Gideon is a young Israelite, working on the land and fed up with the constant persecution from Canaanite army patrols. Inspired by his encounter with an old holy man, in which the Israelite God sends him a message through a wet sweater (his "woolly"), Gideon strikes a blow for the Israelites by smashing up the Canaanite Corn Goddess and then proving her to be completely powerless. The Israelites rally behind him, and an army is raised to wipe the Canaanites from the face of the Earth. (Judges 6)