Goblin: A grotesque elfin creature thought to work mischief or evil.
Goblins are often treacherous nasty little figures, they bear no allegiance to any group other than their own kin. Sometimes they are seen as solitary creatures pursuing or playing tricks on wayfarers, other times they belong to enormous hordes that do battle against the main characters of the story. They are not often painted in a flattering light, and they are frequently seen as hideous or unsightly figures that are equal to the ugliness of other monsters such as orcs, trolls, or giants, yet they tend to be of smaller stature.
Fairy Tales from the British Isles: In the collection of tales from Rosalind Kerven compiled in her book Faeries, Elves, and Goblins: The Old Stories, there are a number of tales of the Goblin creature to be found.
The Bogie's Field
Once there was a mischievous goblin who always pestered a farmer for his crops. The Bogie proclaimed ownership over all the farmer's fields and all the crops grown by him and declared the farmer to be his personal slave. The farmer reasoned with the Bogie, that in order for him to continue working for the Goblin, he would need to take a share of the crops so that he may sustain and eat himself. The Bogie agreed on the condition that he receive the majority of the master's share of the crop. The farmer offered the Bogie either the top share or the bottom share of the crops, allowing the Bogie to pick which he believed to be the better of the two. The Bogie believed the farmer was trying to trick him, so he chose the bottom share of the crops, and he told the farmer that he would not be able to fool him. And so the Bogie chose his share, and he shook hands with the farmer on the matter.
The farmer bought seeds, planted them and cared for the crop until he had a field of wheat. The Bogie, of course, did not assist the farmer in any way during the growing season. When the crop was ready to be harvested, the Bogie appeared and demanded his share of the crop. The farmer happily obliged and gave the Bogie the bottom share of the crop, which were roots and stubble from the earth to which he filled into sacks and gave to the Goblin. The farmer filled his storage with the top grain of the crop, which was the healthy and desirable grain of the crop. The Bogie was furious, but he was bound to honour the agreement they made, whether he liked the outcome of the bargain or not.
As the months passed, and spring came near, the Goblin appeared to the farmer again. This time he demanded the top-share of the crops the farmer would plant that year, and reminded him that he was a slave to the Bogie and that he had to make good on their bargain. The farmer told the Goblin, that if it were the tops he desired, he would have them. And so the farmer went on his way to buy turnip seeds, he sowed the ground with them and waited while they grew. And like the year prior, the Bogie did not lift a finger to help the farmer, but when the harvest was ready, he came knocking like before. This time he made sure to ask for the top-share of the crop. And the farmer very politely gave the Goblin several sacks that were filled with turnip leaves that had become dried and withered, the top-share. And the farmer set in storage his portion of the crop, the bottom-share of the crop, which consisted of heaps of plump turnips. And the Bogie had no choice but to accept the leftover share that the farmer had gathered for him as he had to abide by their bargain.
The Goblin returned the very next day and told the farmer that he was tired of his tricks, and he demanded they change the terms of their agreement. He told the farmer that next year, they would divide the fields in equal sections amongst themselves, where they would have a mowing match, and he insisted that the farmer grow wheat. The first to complete their field would be the winner and would claim the whole harvest.
The farmer agreed to the demands of the Goblin. He planted the seeds, and cared for the wheat, all the while, the Bogie did not help him. This year, however, the farmer decided to do something different. He made a trip to the blacksmith, where he had hundreds of iron rods made for him. He carted them home and planted them all over in the Goblin's section of the field. When the Bogie came to question the farmer, he merely told the creature that it was a new farming method of fertilizing, to which the Bogie did not suspect any foul play on the farmer's part.
When it came time to harvest the wheat, the Bogie and the farmer assembled at the start of the field with their scythes ready in hand. When the Bogie shouted the commencement of the race, he had a headstart on the farmer, but as he was making his way down the line of the crop, his scythe hit an iron rod. And the Goblin continued to hit iron rods, and this slowed down the pace of the Bogie. All the while the farmer said nothing and mowed along and finished much sooner than the Goblin had expected. The Bogie had not even completed a quarter section of his field when the farmer announced he was done. The Goblin was furious by this, and he decided that his opponent was no longer his slave and he never came to trouble the farmer ever again.
German Folklore and Fables: In the fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers, the character of the goblin is known to prop up a number of times. In the book Forest in Folklore and Mythology by Alexander Porteous, he refers to goblins that dwell in the forests of Germany;
"Numerous Demons are believed to dwell in the German Forests where they often have their abode in trees. A certain demon, or goblin of the trees is called Baumesel, or Ass of the Trees; and another, a forest demon or monster, partaking of the character of a satyr, is called Bockmann, or Mangoat. He is said to frighten little children who go into the forest."
Celtic Mythology: In the book Celtic Myths and Legends by T.W. Rolleston, the goblin is presented as a trickster within a kingdom, that can only be subdued by a great warrior. He writes about the goblin creature in his interaction with the coming of the great hero Finn;
Finn and the Goblin
"At this time Goll, son of Morna, was the captain of the Fianna of Erin, but Finn, being come to a man's estate, wished to take the place of his father of Cumhal, So he went to Tara, and during the Great Assembly, when no man might raise his hand against any other in the precincts of Tara, he sat down among the king's warriors and the Fianna. At las the king marked him as a stranger among them, and bade him declare his name and his lineage. 'I am Finn son of Cumhal,' said he, 'and I am come to take the service with thee, O King, as my father did.' The king accepted him gladly, and Finn swore loyal service to him. No long time after that came the period when the year when Tara, was troubled by a goblin or demon that came at nightfall and blew fire-balls against the royal city, setting it in flames, and none could do battle with him, for as he came he played on a harp a music so sweet that each man who heard it was lapped in dreams, and forgot all else on earth for the sake of listening to that music. When this was told to Finn he went to the king and said: 'Shall I, if slay the goblin, have my father's place as captain of the Fianna?' 'Yeah, surely,' said the king, and he bound himself to this by an oath.
Now there were among the men-at-arms an old follower of Finn's father, Cumhal, who possessed a magic spear with a head of bronze and rivets of Arabian gold. The head was kept laced up in a leather case; and it had the property that when the naked blade was laid against the forehead of a man it would fill him with a strength and a battle fury, that would make him invincible in every combat. This spear the Fiacha gave to Finn, and taught him how to use it, and with it he awaited the coming of the goblin to the ramparts of Tara. As night fell and mists began to gather in the wide plain around the Hill, he saw a shadowy form coming swiftly towards him, and heard the notes of the magic harp. But laying the spear to his brow he shook off the spell, and the phantom fled before him to the Fairy Mound of Slieve Fuad, and there Finn overtook and slew him, and bore back his head to Tara. Then Cormac the King set Finn before the Fianna, and bade them all either swear obedience to him as their captain or seek advice elsewhere. And first of all Goll mac Morna swore service, and then all the rest followed, and Finn became Captain of the Fianna of Erin, and ruled them till he died."
Malaysian Myth: Alexander Porteous writes of the demons and evil spirits that dwell in the Malay forests, goblins of which are among them;
"The forests of the various islands of the Malay Archipelago are similarly haunted by Spirits and Demons. In some of the Eastern Islands the natives, before felling a sacred tree, drive nails of gold or silver into its trunk to warn the Spirit to leave before its abode is hewn down. In Borneo and Sumatra, certain trees are believed to be inherited by Spirits and must on no account be cut down; while in Sumatra in particular old and venerable trees are considered to be the actual frame of the Spirit. In some parts of Borneo these Spirits are looked upon as souls of the dead. The Dryaks of Borneo believe the forests to be full of Goblins who are ever at enmity with them, and who assume various and weird shapes at will. If a Dryak has been walking solitary in the forest, he considers it probable that one of these Goblins has stolen his soul, although he is not conscious of the loss. To guard himself, however, before he leaves the forest, he makes a point of asking that his soul be returned to him, after which he goes away with a lightened heart."
Myths of Brazil: The forests of Brazil harbour their own tree spirits, demons and monsters, Porteous writes of Goblins as creatures that were drawn down generationally from monkey tribes:
"Another kind of Forest Demon, or rather Hobgoblin, is called the Caypor. He, however, is neither an object of worship nor fear, except perhaps to children. He is said to be a bulky, misshapen monster, his skin is red, and he has long shaggy red hair, which hangs half-way down his back."
Film: In recent years, Goblins have been featured in a number of prominent films.
In The 2012 film the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the dwarf lord Thorin Oakenshield and his clan of dwarves are accosted by a swarm of goblins and brought underground to the Goblin King. The villain plans to behead Thorin and sell him to Azog the Defiler, the pale orc who already has a price on their heads and hunts the dwarves. The Goblin King is presented to be more than double the size of every other goblin shown, who appears to be of similar height to the dwarves. The King is a beastly giant of a creature covered in boils with very noticeable sagging jowls, a crudely cut crown, a loin cloth, and a sceptre covered with the tip of a ram skull.
In the 2016 film, The Huntsman: Winters War, the Huntsman and a group of dwarves are on a mission to retrieve a magical mirror. The mirror has been placed on a shrine in the forest that is heavily guarded by Goblins. The creatures are presented with charcoal skin, fanged mouths, and the muscular builds of apes. Their heads have golden horns that grow from them, and their bodies are covered with golden chains. The dwarves make off with the mirror, but not before they are chased out of the forest by an army of the Goblins.
In the animated film Sleeping Beauty, the villain Maleficent is shown plotting and furious inside her domain in the forbidden mountain, she is seen surrounded by all of her underlings and minions, who are shown in the form of various armed wild beasts and goblins that are in service to the wicked Sorceress.
What are some other examples of Goblins?
Do you have a Goblin in your own work, how is the character used?