A goblin is an evil or mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured or elf-like phantom.
According to some traditions, their name comes from Gob or Ghob, the king of the gnomes, whose inferiors were obviously called Ghob-lings. However, according to "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English" the name probably derives from the Anglo-French *gobelin (medieval Latin gobelinus), which is probably a diminutive of Gobel, a name related to the word Kobold. 'Goblin' is also related to the French 'lubin'.
Goblins were grotesque faeries of about dwarf height. They can also appear as animals. They are said to count the dead among their companions' They can weave nightmares out of gossamer and insert them into the ear of a sleeping human. Goblins borrow horses from stables and ride them all night. This explained why horses were tired in the morning. They steal human women and children, and hide them away underground. Goblin women steal human babies, replacing them with ugly goblin babies or changelings.
Goblins in art and literature
Some goblin fairy tales are: The Benevolent Goblin (from Gesta Romanorum), The Goblin of Adachigahara (Japanese)
Christina Rossetti, in the poem "Goblin Market", used goblins as symbols of earthly desires that tantalize and nearly destroy a girl who falls under their spell.
Author George MacDonald, in The Princess and the Goblin, portrayed them as malevolent, subterranean creatures. The book is said to have been a childhood favorite of J. R. R. Tolkien, who populated his Middle-earth with Goblins but later preferred to call them orcs in order to distance them from fairy tale characters. By the Lord of the Rings Goblins is usually used in reference to the smaller breeds of Orcs that live in the northern mountains.
In many fantasy role playing games, goblins are smaller cousins of orcs. See: goblinoid.
Goblins also figure prominently in the Jim Henson film Labyrinth, in which a powerful sorcerer (Jareth the Goblin King, portrayed by David Bowie) commands a legion of foul, diminutive, largely incompetent creatures. The goblins initially do the bidding of a young girl (played by Jennifer Connelly), who must ultimately overcome her fear of them and resist seduction by their king.
Some films with goblins in them are: The Black Cauldron (Disney), Legend (starring Tom Cruise)
See also Goblins (Harry Potter).
Goblins in Game Culture
In the Warcraft Universe, Goblins are the smaller and more intelligent (well, in science) cousin of the Orc. They allied with the Orcs during the First and Second War but then andWarcraft III: Reign of Chaos, the Goblins split from the Horde and set up their own business enterprises remaining neutral in conflicts between the Alliance and Horde. However, some have been hired by Thrall as diggers for the kingdom of Durotar. Goblins are obsessed with money, steam technology and explosives and generally things that make alot of noise. The Goblins are ruled by the Trade Princes from the mysterious continent of Undermine who control their own private fleets and armies, the two largest Goblin settlements in Azeroth are Ratchet in Kalimdor and Booty Bay in the Eastern Kingdoms. Other computer games featuring goblins are: Goblin Commandos, Dungeon Keeper 2, The Hobbit,The Lord of the Rings games, Dungeons & Dragons games
In the collectible trading card game (ie. CCG), Magic: The Gathering (MTG), goblins are very much like the goblins of WarHammer and are a very popular creature type. They tend to be red summoning spells that are very good at working with one another, considered to be very unintelligent, and very fast in gameplay. They are different in this game from other fantasy creature types typically associated with them such as kobolds, fairies, and orcs. In the 3d online adventure game, Runescape, goblins are very weak and evil creatures, but in some games or stories goblins can be very nice and happy creatures.
The XF-85 Goblin was an experimantal aircraft built by McDonnell. The Grumman Goblin was a 1930s vintage fighter aircraft. The de Havilland Goblin (Halford H-1) was an early jet engine.
The Goblin is also a nickname for the Gospel Oak to Barking line service in London.
See also
Last updated: 07-31-2005 08:22:56
