There is a feature of the goat that deserves special attention in our understanding of this sign. The name 'Capricorn' draws our attention to it and comes from the Latin caper ('goat') andcornu ('horn') - literally 'the Goat's horn'. In the ancient world horns were symbols of royalty, strength and power, as well as fertility and abundance. Cornucopia in mythology was the goat Amalthea who nourished the infant Jupiter with her milk, though the term remains in use today as the 'copious horn' or 'horn of plenty' which symbolises prosperity and growth. The goat is one of the three horned creatures in the zodiac; these were also the creatures celebrated in ancient religious festivals and used in sacrifice to draw power from the gods. The use of the goat as a 'scapegoat' in the biblical ritual of Atonement (seethe star lore of Capricorn) has led to goat deities accumulating a reputation as icons of evil occult powers rather than the neutral symbols of earthly fertility and focused power that was implicit in the older customs.
Star Sign
Capricorn
J.E. Circlot, in his Dictionary of Symbols, includes an interesting passage on the symbolism of horns as related by the three creatures of the zodiac; the coiled horns of Aries, the inwardly curved horns of Taurus, and the upwardly pointed horns of Capricorn signifying elevation, power and prestige. He notes that in Egyptian hieroglyphics, horns signify what is above the head and by extension 'to open up a path for oneself'.
Horns then, are similar to halos and crowns in denoting princely wisdom and illumination. The theme is repeated in ancient depictions of the sign that replace the horned fore-creature with that of a man but retain the imagery of the crown. In later art we find depictions of Moses bearing horns after his descent from the mountain, indicating the radiance of light and wisdom emitted from his head after the divine contact. Elsewhere horns have adorned battle-helmets since prehistoric times in an attempt to capitalise upon their expression of strength, power and force. Jung recognised the horn as a powerful symbol for fertility and dualism, being both masculine - by its phallic and penetrating shape - and feminine - by its receptive, cup like qualities. The goat's horn thus stands as a representation of the elemental energies of the earth, the prime matter from which the alchemical process begins its quest for the transformation of gold. Alchemists have often related 'prima mater' with lead, the metal of Saturn; though it was also frequently associated with the unconscious and thought to come from the mountains where 'all things are one'. The Rosarium terms prima mater the 'root of itself', being the first principle that separates reason from chaos.
This also became a massive relevancy to my project, I never saw it from this point of view, and never knew what star signs actually represented. After researching into The Goat of Mendes, It also brought my attention to the Capricorn sign, which visibly exposes half a goat. This also became relevant to my project because it allowed me to gain a bit of background knowledge of where the sign/symbol came from and what it mean't. The idea of researching into symbols like this , gives more of an educational approach to future projects that may require it.