Riding The Goat

Have you ever made a humorous remark regarding a goat before the lodge begins its operations? Was the remark made at your initiation, passing or raising? How long do you think these types of remarks have been going around? Where did the idea of “riding the goat” start? What type of effect do you think these remarks have on our candidates? What type of expectation does this create in the mind of the candidate about our fraternity?

The Grand Lodge of Mississippi, F. & A. M. and its subordinate Lodges do not promote, encourage or tolerate any acts of hazing or harassment, as these acts are inconsistent with the teaching and principles of Freemasonry. Each mason is only responsible for his character while both inside and outside of the Lodge, but as a brotherhood our responsibility is to hold members accountable for their actions and provide council to help them in their errors. Vulgar and inappropriate conduct inside or outside of the Lodge hall does not promote the tenets of our institution and should not be encouraged.

The ancient Greeks and Romans were known to have a very creative polytheistic belief. They portrayed the god of the forest and unkempt nature as a shaggy, horned and cloven hoof character named Pan, or sometimes called “the goat footed.” It is important to remember that as early Christianity evolved, some ancient and pagan symbols were adopted and modified to suit the visual needs of the Christian belief. The belief in the Greek god Pan, who also represented some aspects of fertility, gave way to a depiction of Satan, naturally inheriting his appearance and attributes. The devil became represented as He-Goat, with horns, beard and cloven hooves.

During the Middle Ages, lasting from the 5th to 15th century, the Christian church condemned the beliefs and practices of witches, blasphemous rites, and satanic ceremonies. Inquisitions, witch trials, and trials of heresy were common and those found guilty were punished in cruel and unthinkable ways. As there was no police force, the law enforcement was left in the hands of the members of the community. This gave rise to the belief that the devil would appear riding on a goat. Even the noble Knights Templar’s were accused of worshiping The Goat of Mendes or Baphomet, which was a symbol of ancient alchemist to represent the balance in positive and negative force.

Due to the “secret” nature of early Masonic rituals, a common belief began that their rituals were “trying to raise the devil.” Although the overall belief has died among the non-initiated, the saying generally remains the same. There has never been evidence in any major Masonic work to support that the practice of “riding the goat” has ever been a part of a Masonic ritual; however, the same cannot be said for all societies who claim to have originated from a time of antiquity.