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Vice Blog

SCANDINAVIA - SWEDISH 6000 LBS GOAT BOUND TO BURN

I've had semi pyromaniac tendencies ever since I was a kid. My favorite pastime was getting out of the house and burning shit up. Ants, paper and anything else I could get my hands on. I think this is why I, and every other pyro in the northern hemisphere, like the big ass Yule goat of G√§vle, Sweden. Pretty much every year it would burn to the ground. I remember being a kid and getting super excited when I read in the morning paper about how someone had it lighting up the skies (an American tourist did it in 2001, good job guys) every year.

I would also ask my parents what they thought about it and if they thought it was meant to burn to draw attention to that boring city.
In 2006 the people who put together that monster of a straw animal, drenched the goat in some kind of flame retardant liquid that made it impossible to set on fire. Attempts were made but it only blackened one of its legs a little.
Since the goat stopped burning I've totally forgotten about it, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. But this year things are looking up. The good people of G√§vle didn't like the "drenched Terrier"-look the Yule goat got from being soaked in anti flame juice, so this year they just left it to its fate!
The city of G√§vle have web-cams monitoring it 24/7 so if you're really lucky you just might catch that sucker burn, live.

FREDRIK WALLIN