The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Trip, trap—who is crossing the bridge?
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The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Once there were three billy goats, all called Gruff, who wanted to eat the rich grass on a hillside. One was small, one middle-sized, and one very large.
To reach the grass, the three goats had to cross a bridge over a stream. The water ran between their pasture and the hill.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
A great troll lived beneath the bridge, and he wanted to gobble up anyone who crossed it. His eyes were as wide as saucers.
The smallest goat stepped onto the bridge first: trip, trap, trip, trap! His little hooves tapped against the boards.
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
“Who is tripping over my bridge?” roared the troll, and the little goat said he was going to the hillside. He spoke in a small, thin voice.
“I will gobble you up!” said the troll, but the goat begged him to wait for the bigger goat coming next. “I am much too small,” he explained.
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Browse all storiesAbout this retelling
Explore this illustrated story at four reading levels. Each level follows the same essential events.
Collection: Fairy tales
Retelling: Norway · after Asbjørnsen and Moe
For parents: After The Three Billy-Goats Gruff in George Webbe Dasent’s A Selection from the Norse Tales (1862). Keeps the three crossings, each smaller goat directing the troll to the next, the biggest goat defeating and killing the troll, and all three feeding on the hillside. The final struggle is described without the original graphic injuries.
Public-domain source: View the recorded source edition