The Fascinating World of European Goblins

Goblins, everybody's favorite mischievous big-nose, too greedy gold-hoarding creatures. Goblins have existed all around the world for hundreds of years, going by many different names. Across Europe, the names sounded very similar to the term that we use today but differed in the way that it was spelt. The Latin "gobble Ennis" and the Greek "gobblers" are probably the furthest away from the word goblin, which became the accepted English term sometime in the 14th century. This, in itself, had an anglo-Norman influence, deriving from the old French word "goblin". The term itself was fairly broad, but it often referred to small, grotesque, mischievous creatures with a desire for gold, treasure, or anything shiny, which to some may just sound like their younger sibling. If one was to come between them and their gold, it would turn this behavior from impish to outright malicious.

One of the most common and well-known types of goblin is the Hobgoblin, and no, we're not talking about the Spider-Man villain, although it's pretty easy to understand why William Dafoe was cast as the Green Goblin because he does have that very creepy Goblin, "give me your gold, or I'll eat your children" kind of face. Anyway, hobgoblins appear in both English and Scottish folklore, but they aren't exactly the type of goblins that we're used to seeing today. The word "hob" at times was used to describe an elf, and hobgoblins were seen as fairy spirits associated with the hearth or the home, maybe relative to the brownie, only a bit more unpredictable. Similar to brownies, hobgoblins are found in human dwellings. So taking what their name could mean into account, they are a kind of house-elf goblin, which does sound a lot like Dobby, and we know JK Rowling was heavily influenced by British and European folklore. In the case of Dobby in the households of Harry Potter, they are somewhat of a mix between hobgoblins and brownies.

In terms of appearance, hobgoblins are pretty much as we described earlier, small, hairy little men that come out during the evening to do chores around the house when the family falls asleep, very similar to the Slovak "Domovoi," just not as hairy. The only thing they ask for in return is food, well, they don't really ask, they just take it as compensation for their service. Now, I know what some of you may be thinking, "Where can I find one of these hairy little men to do chores for me while I laze about in bed?" and the answer is nowhere, do your own chores, you lazy little goblins.

The main difference between hobgoblins and brownies is that brownies are quite mild-tempered peaceful creatures, whereas hobgoblins are much more douche-baggy. They have a pretty short temper, and they love to play tricks on the family they live with. Some were even said to be able to shape-shift, with Shakespeare's character Puck from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" being a pretty good example of a shape-shifting gesture-like hobgoblin who is more of a troublemaker than outright evil or dangerous.

The story of Robin Roundcap is one that highlights this almost bipolar nature of some hobgoblins. He was said to haunt Sporting Hall in East Yorkshire. Roundcap would help the locals husk corn when he felt like being helpful, but when he wanted to be a menace; he'd mix and hide the corn, kick over cans of milk, and generally just make life more difficult.

In the world of talking hobgoblins, things were drastically different, to say the very least. They were only mentioned once by Gandalf in The Hobbit, but he does say that it was a name given to orcs who are much larger than normal, which is pretty much the opposite to what we see in traditional folklore.

Another very common type of Goblin from Scottish and English folklore is known as the red cap, a malevolent and murderous creature who earned the name due to the cap he wore being red because it was soaked in the blood of his victims. A very jolly and pleasant-sounding individual, I know. This particular goblin had sharp teeth, skinny fingers with razor-like talons, and eyes that would glow crimson. He had long, untamed hair and carried a pikestaff with him, which we would assume was used to harm all those he came across. Although it appears his preferred method of killing those who entered his lair or territory is by throwing huge stones at them and then dipping his hat in their blood.

The red cap could be chased away with the words of Scripture, but brandishing a crucifix was a bit more of a permanent solution, causing him to have vanished into flames, leaving behind a lone large tooth where he stood. There were several others that were similar to the red cap inhabiting borders and castles, roaming the surrounding land with nefarious intent. Although the red cap is often described as a singular entity, there are other stories that use the term, so it could easily be another subspecies of goblin.

In Holland and various other European countries, there is a collection of fairy tales that feature goblins, which describe them as having a giant head, green eyes, and hoofed feet. They were so unpleasant to look at that they were ordered to live underground and only come out during the night; otherwise, they would be turned into stone. These goblins spent most of their time resenting and playing tricks on humankind, and even sneaking around in the dead of night and snatching their children from their cradle, replacing them with their own. This hatred and disdain grew and grew until one night they ventured out and ignored the Rising Sun, turning them all into stone.

Fairy tales featuring goblins were fairly common, especially in countries like France, England, Denmark, Holland, and Germany. There is an argument to be made about Rumpelstiltskin possibly being a goblin because of his tricks alike behavior and overall greedy nature. He is also depicted as wearing a cap that many goblins wore, and sometimes this cap is red. There is a chance this could be referring to the legend of the red cap.

The predominant goblin figure goes by the name of Al King, which is thought to have come from the Danish meaning "elf king," which does sound quite confusing. Is he a goblin, an elf, or a fairy? Well, all these terms were fairly broad, and it was very common for the terms goblin, elf, and fairy to refer to the same set of creatures: normally small creatures that live underground and have some kind of magical property. Some of these magical powers may be similar to a modern-day fairy, and some may be closer to an evil or demonic form of magic. There were also those capable of shape-shifting into small children, similar to a changeling, but that is a different creature.

In Greece, you have a group of malevolent goblins known as the Kali cans arrows. These goblins are also found in countries around southeast Europe such as Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Cyprus. These menaces spend most of the year underground and only come out from December 25th until the 6th of January during the Christmas period. Their aim is to make lives as hellish as possible. While on the ground, they soar away at the World Tree, trying to destroy it for some sadistic reason. But just as the tree is about to fall, the Christmas period comes, and they turn their attention above ground to humans. Once their time above ground has come to an end, they return to soaring away at the World Tree. But in their absence, the tree has regenerated, and this cycle continues endlessly.

The Kali cans arrows have no real set appearance other than being very small and, as you may have guessed, very hairy. Sometimes they have various different animal parts, such as tails and hoods. Similar to some other goblins, they were also shown as having eyes that glow red, although their eyesight was exceptionally poor. They mostly fed on small creatures that they could smell. So, during this Christmas period, you'd want to keep your household pets close. As a result of this, during the Christmas period, people took several precautions to keep these disgusting little hairy men away from their homes. One of the most popular methods was leaving a colander outside the door. This works because they can't count past the number two. They believe that merely saying that third number will immediately kill them. I'm not sure what kind of sense this makes, but it results in them sitting outside all night, counting the holes in the colander, starting over once they get to that accursed number three. Eventually, the sun rises, and they're forced to run away and hide. Another method of protection is to leave one's fireplace burning all night, so they can't use it as a way to enter without becoming charcoal. Some also burned old socks in their fireplace, believing that the smell would help to repel any unwanted Christmas guests.

In modern fiction, the terms elf, fairy, and goblin refer to entirely different creatures. But that's not to say we don't get a large variety of different types of goblin. Quite often, they're depicted as a horde of big dum-dums that just want to be a menace. In the Artemis Fowl book series, the goblins are considered very stupid by the other races, but they do have the ability to conjure fireballs. Now, this combined with fireproof skin, a serious lack of brain cells, and the inability to get along with the other races means they are more than just a slight nuisance. The goblins in Harry Potter are slightly different in terms of them being sly and calculated. But they still have that stereotypical "give me your gold" vibe to them. I mean a bunch of them working at Gringotts Bank, counting gold all day, which does seem like a goblin's dream job. Until someone actually withdraws their money, and you have to give them the gold. They also have a long history of fighting for acceptance from the Wizarding World, who saw them as vastly inferior. But that is another story.

Now, as mentioned earlier, in the work of Tolkien, goblins and orcs are essentially the same species, with orcs even being considered a type of goblin. Normal goblins were very small, whereas hobgoblins are much larger, and orcs were somewhere in between. Whereas, the goblins found in the mines of Moria are your typical angry little green men with bulbous eyes and a horde or tribal mentality, it is worth mentioning that orcs and goblins are very tribal creatures in general. The actual color of a goblin can range anywhere from green to red and even yellow in some cases, but most people, myself included, will think of the color green when goblins are mentioned. Anyone who has played some kind of modern fantasy game has undoubtedly either played as a goblin or come across them in some capacity. Goblin merchants have been amongst my favorite and some of the most popular.

If you are someone who plays a bunch of multiplayer games, then you may have come across the term "loot goblin," which is essentially when a cretinous individual decides they want all the loot just because they're a... Nowadays, we don't really see a great deal of friendly or helpful goblins. They tend to border on neutral characters driven by gold or some kind of angry horde of henchmen before you meet the real villain.

Goblins outside of red caps aren't incredibly strong creatures, which is why in so many stories they're often seen in large groups, making them much more formidable. And it's also why players will encounter them early on in a game before they themselves have accumulated much power.

To summarize, goblins are pretty complicated creatures. Despite how stupid they may appear at times, they can be pretty harmless house spirits that, for some reason, just want to do chores and eat food. They can be little tricksters who get a rise out of annoying people, or they can be murderous creatures who wash their hats in the blood of those they kill. I was about to say that they come in all shapes and sizes, but they are mostly just very small creatures that dwell in dark places.