What are the names of Thor's two goats?

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Thor’s two goats are Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr.

They pull Thor’s chariot through the sky in Norse mythology. Their names are Old Norse: Tanngrisnir is commonly linked with “teeth-barer” or “snarler,” while Tanngnjóstr means “teeth-grinder.” The names are recorded in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, especially Gylfaginning.

The goats have an unusual role in Thor’s travels. Thor can slaughter and eat them, provided their bones are placed back on their hides. He then uses Mjölnir to resurrect them. In one famous episode, the human boy Þjálfi breaks a bone to suck out the marrow, and one goat rises lame the next morning. Thor accepts Þjálfi and his sister Röskva as servants in compensation.

They are sometimes confused with other famous mythological animals, including Odin’s ravens Huginn and Muninn and the wolves Sköll and Hati. The goats are also distinct from Heiðrún, the goat associated with Valhalla.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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