that you might find helpful!

Use this Study Guide to organize your learning activities.

Mulgere hircum.	.
Utrum stultior, qui mulget hircum, an qui cribrum supponit?	qui: relative pronoun, agreeing with stultior in gender and number
Iungat vulpes, et mulgeat hircos.	iungat...mulgeat: potential subjunctive
Stupes tamquam hircus in ervilia.
Hirco libidinosior.
Thmuitarum hircus.	Thmuitarum: genitive plural (like many city names in the ancient world, Thmuis was feminine plural) Note: The billy-goat was a sacred animal in the Egyptian city of Thmuis, with female goats brought to him as offerings, so this proverb referred to a man who has many adoring females at his beck and call.
Pastillos Rufillus olet, Gorgonius hircum.
Caricus hircus.	Note: This meant something vile or contemptible, perhaps related to the story that the people of Caria when making a sacrifice would substitute a dog for a goat.
Vel haedus ereptus lupo.	Note: This refers to recovering something that had been accounted lost.
Habitabit lupus cum agno, et pardus cum haedo accubabit.
Pastor segregat oves ab haedis.
Si omnis barbatus foret in orbe beatus, in mundi circo non esset sanctior hirco.	foret...esset: subjunctive in conditional sentence with si