Goats are small beasts known for their milk, and fondness for eating small bits of metal.[1] They are well known for their total dislike of trolls.
Background[]
There is a tale of three billy goats on their way to pasture. They had to cross a bridge to get there, and a nasty troll lived under it. Now some trolls like to east the flesh of humans, but all of them delight in devouring goats. As the first goat went across, the troll went for it; but the clever beast convinced the troll to wait for his bigger brother, as he would make a larger meal. The troll waited and rushed the second goat, who too convinced the troll that there was a yet larger goat still to come. When the largest of the billy goats arrived, he rushed the troll, butted it off the bridge, and killed it.
It is said that goats will eat almost anything; if one show one a carrot and it follows him anywhere. It has been said that if one shows a goat an old shoe or a tin it follows him anywhere.[2]
In order to get past a troll guarding a bridge near the home of Rumplestiltskin, Sir Graham befriended a billy goat with a carrot and lead it to the bridge where the troll was located. The goat knocked the troll into the river, drowning it, before the goat walked off again.[3]
Notes[]
- Daventry has a rule prohibiting goats (except seeing-eye goats) from entering the castle.[4]
- The ogress calls her husband an 'old goat'.
- A wild breed of goat, are the mountain goats. They are known for their dexterity.[5]
- The goat is a special inventory 'item'. It is not part of the regular inventory but is used to solve a puzzle (in this case knocking a troll into oblivion).
- If you have the dagger you can kill the goat in all versions of King's Quest I ('kill goat').
- Goats have two horns.
Behind the scenes[]
In the original PCJR version of KQ1, the goat bleats every few seconds. The same occurs in the Apple 2 version but with a recorded sound effect.
The symbol for Capricorn (the goat) can be found in King's Quest 8.