Goblin

Grouping dwarf
Country Northwestern Europe, Scandinavia, British Isles, United
States
Habitat Caves, woodland
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous grotesque dwarf -like
daemon or monster that appeared in European stories and
accounts during the Middle Ages . They are ascribed various
(sometimes conflicting) abilities, temperaments and appearances
depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases,
goblins are little creatures related to the brownie and gnome . They
are usually small, sometimes only a few inches tall, sometimes
the size of a dwarf, and have magical abilities; they are greedy,
especially for gold and jewelry.
Name
Alternative spellings include gobblin , gobeline , gobling , goblyn , and
gobbelin.
English goblin is first recorded in the 14th century and is probably
from unattested Anglo-Norman *gobelin ,[1] similar to Old French
gobelin, already attested around 1195 in Ambroise of Normandy 's
Guerre sainte, and to Medieval Latin gobelinus in Orderic Vitalis
before 1141, [2][3] which was the name of a devil or a daemon
haunting the country around vreux , Normandy.
It may be related both to German kobold and to Medieval Latin
cabalus, or *gobalus , itself from Greek ( kobalos ), "rogue",
"knave", "imp", "goblin". [2][4] Alternatively, it may be a diminutive
or other derivative of the French proper name Gobel, more often
Gobeau ,[5][6] diminutive forms Gobelet, Goblin, Goblot , but their
signification is probably "somebody who sells timblers or beakers
or cups". [7] Moreover, these proper names are not from
Normandy, where the word gobelin, gobelinus first appears in the
old documents. German Kobold contains the Germanic root kov(Middle German Kobe "refuge, cavity", "hollow in a rock", Dial.
English cove "hollow in a rock", English "sheltered recess on a
coast", Old Norse kofi "hut, shed" ) which means originally a
"hollow in the earth". [8][9] The word is probably related to Dial.
Norman gobe "hollow in a cliff", with simple suffix -lin or double
suffixation -el-in (cf. Norman surnames Beuzelin,[10] Gosselin ,[11]
tancelin ,[12] etc.)
The Welsh coblyn , a type of knocker, derives from the Old French
gobelin via the English goblin . [13][14]
European folklore and collected folk stories
The Princess and the Goblin
by George MacDonald,
illustrated by Jessie Willcox
Smith, 1920
The Benevolent Goblin, from Gesta Romanorum (England) [15]
Erlking is a malevolent goblin from German legend.
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). [16]
Gwyn ap Nudd was ruler over the goblin tribe. (Welsh folklore)
[17]
King Gobb (Moldovan Gypsy folktale)
Goblin-like creatures in other cultures
Many Asian mythical creatures have been likened to, or translated
as, goblins. Some examples for these:
Chinese Ghouls and Goblins (England 1928)
The Goblin of Adachigahara (Japanese fairy tale) [18]
The Goblin Rat , from The Boy Who Drew Cats (Japanese fairy
tale)
Twenty-Two Goblins (Indian fairy tale) [19]
In South Korea, goblins are known as Dokkaebi (). They
are especially important mythical creatures in Korean folklore.
They usually appear in children's books. [ citation needed]
Goblin-related place names
'The Gap of Goeblin', a hole and underground tunnel in Croxteth
under the Green residence where Daniel Green resides feeding on
children's bones and ectoplasm to survive. [20]
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
Cowcaddens and Cowlairs, Glasgow, Scotland. 'Cow' is an old
Scots word for Goblin, while 'cad' means 'nasty'. 'Dens' and 'lairs'
refers to goblin homes. [21]
Goblins in fiction and popular culture
From The Princess and the
Goblin by George
MacDonald, illustrated by
Jessie Willcox Smith, 1920
The Goblins , a comedy play by Sir John Suckling (1638
England; the title alludes to thieves rather than actual goblins)
The Pilgrim's Progress , a Christian allegory by John Bunyan
(1678 England), includes the words "Men: ...we also saw there the
hobgoblins, satyrs, and dragons of the pit;"
The early 17th century English ballad "Tom O'Bedlam " begins
"From the hag and hungry goblin/that into rags would rend ye"
"The Elf Mound ", fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen (1845
Denmark)
Goblin Market, a poem by Christina Rossetti (1859 England)
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (1872)
depicts the Goblins as grotesque humanoids, vulnerable to
sunlight, song, and pressure on their feet.
Davy and the Goblin by Charles E. Carryl [22] (1884)
The 19th century Irish song "Rocky Road to Dublin " includes the
words "I cut a stout blackthorn, to banish ghosts and goblins".

Little Orphant Annie , a poem by James Whitcomb Riley , includes

the words "An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you ef you don't watch
out!" (1885)
J. R. R. Tolkien generally used the terms goblin and orc
synonymously in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings . These
works, featuring goblins of almost-human stature, generally
informed the depiction of goblins in later fiction and games.
William Thompson writes, "In The Hobbit whose title character
resembles the traditional hobgoblin, thinly disguised by name and
role Tolkien's goblins, though villains, retain a hint of earlier
portrayals as scamps, with their bumbling efforts, punctuated by
boisterous and doggerel song, posing little threat to the story's
heroes and perhaps reflecting the novel's intended young audience.
Yet, in notes for the novel, he acknowledges an indebtedness to
MacDonald , and while his goblins may appear burlesque, they are
also grotesque, filthy, and wicked, preying upon travelers from
underground lairs." Thompson adds that, in The Lord of the Rings ,
Tolkien has "abandoned all pretence at depicting goblins in a
comic light, instead casting them as the great evil race of Middleearth..." [23]
Goblins are portrayed as roughly half the size of adult humans
as non-player characters in the tabletop role-playing game,
Dungeons & Dragons , which influenced most later depictions
including the games Akalabeth , Ultima , Tibia, RuneScape and
World of Warcraft (they become a playable race in the WoW
expansion World of Warcraft: Cataclysm ). In the 1980s Goblins
were depicted as a separate race subservient to the Orcs in the
Games Workshop tabletop game Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay .
Games Workshop also popularized the depiction of goblins with
bright green skin. Warcraft adopted both of these concepts from
Warhammer. The Warcraft goblins are very technologically
advanced. Goblins are also present as the first tier creature in the
Orc faction in Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East .
[24]
Goblins are recurring minor enemies in the Final Fantasy
franchise, where they usually appear near the beginning of each
game and pose little to no threat to the player. They often use a
technique called Goblin Punch which does increased damage to
enemies of the same experience level. The MMORPG entries in the
series have reimagined goblins as a nomadic race of bandits and
tinkerers with a high affinity for machinery who are never seen
without their trademark leather gas masks and speak in their own
characteristic dialect.
Goblins are represented in Magic: The Gathering as a species of
predominantly Red-aligned creatures generally organized into
various tribes, and are usually depicted as fierce and warmongering, but of comically low intelligence. Most are similar to
other depictions of goblins save those of the Akki race, which bear
chitinous shells on their backs.
The 1973 film Don't Be Afraid of the Dark portrays a house

infested with goblins; it was remade in 2011 . In both versions the

Goblins are small, intelligent, nimble and evil creatures with a
penchant for preying on children. They feed on human teeth and
are afraid of light.
In the Jim Henson Productions film Labyrinth , the Goblins are
led by Jareth the Goblin King (played by David Bowie). The
Goblins in this film range from a few inches to several feet in
height. Some Goblins have small eyes, some Goblins have large
eyes, some Goblins have protruding eyes, some Goblins have
horns, some Goblins have hair, and some Goblins are hairless. It
has been implied by Jareth that the Goblins were once human
children.
Goblins are shown in diminutive form in the film Legend ,
wherein the Goblins serve the Lord of Darkness.
Goblins play an important role in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter
series. They guard the wizard bank Gringotts and are portrayed as
clever, arrogant, greedy, and churlish.
The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy by Clare B. Dunkle features a
creative re-imagining of goblins, elves, and dwarves.
Despite its title, goblins are featured as the main villains in the
cult film Troll 2 .
The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and Other Little
Creatures depicts them as originating in the British Isles, from
whence they spread by ship to all of Continental Europe. They
have no homes, being wanderers, dwelling temporarily in mossy
cracks in rocks and tree roots. [25][26]
"The Goblin Series" (Goblin Quest, Goblin Hero, Goblin War) by
Jim C. Hines is a whimsical series of stories about a runt goblin
named Jig and his per fire spider and their adventures among
heroes, hobgoblins and the derisive behavior of his own kind.
Jack Prelutsky 's children's poetry book It's Halloween includes a
poem called "The Goblin", in which a little boy describes "A goblin
as green as a goblin can be, Who is sitting outside and is waiting
for me".
In Enid Blyton's Noddy children's books and their adaptations
appear small humanoids called goblins, who are often very
mischievous.
There are many (human) villains in Marvel Comics whose
names include the word "goblin", and who use a goblin motif, such
as several incarnations of the Green Goblin as well as Hobgoblin ,
Demogoblin and Grey Goblin . Most of them are enemies of SpiderMan with some of them being created through the result of the
Goblin Serum. The villain Menace is also a goblin-type villain.
In The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion , the goblins appear as greenskinned creatures, a little shorter than humans, carrying iron
weapons and sometimes lockpicks. They are seen as "dirty little
beasts", and can be found in sewers or abandoned houses and
forts.
Goblins are usually the main opponents in Dwarf Fortress . They
are described as evil creatures having green skin and glowing red

eyes. They often kidnap children of the other races and raise them
as goblins.
Eoin Colfer 's Artemis Fowl depicts goblins as reptilian entities
having lidless eyes, forked tongues, and scaly skin. The goblins in
the series are dull-witted and have an ability to conjure fireballs .
In The Spiderwick Chronicles , goblins are portrayed as small,
grotesque toad -like creatures born without teeth who therefore use
broken glass and rocks as dentition. They have a chaotic behavior
and will only behave orderly if ordered so by a more powerful
villain, such as the ogre Mulgarath.
In Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King , there are goblins in that
movie who are led by the Goblin King (voiced by Tim Curry ).
Other known goblins in that film are Glob (voiced by James
Belushi ) and Glum (voiced by Larry Joe Campbell )
Jeff Cooper, creator of the "Modern Technique" of firearm
handling and self-defense, commonly referred to adversaries as
"goblins" in his commentaries. [27][28]
In Clash of Clans , the Goblins are categorized into Tier #1 of
the players' troops alongside the Archers and the Barbarians. They
are noted for their ability to deal double damage to structures
containing loot (gold and elixir).
In Laini Taylor's "Lips Touch" Goblins are portrayed as sly
magical creatures that lure young girls into eating their magical
fruit so that they can collect their souls.
In The 7D episode "The Enchanted Shoes," Goblins are depicted
as small gray characters that only speak in goblin language
(which is mostly "gob") and like fish sticks.
The CHIKARA professional wrestling tag team The Batiri
featured Kobald, a goblin who teamed with two demons, Obariyon
and Kodama.