The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a Norwegian folk tale that has been delighting children for nearly two hundred years. It is short, it repeats, and it has one of the best sound effects in any story: the “trip, trap, trip, trap” of hooves on a wooden bridge. Young children love joining in, and older children enjoy how the clever goats outsmart a greedy troll.
In the old Norwegian telling, the troll comes to a rather sticky end. Our version keeps all the fun but softens the ending, so it works well as a bedtime story for kids aged 5 to 12. After the story you’ll find the moral, some questions to talk about together and a short FAQ.
Part 1: Three Hungry Goats
Once upon a time, in a valley in the mountains of Norway, there lived three billy goats. They were brothers, and all three of them were called Gruff.
There was Little Billy Goat Gruff, who was small and white with tiny bumps where his horns were starting to grow. There was Middle Billy Goat Gruff, who was tan and brown with short, curved horns. And there was Big Billy Goat Gruff, who was large and shaggy and gray, with great curling horns and a long beard.
All summer long, the three goats nibbled the grass on their side of the valley. They ate and ate until there was hardly any grass left. The ground was brown and bare, and their tummies were rumbling.
One morning, Little Billy Goat Gruff looked across the river.
“Look!” he said. “On the other side of the river, the hillside is green, and it’s full of flowers and sweet, juicy grass. We could eat there all summer and grow big and fat.”
Middle Billy Goat Gruff licked his lips. Big Billy Goat Gruff nodded his shaggy head.
“There’s only one way to get there,” said Big Billy Goat Gruff. “We’ll have to cross the bridge.”
Part 2: The Troll Under the Bridge
The bridge was old and wooden, and it stretched across a fast, sparkling stream. It looked like an ordinary bridge. But all the animals in the valley knew a secret about it.
Underneath, in the cool dark shadows, lived a troll.
He was a big, lumpy, grumpy troll with green skin, eyes as round as dinner plates, a nose as long as a broom handle and wild hair that stuck up like a bush. He spent his days sitting under the bridge, listening for anyone who tried to cross. And whenever someone did, he jumped out and said he would gobble them up.
“Nobody crosses MY bridge,” the troll liked to grumble, “unless I say so.”
The three billy goats stood at the end of the bridge and thought hard.
“I’m the smallest,” said Little Billy Goat Gruff bravely. “Let me go first. I have an idea.”
Part 3: Little Billy Goat Gruff Crosses First
So Little Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the bridge.
Trip, trap. Trip, trap. Trip, trap.
His little hooves made a soft, tippy-tappy sound on the boards.
Suddenly, up popped the troll from under the bridge, gripping the railing with his big green hands.
“WHO’S THAT TRIP-TRAPPING OVER MY BRIDGE?” he roared.
Little Billy Goat Gruff’s knees shook, but he stood his ground. “It’s only me, Little Billy Goat Gruff,” he said in his tiny voice. “I’m going over to the hillside to eat the sweet green grass.”
“Oh no you’re not!” said the troll, licking his lips. “I’m coming to gobble you up!”
“Oh, please don’t eat me,” said Little Billy Goat Gruff. “I’m much too little. I’d hardly fill a corner of your tummy. Wait for my brother, Middle Billy Goat Gruff. He’s coming next, and he’s much bigger than me.”
The troll scratched his lumpy head. He thought about it. A bigger goat would make a bigger dinner.
“Well,” he grumbled, “be off with you, then.”
And Little Billy Goat Gruff skipped across the bridge to the green hillside on the other side.
Part 4: Middle Billy Goat Gruff Crosses Next
A little while later, Middle Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the bridge.
TRIP, TRAP. TRIP, TRAP. TRIP, TRAP.
His hooves made a louder sound on the boards, and the bridge gave a little creak.
Up popped the troll again.
“WHO’S THAT TRIP-TRAPPING OVER MY BRIDGE?” he roared.
“It’s me, Middle Billy Goat Gruff,” said the goat in his middle-sized voice. “I’m going over to the hillside to eat the sweet green grass, like my little brother.”
“Oh no you’re not!” said the troll. “I’m coming to gobble you up!”
Middle Billy Goat Gruff stayed calm. “Oh, please don’t eat me,” he said. “I’m not nearly big enough to make you a proper meal. Wait for my brother, Big Billy Goat Gruff. He’s coming last, and he’s much, much bigger than me.”
The troll scratched his head again. He looked across the river. Little Billy Goat Gruff was already munching flowers on the far hillside. The troll’s tummy gave a loud rumble.
“A much, much bigger goat,” he said to himself. “Now that would be a feast.”
“Go on, then,” he grumbled. “Be off with you.”
And Middle Billy Goat Gruff trotted over the bridge to join his little brother on the green hillside.
Part 5: Big Billy Goat Gruff Takes His Turn
Then Big Billy Goat Gruff stepped onto the bridge.
TRIP! TRAP! TRIP! TRAP! TRIP! TRAP!
His heavy hooves thundered on the boards. The whole bridge shook and groaned beneath him.
Up popped the troll for the third time, angrier and hungrier than ever.
“WHO’S THAT TRIP-TRAPPING OVER MY BRIDGE?” he bellowed.
“IT’S ME! BIG BILLY GOAT GRUFF!” said the goat in a great, deep voice that echoed off the mountains.
“Well, I’m coming to gobble you up!” roared the troll, and he climbed right up onto the bridge.
Big Billy Goat Gruff lowered his head and pointed his great curly horns. “Come along, then,” he said. “I’ve got two big horns and four strong hooves, and I’m not afraid of you.”
The troll charged. Big Billy Goat Gruff charged too. And just as they met in the middle of the bridge, Big Billy Goat Gruff gave the troll one mighty bump with his horns.
BOING!
Up into the air flew the troll, arms and legs waving, and down he came.
SPLASH!
He landed in the cold, rushing stream. The water carried him round the bend, past the rocks and far, far down the river, spluttering and splashing all the way. Some say he floated all the way to the sea. Wherever he ended up, he never came back to that bridge again.
Part 6: The Green Hillside
Big Billy Goat Gruff shook the water drops from his beard and walked calmly over to the other side of the bridge.
His two brothers came running to meet him.
“You did it!” cried Little Billy Goat Gruff, bouncing up and down.
“We all did it,” said Big Billy Goat Gruff, smiling. “You were brave enough to go first, and Middle was clever enough to keep the plan going. We crossed together.”
From that day on, the bridge was safe for everyone. The rabbits hopped over it. The sheep wandered across it. The children from the farm ran back and forth, playing trip-trap games on the boards.
And the three billy goats Gruff spent the whole summer on the green hillside, eating sweet grass and flowers. They ate and ate until they were so fat they could hardly walk home again. And if the fat hasn’t fallen off them, why, they’re still fat now.
Snip, snap, snout. This tale’s told out.
The End
Moral of the story: The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Using your brain can be just as powerful as being big and strong. The two smaller goats stayed calm and used clever thinking to get past the troll, and the biggest goat stood up to the bully. Working together, the three brothers got to the green hillside safely.
What kids can learn from this story
- Being small doesn’t mean being helpless. Little Billy Goat Gruff was brave and quick-thinking.
- Bullies don’t get to make the rules. The troll tried to keep the bridge for himself, and in the end he lost it.
- Greed can trick you. The troll kept waiting for a bigger meal and ended up with nothing.
- Family and teamwork help. The brothers had a plan, and each one played his part.
Questions to talk about with your child
- Why do you think the troll let Little Billy Goat Gruff and Middle Billy Goat Gruff cross the bridge?
- How did the sound of the “trip, trap” change for each goat? Can you make the three different sounds?
- Was it fair of the troll to say nobody could cross the bridge? What would you have said to him?
- Which goat was the bravest, do you think? Why?
Read More: The Three Little Pigs: A Story About Hard Work and Smart Choices
Frequently asked questions
Where does The Three Billy Goats Gruff come from?
It is a Norwegian folk tale. It was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe, who gathered traditional stories from around Norway and published them in the 1840s.
What does “gruff” mean?
In the original Norwegian the goats are called “Bukkene Bruse,” and Bruse is their family name. English translators called them “Gruff.” A gruff voice is a deep, rough one, which suits the biggest goat very well.
What does “Snip, snap, snout, this tale’s told out” mean?
It is a traditional rhyme used at the end of Norwegian folk tales in English, a bit like saying “The End.” Children often enjoy saying it together as the story finishes.
