View source for Goblin

{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Short description|Mythical creature}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Gobelin}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
|name = Goblin
|image = Goblin_illustration_from_19th_century.png
|caption = Goblin illustration by [[John D. Batten]] from "[[English Fairy Tales]]" (19th century)
|Grouping = Diminutive spirit
|Similar_entities=[[Fairy|Fairies]], [[demon]]s, [[brownie (folklore)|brownie]]s, [[dwarf (folklore)|dwarf]]s, [[elves]], [[gnome]]s, [[imp]]s, and [[kobold]]s.
}}
A '''goblin''' is a small, [[grotesque]], [[monster|monstrous]] humanoid creature that appears in the [[folklore]] of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the [[Middle Ages]], they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on the story and country of origin, ranging from [[mischievous]] [[Household deity|household spirits]] to malicious, bestial thieves.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Edwards|first=Gillian|title=Hobgoblin and Sweet Puck: Fairy names and natures|publisher=[[Geoffrey Bles]]|year=1974|isbn=9780713807103|location=London|language=English}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Shaijan|first=Annliya|date=2019-03-27|title=Goblin Mythology: A Brief Study of the Archetype, Tracing the Explications in English Literature|url=https://socialscienceresearch.org/index.php/GJHSS/article/view/2799|journal=Global Journal of Human-Social Science Research|language=en|volume=19|issue=4|issn=2249-460X|access-date=2022-05-19|archive-date=2022-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410014437/https://socialscienceresearch.org/index.php/GJHSS/article/view/2799|url-status=dead}}</ref>  They often have magical abilities similar to a [[fairy]] or [[demon]], such as the ability to [[Shapeshifting|shapeshift]].<ref name=":1" />

Similar creatures include [[brownie (folklore)|brownies]], [[dwarf (mythology)|dwarves]], [[duende]]s, [[gnome]]s, [[imp]]s, [[leprechaun]]s, and [[kobold]]s, but it is also commonly used as a blanket term for all small, [[fay]] creatures.<ref name=":1" /> The term is sometimes expanded to include goblin-like creatures of other cultures, such as the [[pukwudgie]], [[dokkaebi]], or [[ifrit]].<ref name=":1" />

==Etymology==
Alternative spellings include ''gobblin'', ''gobeline'', ''gobling'', ''goblyn'', ''goblino'', and ''gobbelin''. The term "goblette" has been used to refer to female goblins.<ref>{{cite book|last=Anthony|first=Piers|title=[[The Color of Her Panties]]|year=1992|quote=You can't move me out, you skirted goblette.}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|series=[[The Adventures of Puss in Boots]]|date=28 September 2015|number=12|title=Goblin|quote=My dear, dear goblette, there is really nothing to it.|first=Jesse|last=Porter}}</ref>

The word ''goblin'' is first recorded in the 14th century and is probably from unattested Anglo-Norman ''*gobelin'',{{sfn|Hoad|1993|p=196}} similar to Old French ''gobelin'', already attested around 1195 in [[Ambroise|Ambroise of Normandy]]'s ''Guerre sainte'', and to [[Medieval Latin]] ''gobelinus'' in [[Orderic Vitalis]] before 1141,<ref name="cnrtl.fr">[http://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/gobelin CNRTL etymology of ''gobelin'' (online French)]</ref><ref>[[Du Cange]] et al, ''Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis'' ...(online French and Latin) [http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/Gobelinus]</ref> which was the name of a devil or daemon haunting the country around [[Évreux]], Normandy. It may be related both to German ''[[kobold]]'' and to Medieval Latin ''cabalus'' - or ''*gobalus'', itself from [[Greek language|Greek]] κόβαλος (''kobalos''), "rogue", "knave", "imp", "goblin".<ref name="cnrtl.fr" /> 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".<ref>Duden, ''Herkunftswörterbuch : Etymologie der deutschen Sprache'', Band 7, Dudenverlag, p. 359 : '''Kobel, koben, Kobold'''.</ref>{{sfn|Hoad|1993|p=101}} 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'',<ref>[http://www.geopatronyme.com/cgi-bin/carte/nomcarte.cgi?nom=Beuzelin&image.x=0&image.y=0 Géopatronyme : surname ''Beuzelin'' in France (online French)]</ref> ''Gosselin'',<ref>Géopatronyme : surname ''Gosselin'' in France (online French) [http://www.geopatronyme.com/cgi-bin/carte/nomcarte.cgi?nom=Gosselin&image.x=0&image.y=0 Gosselin]</ref> ''Étancelin'',<ref>[http://www.geopatronyme.com/cgi-bin/carte/nomcarte.cgi?nom=%E9tancelin&image.x=11&image.y=9 Géopatronyme : surname ''Étancelin'' in France (online French)]</ref> etc.)<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dko%2Fbalos κόβαλος], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref>

Alternatively, it may be a diminutive or other derivative of the French [[proper name]] ''Gobel'', more often ''Gobeau'',{{sfn|Hoad|1993|p=196}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=goblin |title=Goblin|work=The Online Etymological Dictionary |last=Harper |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Harper |access-date=2011-12-20}}</ref> diminutive forms ''Gobelet, Goblin, Goblot'', but their signification is probably "somebody who sells tumblers or beakers or cups".<ref>[[Albert Dauzat]], ''Noms et prénoms de France'', Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par [[Marie-Thérèse Morlet]]. p. 295 '''Gobel'''.</ref> Moreover, these proper names are not from Normandy, where the word ''gobelin, gobelinus'' first appears in the old documents.

The [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''coblyn'', a type of [[knocker (folklore)|knocker]], derives from the Old French ''gobelin'' via the English ''goblin''.<ref>Franklin, Anna (2002). "Goblin", ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fairies''. London: Paper Tiger. {{ISBN|1-84340-240-8}}. p. 108</ref>

== In folklore ==
[[File:The princess and the goblin (1920) (14566641580).jpg|thumb|''[[The Princess and the Goblin]]'' by [[George MacDonald]], illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith, 1920|alt=An illustration of a group of goblins surrounding a small child.]]
===European folklore===
* Goblins are common in [[English folklore|English]], [[Scottish folklore|Scottish]], [[Welsh folklore|Welsh]] and [[Irish folklore|Irish]] folklore, serving as a blanket term for all sorts of evil or mischievous spirits.
* In France, the goblins are associated mainly with the region of Normandy. The word "gobelin" is mentioned for the first time in the 12th century, in the texts of Orderic Vitalis. It is described as a wicked creature or a malicious spirit that lived in the region of Évreux. In the stories of Brittany, there are creatures that resemble goblins, such as korrigans, small beings associated with raised stones and ancient tombs. They like to search for hidden treasures and make jokes to humans. Korrigans and Norman goblins are spirits of nature that can be kind or bad depending on the story.
* A [[redcap]] is a type of goblin who dyes its hat in human blood in [[Anglo-Scottish border]] folklore. He is a malevolent goblin, known for his cruelty and blood lust. The Redcap, unlike other often mischievous or ambivalent fairy creatures, is fundamentally scary and frightening in the stories it tells.
* [[Hobgoblin]]s are friendly [[trickster]] goblins from [[English language in England|English]], [[Scots language|Scottish]], and [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrim]] folklore and literature.<ref name=":1" /> They are the opposite of the redcap, they are more benevolent goblins and pranksters, frequently mentioned in English tales. Authors such as William Shakespeare (Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) popularized hobgoblins, which are domestic spirits who provide help to humans in exchange for food or other offerings.
* The King of the Alders, or [[Erlking]] (German: Erlkönig), is a mythical character in Germanic folklore. The Erlking is presented as a malicious supernatural creature that attracts, seduces or frightens children before destroying them. Kobolds are in Germany similar to goblins, often related to mines and houses. Unlike their French and British counterparts, kobolds are sometimes considered as caring domestic helpers, but they can become angry if offended. Their name is etymologically associated with kobalt, which is also a mineral (cobalt), highlighting their connection to mining activities.
* The [[trasgu]] is a Northern Spanish and Northern Portuguese mythological creature of Celtic and Roman origin. To be more precise, the goblins appear in folklore of northern Spain (Asturias and Galicia) and northern Portugal as the Trasgos or Trasgus. These evil spirits tend to enter homes, move objects or cause disorder. There is an interesting feature of the Trasgus: they tend to do household chores if left unfinished by others. However, they can also cause problems if they feel insulted or neglected.

===Goblin-like creatures in other cultures===
* A [[pukwudgie]] is a type of goblin from [[Wamponoag]] folklore.
* The [[Muki (mythology)|muki]] is a pale goblin who lives in caves in the Andes in Quechuan folklore.
* In South Korea, goblins, known as [[dokkaebi]] (도깨비), are important creatures in folklore, where they reward good people and punish the evil, playing tricks on them.<ref name=":1" />
* In Bangladesh, Santal people believe in [[gudrobonga]] which is very similar to goblins.
* In South India, [[Kuttichathan]] is a type of mischievous/evil goblin mainly found in Kerala folklore.
* In South African mythology, the [[Tikoloshe|tokoloshe]] (or tikoloshe or tikoloshi) is a dwarf-like creatures similar to a goblin.
* Goblins have at times been conflated with the [[jinn]], specifically [[ifrit]] and [[Ghoul|ghilan]], of [[Islam]]ic culture.<ref>[[Sally M. Promey|Promey, Sally M.]] (2014) ''Sensational Religion: Sensory Cultures in Material Practice''. Yale University Press. {{ISBN|9780300187359}} pp. 99–100</ref>

== In fiction ==
=== Fairy tales and folk stories ===
* [[Christina Rossetti]]'s [[narrative poem]] ''[[Goblin Market]]'' 
* ''[[The Princess and the Goblin]]'' by [[George MacDonald]]
* "The Goblin Pony", from ''[[The Grey Fairy Book]]'' (French fairy tale)
* "The Benevolent Goblin", from ''[[Gesta Romanorum]]'' (England)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/kids-short-stories/the-benevolent-goblin.html |title=Apples4theTeacher - short stories |access-date=2007-06-15 |archive-date=2017-08-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827034647/http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/halloween/kids-short-stories/the-benevolent-goblin.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* "The Goblins at the Bath House" (Estonia), from ''[[A Book of Ghosts and Goblins]]'' (1969)
* "The Goblins Turned to Stone" (Dutch fairy tale)<ref>[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7871/7871-h/7871-h.htm ''Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks''], 1918, compiled by [[William Elliot Griffis]]</ref>
* King Gobb (Moldovan Gypsy folktale){{Citation needed|date=January 2022|reason=Cannot find strong source for this information. Most internet uses of the phrase appear to derive directly from this page.}}
* Goblins are featured in the Danish fairy tales ''The Elf Mound'', ''[[The Goblin and the Grocer]]'', and ''[[The Goblin and the Woman]]''.
* Goblins are featured in the Norwegian folktale ''[[The Christmas Visitors at Kvame]]''.
* Goblins are featured in the Swedish fairy tales ''[[The Four Big Trolls and Little Peter Pastureman]]'' and ''[[Dag and Daga and the Flying Troll of Sky Mountain]]'' where they live among trolls alongside sprites and gnomes.
* Goblins are featured in the French fairy tale called ''[[The Golden Branch]]''.
* ''[[Chinese Ghouls and Goblins]]'' (England 1928)
* "The Goblin of Adachigahara" (Japanese fairy tale)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rickwalton.com/folktale/japan11.htm |title=Rick Walton - folktale |access-date=2007-06-15 |archive-date=2007-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825094218/http://www.rickwalton.com/folktale/japan11.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* ''[[The Boy Who Drew Cats]]'' (Japanese fairy tale)
* ''Twenty-Two Goblins'' (Indian fairy tale)<ref>Ryder, Arthur W. (1917) [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/ttg/index.htm Twenty-two Goblins]. Sacred texts</ref>
* The Korean nursery song 'Mountain Goblin(산도깨비)' tells of meeting a [[dokkaebi]] and running away to live.

=== Modern fiction ===
In [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Hobbit]]'' the evil creatures living in the Misty Mountains are referred to as goblins. In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', the same creatures are primarily referred to as [[orc]]s where the goblin name was used for the lesser orcs.

[[File:DnD Goblin.png|thumb|Representation of a goblin as it appears in the fantasy role-playing game ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''|alt=An illustration of a goblin wearing armour made of leather and skulls, wielding a cutlass.]]
Goblinoids are a category of [[humanoid]] [[legendary creature]]s related to the goblin. The term was popularized in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game,<ref name="AshgateMonsters">{{cite book|title=The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters|last=Weinstock|first=Jeffrey|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|year=2014|isbn=9781409425625}}</ref> in which goblins and related creatures are a staple of [[random encounter]]s. Goblinoids are typically [[Barbarian|barbaric]] foes of the various human and "[[demi-human]]" [[Race (fantasy)|races]]. Even though goblinoids in modern fantasy fiction are derived from [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Orc (Middle-earth)|orcs]], the main types of goblinoids in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' are [[Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons)|goblin]]s, [[bugbear]]s and [[hobgoblin]]s; these creatures are also figures of mythology, next to ordinary goblins.

In the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' book series and [[Wizarding World|the shared universe]] in which [[Harry Potter (film series)|its film adaptations]] are set, goblins are depicted as strange, but civilised, humanoids who often serve as bankers or craftsmen.

In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' series, goblins are initially a despised and shunned subterranean race; however, in later books, goblins are eventually integrated with the other races, and their mechanical and engineering talents come to be valued. 

The [[Green Goblin]] is a well-known [[supervillain]], one of the archenemies of [[Spider-Man]], who has various abilities including enhanced stamina, durability, agility, reflexes and superhuman strength due to ingesting a substance known as the "Goblin Formula". He has appeared in various [[Spider-Man]] related media, such as comics, television series, video games, and films, including ''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]'' (2002) and ''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'' (2021) as [[Norman Osborn]], and ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' (2007) and ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man 2]]'' (2014) as [[Harry Osborn]]. There have been other goblin-related characters like [[Hobgoblin (comics)|Hobgoblin]], [[Grey Goblin]], and [[Menace (Marvel Comics)|Menace]].

In the video game series ''[[Elder Scrolls]]'', goblins are a hostile beast race said to originate from Summerset Isle, can range in size from being smaller than a Wood Elf to being larger than a Nord and love living in dank places such as caves and sewers.

In early English translations, ''[[The Smurfs]]'' were called goblins.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblio.com/9780854081530|title=9780854081530 - Dilly Duckling and the Goblins by Peyo; Matagne|website=www.biblio.com|access-date=2019-12-22}}</ref>

The [[McDonald's]] Fry Guys were called Gobblins in earlier [[McDonaldland]] advertisements.

The ''[[Goosebumps]]'' franchise had a ''[[Goosebumps House of Shivers]]'' book called ''Goblin Monday'' which featured the goblins. They are depicted as short creatures with green fur, horns, pointy ears and cat-like eyes who assume human form to trick humans. In addition, the goblins can't deal with nutmeg as it is their only weakness.

==Goblin-related place names==
* 'The Gap of Goeblin', a hole and tunnel in [[Mortain]], France.<ref>Tichy, Jaroslav (1990) ''Ghosts, Goblins, and Haunted Castles'', Aventinum Publishers. p. 51</ref>
* [https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/sk136jw Hobroyd] (which means 'goblin clearing'), High Peak, Derbyshire, UK.<ref>[http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/53284ccbb47fc4095c000a05-Hobroyd Hobroyd, Survey of English Place-Names]. University of Nottingham</ref>
* [[Goblin Combe]], in north Somerset, UK
* [[Goblin Valley State Park]], Utah, US
* [[Yester Castle]] (also known as "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.<ref>Foreman, Carol (2007) ''Glasgow Street Names''. Birlinn. p. 58. {{ISBN|1841585882}}</ref>
* [[541132 Leleākūhonua]] (then known as {{mp|2015 TG|387}}) is an object in the outer solar system nicknamed "The Goblin"

==See also==
* [[Fairy]]
* [[Orc]]
* [[Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons)|Goblin (Dungeons and Dragons)]]
* [[Dwarf (folklore)]]
* [[Kobold]]
* [[Bugbear]]
* [[Gnome]]
* [[Lutin]]
* [[Púca]]
* [[Troll]]
* [[Goblin mode]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikisource}}
{{Commons category|Goblins}}
* {{Cite book |last=Briggs |first=K. M. |title=The Anatomy of Puck |location=London |publisher=Routledge |year=2003}}
* {{Cite book |last=Briggs |first=K. M. |title=The Fairies in English Literature and Tradition |location=Chicago |publisher=Chicago University Press |year=1967}}
* {{Cite book |last=Briggs |first=K. M. |title=The Vanishing People |url=https://archive.org/details/vanishingpeople00brig |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=B.T. Batsford |year=1978 |isbn=9780394502489}}
* {{Cite book |last=Carryl |first=Charles E. |author-link=Charles E. Carryl |year=1884 |title=Davy And The Goblin |location=Boston |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |url=http://www.childrensbooksonline.org/Davy_and_the_Goblin/}}
* {{Cite book |last=Dubois |first=Pierre |author-link=Pierre Dubois (author) |year=2005 |title=The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and Other Little Creatures |location=New York |publisher=Abbeville Press |isbn=0-789-20878-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Froud |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Froud |title=The Goblin Companion |url=https://archive.org/details/goblincompanion00frou |url-access=registration |location=Atlanta |publisher=Turner |year=1996 |isbn= 9781570362842}}
* {{Cite book |last=Froud |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Froud |title=Goblins! |location=New York |publisher=Macmillan |year=1983}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hoad |first=T. F. |title=English Etymology |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1993 |isbn=0192830988}}
* {{Cite book |author=Page, Michael and Robert Ingpen |title= British Goblins: [[Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were]] |location=New York |publisher=Viking |year=1987}}
* {{Cite book |author=Purkiss, Diane |title=At the Bottom of the Garden |location=New York |publisher=New York University Press |year=2001}}
* {{Cite book |author=Rose, Carol |title=Spirits, Fairies, Gnomes and Goblins: an Encyclopedia of the Little People |url=https://archive.org/details/spiritsfairiesgn00rose |url-access=registration |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=1996 |isbn=9780874368116}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sikes |first=Wirt |author-link=Wirt Sikes |title=British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions |location=Wakefield |publisher=EP Pub. |year=1973}}
* {{Cite book |last=Silver |first=Carole G. |title=Strange and Secret Peoples |url=https://archive.org/details/strangesecretpeo00silv |url-access=registration |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1999 |isbn= 978-0-19-512199-5}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Zanger |first=Jules |title=Goblins, Morlocks, and Weasels |journal=Children's Literature in Education |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=8 |date=1997 |pages=154–162 |doi=10.1007/BF01146190 |s2cid=161822697}}

{{Fairies}}
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[[Category:Goblins| ]]
[[Category:European legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Fairy tale stock characters]]