A goblin is a small,

grotesque Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...

, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on the story and country of origin, ranging from

mischievous Mischief or malicious mischief is the name for a criminal offenses that is defined differently in different legal jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a legal differenti ...

household spirits to malicious, bestial thieves. They often have magical abilities similar to a fairy or demon, such as the ability to

shapeshift In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ...

. Similar creatures include brownies, dwarves,

duende A duende is a humanoid figure of folklore, with variations from Iberian, Ibero American, and Filipino cultures, comparable to dwarves, gnomes, or leprechauns. In Spanish ''duende'' originated as a contraction of the phrase or , effectively ...

s, gnomes,

imp IMP or imp may refer to: * Imp, a fantasy creature Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power'' * Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony'' * Imp, a character in the '' Cl ...

leprechaun A leprechaun ( ga, leipreachán/luchorpán) is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. ...

s, and

kobold A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in Ge ...

s, but it is also commonly used as a blanket term for all small,

fay A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

creatures. The term is sometimes expanded to include goblin-like creatures of other cultures, such as the

pukwudgie A Pukwudgie, also spelled Puk-Wudjie (another spelling, ''Puck-wudj-ininee'', is translated by Henry Schoolcraft as "little wild man of the woods that vanishes"), is a human-like creature of Wampanoag folklore, found in Delaware and Prince Edward I ...

dokkaebi Dokkaebi ( ko, 도깨비) are legendary creatures from Korean mythology and folklore. Dokkaebi, also known as "Korean goblins", are nature deities or spirits possessing extraordinary powers and abilities that are used to interact with humans, ...

or ifrit.

Etymology

Alternative spellings include ''gobblin'', ''gobeline'', ''gobling'', ''goblyn'', ''goblino'', and ''gobbelin''. The term "goblette" has been used to refer to female goblins. The word ''goblin'' is first recorded in the 14th century and is probably from unattested Anglo-Norman ''*gobelin'', similar to Old French ''gobelin'', already attested around 1195 in Ambroise of Normandy's ''Guerre sainte'', and to

Medieval Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functione ...

''gobelinus'' in Orderic Vitalis before 1141,CNRTL etymology of ''gobelin'' (online French)
/ref> which was the name of a devil or daemon haunting the country around

Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. Geography The city is on the Iton river. Climate History In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named ...

, Normandy. It may be related both to German ''

'' and to Medieval Latin ''cabalus'' - or ''*gobalus'', itself from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

κόβαλος (''kobalos''), "rogue", "knave", "imp", "goblin". 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". The word is probably related to Dial. Norman ''gobe'' "hollow in a cliff", with simple suffix ''-lin'' or double

suffixation In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry g ...

''-el-in'' (cf. Norman surnames ''Beuzelin'', ''Gosselin'', ''Étancelin'', etc.) Alternatively, it may be a diminutive or other derivative of the French

proper name A proper noun is a noun that identifies a single entity and is used to refer to that entity (''Africa'', ''Jupiter'', ''Sarah'', ''Microsoft)'' as distinguished from a common noun, which is a noun that refers to a class of entities (''continent, ...

''Gobel'', more often ''Gobeau'', diminutive forms ''Gobelet, Goblin, Goblot'', but their signification is probably "somebody who sells tumblers or beakers or cups". Moreover, these proper names are not from Normandy, where the word ''gobelin, gobelinus'' first appears in the old documents. The

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

''coblyn'', a type of knocker, derives from the Old French ''gobelin'' via the English ''goblin''.

In folklore

The princess and the goblin (1920) (14566641580)

European folklore

* Goblins are common in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Scottish, and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

folklore, serving as a blanket term for all sorts of evil or mischievous spirits. * A

redcap The redcap (or powrie) is a type of malevolent, murderous goblin found in Border folklore. He is said to inhabit ruined castles along the Anglo-Scottish border, especially those that were the scenes of tyranny or wicked deeds and is known for soa ...

is a type of goblin who dyes its hat in human blood in

Anglo-Scottish border The Anglo-Scottish border () is a border separating Scotland and England which runs for between Marshall Meadows Bay on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. The surrounding area is sometimes referred to as "the Borderlands". The ...

folklore. *

Hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nig ...

s are friendly

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...

goblins from

, Scottish, and

Pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

folklore and literature. * The

Erlking In European folklore and myth, the Erlking is a sinister elf who lingers in the woods. He stalks children who stay in the woods for too long, and kills them by a single touch. The name "Erlking" (german: Erlkönig, lit=alder-king) is a name us ...

is a malevolent goblin from German legend. * The

Trasgu The ''trasgo'', ''trasno'' or ''trasgu'' is a mythological creature present in the tradition of several cultures of what is now northern Spain, especially in Galician, Asturian and Cantabrian traditional culture, it is also found in legends of ...

is a Northern Spanish and Northern Portuguese mythological creature of Celtic and Roman origin.

Goblin-like creatures in other cultures

* A

is a type of goblin from Wamponoag folklore * The Muki is a pale goblin who lives in caves in the Andes in Quechuan folklore. Many Asian mythical creatures have been likened to, or translated as, goblins. Some examples for these: * ''The Goblin of Adachigahara'' (Japanese fairy tale) * ''The Goblin Rat'', from ''

The Boy Who Drew Cats is a Japanese fairy tale translated by Lafcadio Hearn, published in 1898, as number 23 of Hasegawa Takejirō's ''Japanese Fairy Tale Series''. It was later included in Hearn's ''Japanese Fairy Tales''. The original title in Hearn's manuscrip ...

'' (Japanese fairy tale). * ''Twenty-Two Goblins'' (Indian fairy tale) * In South Korea, goblins, known as

(도깨비), are important creatures in folklore, where they reward good people and punish the evil, playing tricks on them. *In South Africa Tokoloshe/Tikoloshe is a dwarf-like creatures similar to a goblin. The tokoloshe (or tikoloshe or tikoloshi) in South African mythology is a humanoid creature about 1 m tall, with a large head, big eyes and a slender torso. It is (allegedly) mostly nocturnal and friendly to children but can be harmful to adults if under the influence of evil witches. Tokoloshe movies are quite common in South Africa such as ''

The Tokoloshe (2018) ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', '' Tokoloshe: An African Curse (2020)'' * In Bangladesh, Santal people believe in gudrobonga which is very similar to goblins. Other Goblins had been identified with creatures from another culture: * Goblins have at times been conflated with the

jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic mytho ...

, specifically ifrit and ghilan, of Islamic culture.

In fiction

Collected folk stories

*"The Goblin Pony", from ''

The Grey Fairy Book ''The Langs' Fairy Books'' are a series of 25 collections of true and fictional stories for children published between 1889 and 1913 by Andrew Lang and his wife, Leonora Blanche Alleyne. The best known books of the series are the 12 collections ...

'' (French fairy tale). *The Benevolent Goblin, from ''

Gesta Romanorum ''Gesta Romanorum'', meaning ''Deeds of the Romans'' (a very misleading title), is a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales that was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th. It still possesses a two-fold l ...

'' (England). * "The Goblins at the Bath House" (Estonia), from ''

A Book of Ghosts and Goblins Ruth Manning-Sanders (21 August 1886 – 12 October 1988) was an English poet and author born in Wales, known for a series of children's books for which she collected and related fairy tales worldwide. She published over 90 books in her lifetim ...

'' (1969). * "The Goblins Turned to Stone" (Dutch fairy tale). * King Gobb (Moldovan Gypsy folktale). * Goblins are featured in the Danish fairy tales:''The Elf Mound'', ''

The Goblin and the Grocer "The Goblin at the Grocer's" ( da, Nissen hos Spekhøkeren) is a fairy tale published 1852 by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, about a goblin () who must choose between poetry or his Christmas porridge from a grocer. Andrew Lang included t ...

'', and ''

The Goblin and the Woman ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

''. * 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 ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', and '' Dag, and Daga and the Flying Troll of Sky Mountain'' where they alongside sprites and gnomes live among trolls. * Goblins are Featured in the French fairy tale called ''

The Golden Branch The Golden Branch is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Red Fairy Book''. Synopsis A cruel king had a hideous but good-hearted son. The king wanted to arrange an alliance by marrying his son ...

''. * ''

Chinese Ghouls and Goblins ''Chinese Ghouls and Goblins'' is a book on the supernatural in Chinese folklore written by British author Gerald Willoughby-Meade and published in London in 1928. The book is 431 pages long and divided into 15 chapters. A notable chapter of the b ...

'' (England 1928) * The Korean nursery song 'Mountain Goblin(산도깨비)' tells of meeting a

and running away to live.

Modern fiction

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

's ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

'' the evil creatures living in the Misty Mountains are referred to as goblins. In ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...

'' the same creatures are primarily referred to as orcs. DnD Goblin

Goblinoids are a category of humanoid legendary creatures related to the goblin. The term was popularized in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, in which goblins and related creatures are a staple of

random encounter A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby combat encounters with non-player character (NPC) enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random, usually without the enemy being physically detected b ...

s. Goblinoids are typically

barbaric A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

foes of the various human and "

demi-human Fantasy tropes are a specific type of Trope (literature), literary tropes (recurring themes) that occur in fantasy fiction. Worldbuilding, plot, and characterization have many common conventions, many of them having ultimately originated in ...

" races. Even though goblinoids in modern fantasy fiction are derived from

orcs An Orc (or Ork) is a fictional humanoid monster like a goblin. Orcs were brought into modern usage by the fantasy writings of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially ''The Lord of the Rings''. In Tolkien's works, Orcs are a brutish, aggressive, ugly, ...

. The main types of goblinoids in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' are goblins,

bugbear A bugbear is a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the boogeyman (or bugaboo or babau or cucuy), and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. Etymology ...

s and

hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nig ...

s; these creatures are also figures of mythology, next to ordinary goblins. In the '' Harry Potter'' book series and the shared universe in which its film adaptations are set, goblins are depicted as strange, but civilised, humanoids, who often serve as bankers or craftsmen. Depictions of goblins in Harry Potter, however, have often been criticized as anti-Semitic. In

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first no ...

's ''

Discworld ''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...

'' 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 The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known incarnation Norman Osborn, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is generally regarded as one of the a ...

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) and '' Spider-Man: No Way Home'' (2021) as

Norman Osborn Norman Osborn is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July ...

, and '' Spider-Man 3'' (2007) and ''

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film was directed by Marc Webb and produced by Avi A ...

'' (2014) as Harry Osborn. In the Manga/Anime

Goblin Slayer stylized as GOBLIN SLAYER! in Latin script, is a Japanese dark fantasy light novel series written by Kumo Kagyu and illustrated by Noboru Kannatsuki. A manga adaptation by Kōsuke Kurose is serialized in the ''Monthly Big Gangan'' m ...

, goblins are a male only race of average intelligence who abduct female humanoids to procreate and the main antagonists in the series. In the game

Elder Scrolls ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on free-form gameplay in an open world. '' Morrowind'', '' Oblivion'' a ...

, 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 dankly places such as caves and sewers. In early English translations, ''

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and int ...

'' were called goblins.

Goblin-related place names

* 'The Gap of Goeblin', a hole and tunnel in

Mortain Mortain () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Mortain-Bocage. Geography Mortain is situated on a rocky hill rising above the gorge of the ...

, France.
Hobroyd
(which means 'goblin clearing'), High Peak, Derbyshire, UK. *

Goblin Combe Goblin Combe is a dry valley in North Somerset which stretches for approximately 3½ km from Redhill, Somerset, Redhill, near Bristol International Airport on the A38 road, A38, through to Cleeve, Somerset, Cleeve on the A370 road, A370. The combe ...

, in north Somerset, UK *

Goblin Valley State Park Goblin Valley State Park is a state park of Utah, in the United States. The park features thousands of hoodoos, referred to locally as goblins, which are formations of mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles, some as tall as several yards (meters). The ...

, Utah, US * Goblin Crescent,

Bryndwr Bryndwr ( ; ) is a suburb in the north-west of Christchurch, New Zealand. Development Bryndwr, meaning 'hillside by water' (from ''Bryn'' "hillside" + ''dŵr'' "by water"), and probably named for the slopes beside the Wairarapa and Waimairi str ...

, Christchurch, New Zealand *

Yester Castle Yester Castle is a ruined castle, located southeast of the village of Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. The only remaining complete structure is the subterranean Goblin Ha' or Hobgoblin Ha' (Goblin Hall). It is a Scheduled Ancient Monumen ...

(also known as "Goblin Hall") East Lothian, Scotland * Goblin Bay,

Beausoleil Island Beausoleil Island; Île Beausoleil; is an long island in the municipality of Georgian Bay, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. The island is named after Louis Beausoleil, a Métis settler whose 1819 homestead stood at th ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada *

Cowcaddens Cowcaddens ( sco, Coucaddens, gd, Coille Challtainn)
...

and

Cowlairs Cowlairs is an area in the Scottish city of Glasgow, part of the wider Springburn district of the city. It is situated north of the River Clyde, between central Springburn to the east and Possilpark to the west. Administratively, in the 21st ...

, Glasgow, Scotland. 'Cow' is an old Scots word for Goblin, while 'cad' means 'nasty'. 'Dens' and 'lairs' refers to goblin homes.''Glasgow Street Names'', Carol Foreman, Birlinn, 2007, page 58. *

541132 Leleākūhonua 541132 Leleākūhonua (), provisionally designated , is an extreme trans-Neptunian object and sednoid in the outermost part of the Solar System. It was first observed on 13 October 2015, by astronomers at the Mauna Kea Observatories, Hawaii ...

(then known as ) is a minor planet in the outer solar system nicknamed "The Goblin"