The Three Billy Goats Gruff
In the book Favourites Of A Nursery Of Seventy Years Ago; And Some Others Of Later Date is a photograph from around the year 1916, of children acting out a classic Norwegian folk tale. It’s still a story time favorite over a hundred years later. I love telling this story with children acting out the parts of the three billy goats and the troll, and everyone else in the group calling out the words of the bridge “TRIP-TRAP!” and slapping their hands on their legs.
Here is a version of the story from this old book, written in rhyme, by an unnamed person, probably a teacher. Which part would you like to play?
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Three billy goats, by the name of Gruff, thinking themselves not big enough, went out looking for a place where sweet young grass grew plenty for them to eat,
They saw, over the river, a grassy knoll; but the bridge was long, and the bridge was strong, and under the bridge lived a grumpy Troll.
This Troll was a scruffy, wild-haired elf, who thought he owned the whole bridge himself. And when the smallest billy goat Gruff, his little legs all skinny and rough, started to cross, softly with hoofs “trip-trap, trip-trap,” the bridge gave the Troll a shout, “trip-trap! trip-trap!” And the Troll called out, with a surly frown,”Who’s that tripping, who’s that skipping over my bridge? I’ll gobble him down! I’ll gobble him down!”
“‘Tis I, the tiniest billy goat Gruff! Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me! I’m very little and lean and tough. Wait for the other, wait ’till my brother, the second billy goat Gruff goes by. He’s much larger and plumper than I!”
“Run on then,” said the Troll, “I’ll see!” And the tiniest billy goat Gruff ran, “trip-trap, trip-trap, trip-trap” very quickly across the bridge.
By and by, the second billy goat Gruff, with his coat of shaggy, long-haired stuff, stepped with his hoofs on the bridge, Trip-Trap! Trip-Trap!” and the bridge gave the shout again, “Trip-Trap! Trip-Trap!”< And the Troll called out with an ugly frown, "Who's that tripping, who's that skipping over my bridge? I'll gobble him down! I'll gobble him down!"
“‘Tis I, the second big billy goat Gruff, scarcely half a pound if my shaggy, long-haired coat was off! Wait for the other, wait ’till my brother, the third big billy goat Gruff comes by. He’s much bigger and fatter than I!”
“Pass on then!” said the Troll, “I’ll wait!” And the second billy goat Gruff ran, “Trip-Trap, Trip-Trap, Trip-Trap” very quickly across the bridge.
By and by the great big billy goat Gruff stomped on to the bridge, all sturdy and tough. The bridge creaked and groaned, and bent with a snap and it gave the shout, “TRIP-TRAP! TRIP-TRAP! TRIP-TRAP!” And the Troll roared out with an awful frown, “Who’s that blundering, who’s that thundering over my bridge? I’ll gobble him down! I’ll gobble him down!”
“‘Tis I, the great big billy goat Gruff, come out from under the bridge and see!” And his voice was heavy and hoarse and rough. “I am the other, I am that brother, the biggest and toughest of all three!”
Then using his horns, all crooked and long and bare, he tossed that Troll straight into the air so high that he never came down again. Then the third billy goat Gruff stomped across the bridge, “TRIP-TRAP! TRIP-TRAP, TRIP-TRAP!” After that, the goats fared well, eating the young grass on the hill, and if they have not grown lean since then, they’re all of them happy still.
Written by a teacher for her young students in the early 1900s, over a hundred years ago