The Lord's Animals and the Devil's



About the goats: God creates all animals, devil creates goats; when wolves tear goats, devil wants replacement. God outwits him.

The Lord God had created all animals and chosen wolves to be his dogs: he had only forgotten the goat. Then the devil set himself up, wanted to create too and made the goats with their long tails. When they went to the pasture, they usually got their tails caught in the thorn hedges, so the devil had to go in and untie them with great effort. That finally annoyed him, he was gone and bit off every goat’s tail, just like today can be seen on the stumps.
Now he let them graze alone, but it happened that the Lord God looked on as they gnawed now a fruitful tree, now damaged the noble vines, now other tender plants spoiled. This made him lamented, so that out of kindness and mercy he sent his wolves there, which soon tore the goats that were walking to pieces. When the devil heard that, he went before the Lord and said, "Your creature has torn mine to pieces." The Lord replied, "What harm did you create it?" goes, what I created could have no other nature, and must pay dearly to me.” “I will pay you as soon as the oak leaves fall, then come, your money is already counted.” When the oak leaves had fallen, the devil came and claimed his debt. But the Lord said, "In the church in Constantinople there is a tall oak tree, it still has all its leaves." The devil escaped raging and cursing and wanted to look for the oak tree, wandered in the desert for six months before he found it, and when he came back, all the other oaks were full of green leaves. Then he had to let his guilt go, in anger he put out the eyes of all the other goslings and put his own in their heads.
That's why all the goats have devil eyes and bitten tails, and he likes to take their shape.