Goblin

Goblins as illustrated by Francisco Goya
Grouping	Fairy
Region	Europe

A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous creature described as a grotesquely disfigured or gnome-like phantom that may range in height from that of a dwarf to that of a human. They are attributed with various (sometimes conflicting) abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little creatures somewhat related to the brownie and gnome.

Goblins can come in any colour but are mainly depicted as green or brown. While they are generally considered crabby, very rarely a story or movie will feature kind goblins.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Etymology

According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, the name is probably derived from the Anglo-French gobelin (which was rendered, in Medieval Latin, as gobelinus), which is probably a diminutive of Gobel, a name related to the word kobold (a German sprite). In addition, there also exist various other alternative spellings of the word goblin, including: Gobblin, gobeline, gobling, goblyn, gobelinus (Medieval Latin).

Hiisi, folletto, duende, tengu, Menninkäinen and kallikantzaroi are often translated into English as 'goblins'. The Erlking and Billy Blind are sometimes called goblins. 'Goblin' is often used as a general term to mean any small mischievous being.

[edit] Origins in folklore

Illustration of a goblin

A modern account gives a fabled origin for goblins in Britain. After spreading throughout the UK, they sneaked aboard ships and sailed to France, and from there rapidly movied all over Europe ^[1][2] They are said to have no homes, being wanderers, dwelling temporarily in mossy cracks in rocks and tree roots.

• The Benevolent Goblin, from Gesta Romanorum (England) ^[3]
• The Boy Who Drew Cats (Japanese fairy tale)
• Chinese Ghouls and Goblins (England 1928)
• Erlking is a malevolent goblin from German legend.
• The Goblin of Adachigahara (Japanese fairy tale)^[4]
• The Goblin Pony, from The Grey Fairy Book (French fairy tale)
• The Goblins at the Bath House (Estonia), from A Book of Ghosts and Goblins (1969)
• The Goblins Turned to Stone (Dutch fairy tale) ^[5]
• Gwyn ap Nudd was ruler over the goblin tribe. (Welsh folklore) ^[6]
• Shiva has a cohort of goblins and ghouls (India).
• Twenty-Two Goblins (Indian fairy tale)^[7]

[edit] Goblin Places

• Bryn yr Ellyllon: 'The Hill of the Goblins', Mold,_Flintshire, Wales, UK
• 'The Gap of Goeblin', a hole and underground tunnel in Mortain, France. ^[8]
• Goblin Combe, in north Somerset, UK
• Goblin Valley State Park, Utah, U.S.
• Goblin Crescent, Bryndwr, Christchurch, NZ
• Yester Castle (aka 'Goblin Hall') East Lothian, Scotland
• Goblin Bay, Beausoleil Island, Ontario, Canada

[edit] Early Fiction

• The Goblins, a comedy play by Sir John Suckling (1638 England; the title alludes to thieves rather than actual goblins)
• Goblin Market, a poem by Christina Rossetti (1859 England)
• The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (1872)
• Davy and the Goblin by Charles E. Carryl ^[9] (1884)

[edit] Modern Fiction and Culture

This section requires expansion.

The orcs in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books bear similarities to traditional goblins, with those in The Hobbit referred to as such.

Goblins appear as non-player characters in the online game World of Warcraft, and will eventually be a playable faction in the forthcoming expansion World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

In the online MMORPG RuneScape, goblins are a stupid, weak race of cannonfodder warriors for Bandos, the god of war and non-humanoid species.

There are many villains in the Spider-Man franchise whose names include "Goblin", and who carry a goblin motif, like Green Goblin, Hobgoblin, Demogoblin, Normie Osborn etc.

Despite its title, goblins are featured as the main villains in the cult movie Troll 2.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Goblin

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Goblin

• British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions by Wirt Sikes
• Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were by Michael Page & Robert Ingpen
• The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and Other Little Creatures by Pierre Dubois
• Goblins! and The Goblin Companion by Brian Froud
• Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes and Goblins: an Encyclopedia of the Little People by Carol Rose

[edit] Online

[edit] Text

• Children's Books Online: Davy And The Goblin