At the beginning of the 21st Century monsters still roam the remote, and sometimes not so remote, corners of our planet. It is our job to search for them. The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is - we believe - the largest professional, scientific and full-time organisation in the world dedicated to cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals. Since 1992 the CFZ has carried out an unparalleled programme of research and investigation all over the world. Since 2009 we have been running the increasingly popular CFZ Blog Network, and although there has been an American branch of the CFZ for over ten years now, it is only now that it has a dedicated blog.
YULE GOATS OF SCANDINAVIA AND ELSEWHERE
In Scandinavia, there was a tradition that a goat-like creature ventured about at Christmas. This was called the Julbuk. A person assumed the Julbuk costume, going from house to house, and was not above pursuing the children. Youngsters would sometimes go about dressed as him. On the island of Usedom, divided between Germany and Poland, the custom was for a youth to place the wooden head of a goat on the end of a pole, which had the hide of a goat concealing it. The jaw was enabled to clatter. This creature is called the Klapperbok. Also in Germany we find the Habersack, which had a forked pole with the head of a broom, to make it look like a horned beast. Four men under a blanket carrying a pole with a wooden goat's head carried the Habergaiss in Austria.
In Finland this creature was known as the Joulupukki, but the term is now used for Santa Claus.
To what extent these traditional animals continue to appear, I cannot be certain.
What was the purpose of these creatures? They seem to have been connected originally with fertility. When the Julbock came to your house, you gave him presents in return for a good harvest.
This kind of creature is also found in Celtic countries. In Ireland it is called the Láir Bhán, in Wales the Mari Llwyd. These names mean the White Mare and the Gray Mare respectively.
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