Three Billy Goats Gruff

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Three Billy Goats Gruff is a famous traditional fairy tale of Norwegian origin, in which three goats cross a bridge, under which is a fearsome troll who tries to prevent them from crossing it. Three Billy Goats Gruff is an "eat-me-when-I'm-fatter" tale (Aarne-Thompson type 122E). The fairy tale was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their Norske Folkeeventyr.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Three billy goats live on one side of a stream. They look at the grass on the other side of the stream and decide that it is greener. The only way to cross the stream is over a bridge, under which lives a troll. The three goats cross the bridge one at a time, from the smallest to the largest. The first two goats are confronted by the troll, but persuade him to let them go by telling him that they are smaller than the next goat and will make an inferior meal. When the third goat crosses the bridge, the troll attempts to capture it. The troll is powerless against the unrestrained raw fury of the Big Billy Goat Gruff, who easily butts the troll high into the air and into the deep, fast-flowing river, where it drowns. The three goats are then free to eat the delicious grass on the other side of the river, and to cross the bridge any time.

[edit] In other media

In the Fables comic book created by Bill Willingham, it is revealed that the witch from Hansel and Gretel enchanted the goats to battle the troll. At least one escaped the Adversary and lives up at the Farm. The troll is a more important character; he is the sleeping security guard in the Fabletown's apartment complex and is named Grimble.
In one of the Halloween episodes of The Simpsons, Bart and Lisa respectively are seen as Hansel and Gretel. Lisa has a book of fairy tales to stay one step ahead, but they come to a bridge. Lisa thinks there is a troll living under the bridge, like in the Three Billy Goats Gruff, and the troll resembles Moe Syzlak. He jumps out to scare "Hansel" and "Gretel", but then says, "I came on too strong again! I am so lonely!"