Taking Inventory: Goat Horn

If you ask me, I'd say that Minecraft’s goats are unfriendly beasts! They love to ram other creatures, knocking them back a sizable distance. They also love to climb, presumably so they can ram other creatures at a greater altitude where there’s further to fall.

Most of the time their targets are unaware and go flying, but occasionally one will be paying more attention and dodge out of the way, and the goat will slam into a solid block instead. When this happens, there’s a chance that it’ll knock a horn off, which then falls to the ground and can be collected by players.

Not every block is hard enough to dislodge a goat horn. Stone, coal ore, copper ore, iron ore, emerald ore, logs, and packed ice are the only ones that qualify – but this shouldn’t be too annoying, because all these blocks are easily found in the areas where goats spawn. As you might expect, a goat can only drop up to two horns before its ram attacks just give it a headache instead.

Once you’ve got one, you’ll discover that a goat horn is a pretty special find. When you hold one in your hands and hit the use key, you’ll raise it to your lips and blow – letting out a loud, resonant sound that can be heard up to 256 blocks away. It's the perfect way to coordinate an ambush, or warn your server-mates of an incoming illager attack.

Every horn is a bit different, and they make different sounds too. There are eight different horn types that you can find, some of which are only available from screaming goats. Try to find them all!

In the real world, goats also have horns that differ in size and shape depending on the breed. They’re made of a material called “keratin” – which is also the same thing that human hair and nails are made up of. Just like in Minecraft, goats use their horns for defense and dominance, protecting their territory.

Unlike in Minecraft, goats don’t naturally lose their horns while they’re alive. When they die, though, horns can be removed from the skull and used for all kinds of purposes – from weaponry to eating utensils, to decoration. They were even used by soldiers to carry gunpowder for early muskets – allowing them to easily dispense a small amount from the tip when necessary.

While most modern horns in music are made of brass, their name suggests that they originated as animal horns – used for signaling and music. Archaeologists have found cow horns dating back to the Iron Age with holes drilled in the side to allow them to play multiple notes. Today, the practice of using animal horns in this way survives in the Jewish shofar, which is played during religious rituals.

So, next time you blow a goat horn in Minecraft, you can enjoy the fact that you’re participating in a tradition that stretches all the way back to antiquity. But don’t forget to dodge a second ramming attempt by the goat that dropped it!