Thor’s Yule Goat
Thor's Yule Goat ?
A popular Christmas holiday decoration found in Scandinavian countries, the straw Yule Goat has interesting origins.
So What's a Yule Goat?
Origins of the Yule Goat
The mythical origins of the Yule Goat may be linked to the Norse God Thor (although a more modern and less legendary origin is probably true). In the mythical version, the Yule Goat might be an embodiment of Thor’s goats: Tanngrisnir (“teeth-barer”) and Tanngnjóstr (teeth-grinder). These goats pulled his chariot across the sky.
You might think it’s odd Thor has two goat sidekicks. Come on, he’s one of the MOST powerful Norse Gods and hangs out with goats? But Thor is associated with the goat to humanize him. He is a mighty God who can relate to the Nordic farmers and goat herders. He’s really a down to Earth kinda God.
You can find LOTS of tutorials on how to make a Yule Goat out of the traditional straw. But this is a time-consuming process that involves soaking your straw for up to five hours and can be difficult for small fingers to create.
Instead, I have crafted a Yule Goat inspired by this Ikea goat from their 2016 Ikea Vinter collection. All you will need are some simple cheap supplies and of course, your glue gun. So let’s get crafting!
Supplies:
- Clothes pins
- Cardboard roll (Toilet paper, Paper Towel or even Christmas Wrapping Paper rolls will work)
- String, Yarn or Twine– Any of them will work
- Jingle bells (optional)
- Pipe cleaners
- A wine bottle cork
- A small cylindrical item to use as the neck, such as another wine cork or a small piece of wood
- A glue gun
- Scissors
Steps:
1. Take apart clothes pins and attach to the sides of a toilet paper roll to create the body and legs of the Yule Goat.
2. Attach neck piece and cork head to the front of the body.
3. Attach pipe cleaners to the head and back of your Yule Goat to be the horns and tail.
4. Wrap up your Yule Goat in string, feel free to use a more peppy or rustic look.
5. When the front of your goat is wrapped up, don’t forget to add your jingle bells to back of the goat.
Enjoy your Yule Goat.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/sweden-yule-goat-julbocken-fire/index.html