Origin of Goblins

Goblins are described as having a wide variation of characteristics, and temperaments, which are usually dependant upon the cultures from which the folklore originated. In some folklore, they are vicious, rude, horribly disfigured monstrosities. In others, they can be as tall as a man, or as tiny as a dwarf. Sometimes they are closer in character to the brownie, –a mischievous spirit or fairy, that isn’t so much evil as he is troublesome. A goblin’s nature basically depends mostly on where he’s from, and can be as hard to determine as it would be with any other person.

The term “goblin” is traced throughout many ancient languages, such as Anglo-French, and older still, the Medieval Latin, when goblins where known as “gobelinus”. The origins of the term were actually from ancient German, and was a synonym for kobolds; another step in shining some light on the true nature of goblins. Because not all kobolds were wicked, –in fact, two thirds of them were helpful, and thought of good luck for the good industrious men and women. Only the miner kobolds were wicked, and poisonous. So it stands to reason that not all goblins are evil and hideous, though they probably won’t be winning any beauty contests.

When most people think about goblins, and where they came from, they either envision little demons crawling up from hell, green imps capering around a witch’s cauldron, or other nasty beginnings. However, one of the most popular theory, is that they were spread accidentally throughout Britain by Vikings. The goblin race is believed to have emerged from the ground, in a great tear or cleft in the Pyrenees, in France. Goblins stowed away on Viking ships, and when the Vikings came to port for some pillaging, out hopped the goblins to infest the English.