GODS AND MONSTERS: THE GOBLIN
Eve Volungeviciute
Slowly but surely, we are making our way down the never-ending list of mythical creatures and this time we landed on none other than goblins. While a less glamourised entity, it has an interesting history in folklore and modern fiction. Without any further ado, let’s begin!
Origins
A goblin is a small, grotesque creature that is prevalent in European folklore. First having appeared in stories from the Middle Ages, they have differing descriptions depending on the region. It’s because of these differences that goblins range from mischievous household spirits to malicious thieves. Their magical abilities share similarities to those of fairies or demons.
‘Goblin’ was used as a sort of blanket term in English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish lore to describe all evil or mischievous spirits. For example, a Redcap is a type of goblin in Anglo-Scottish border legends who dyes its hat in human blood. Very creepy indeed. Hobgoblins, however, are friendly tricksters in English and Scottish literature.
Other countries have their own names and types for goblins. For example, Germany calls their malevolent goblin an Erlking. In South Korea goblins are known as Dokkaebi and they are capable of both good and evil depending on the situation. South India has Kuttichathan, which is a type of mischievous and/or evil goblin.
Goblins supposedly live in grottoes but attach themselves to houses. Once attached, they act not dissimilar to a poltergeist, moving furniture and banging kitchen utensils among other things. They were also believed to help parents discipline their children, giving them gifts if they behaved well.
Portrayals in fiction
Goblins are featured in a lot of different fairytales, such as The Elf Mound, The Goblin and the Grocen, and The Goblin and the Woman from Danish folklore, The Christmas Visitors at Kvame from Norwegian lore as well as The Four Big Trolls and Little Peter Pastureman and Dag, and Daga and the Flying Troll of Sky Mountain from Swedish folklore (what a title!). The French also have a tale featuring Goblins called The Golden Branch. The Boy Who Drew Cats and Twenty-Two Goblins are Japanese and Indian tales, respectively.
When it comes to modern fiction, one cannot talk about goblins without mentioning J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. While the latter gives the name of goblins to creatures who are living in the mountains, the former novel calls them orcs.
Goblinoids are a larger category of humanoid creatures which goblins are a part of. This term was made popular by the fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. In this game, any goblin family creature is a staple of random encounters. They often exhibit barbaric behaviour towards others.
Harry Potter books and movie series also feature goblins, however in a more civilised manner: having them serve as bankers or craftsmen. Towards the end of the story there are more negative depictions of the creature, with some of them being turned into villains or foils against the protagonists. In the Hogwarts Legacy adventure video game, which is set in the Harry Potter universe, goblins are the main villains of the narrative and forces the playable character has to stand up against.
In the Discworld series written by Terry Pratchett, goblins are initially despised and shunned but then in later books they are eventually integrated with the other races, their talents valued by others.
One case where a goblin is a supervillain is, of course, the Spider-Man franchise with Green Goblin serving as one of the archenemies of the titular character. Now, he is not a goblin in a traditional sense but rather a self-imposed ego that has increased stamina, durability, reflexes and strength due to a substance known as ‘the Goblin Formula’. Another case of villainy of the species is in the video game series The Elder Scrolls; here goblins are a hostile beast race, originating from Summerset Isle, ranging from Wood Elf to Nord in size and living in dank places, think caves or sewers.