Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - If you ever visit Sweden during Christmas, make sure to go to the city of Gävle, where you can see a colossal goat made of straw standing at Slottstorget (Castle Square).
The giant goat is erected yearly, over two days, at the beginning of Advent. It's an annual Christmas tradition based on Norse legends and worship of the Thunder God Thor.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, at 49 feet tall to the upper curve of its horns, the 1993 version of the Gävle goat holds the record for the world's giant straw goat.
The history of the Yule Goat goes back several thousands of years, and many ancient myths and legends show how important this animal was to our ancestors.
In some Norse myths, God Thor was said to be riding a flying chariot drawn by two goats.
It was believed that the goats Tanngrisnir ("Gap-tooth") and Tanngnjóstr ("Tooth-grinder"), who pulled Thor's chariot, provided food for the God and his friends.
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