"Yes," Athena agreed mildly. "Tragos. It means goat in Ancient Greek; did you know that? From it, we get the word for tragedy. TragÅidia, the song of the sacrificial goat."
In fact, modern scholars disagreed on the precise origin of the word. Some theorised that the goat had been the prize over which tragedians competed at the Dionysia. Others argued that the ritual sacrifice of a goat was a component of the original tragedies. Some even postulated that the goat was pure metaphor, not to be taken literally.
It seemed to Athena that one common thread ran through all three theories: the goat's fate was never his own.