You’ve heard of goblins, right? Movies, games, and comic books always seem to have some goblins whenever the story involves heroes on a mission. What are goblins anyway? Who’s the one responsible for creating such creatures?
What in the World are Goblins?
The story of goblins first sprouted in Europe during the Middle Ages. Originally, there were multiple versions spreading around. Depending on the country the stories were told, goblins could have totally different characteristics.
What seems to be a consensus now is that goblins are magical beings the size of a dwarf with pointy ears. They are green-skinned, greedy, and (most of the time) mischievous.
Of course, writers have total freedom to describe their own versions of goblins. In the Harry Potter universe, for example, the goblins have peach skin color instead of green. They still have the trademarked pointy ears though. Goblins in the Harry Potter world manage the wizarding world’s currency and also adept at metalsmiths.
Goblins vs. Leprechaun
Although both seem to have affinities with gold, Leprechaun is a race of elves instead of dwarves. The Leprechaun name is strictly given to small green creatures from Ireland. They wield magic just like goblins but they’re usually kind instead of greedy.
Most stories about Leprechauns depict them as the guarding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Humans can only get the gold after befriending the Leprechauns by offering them gifts. The gold, however, doesn’t last long. Indeed, that’s what happened in the Harry Potter world when Ludo Bagman tried to pay his debt to Goblins using Leprechaun gold.
Were goblins based on anything real?
Perhaps. After all, the story about Goblins started in an era when exploiting people to work at mines and bullying people with dwarfism was seen as something normal.
The small figures people claimed to see working at gold mines deep in the forest might not even adults at all. It was common to see children as young as six to work at mines in the Middle Ages. There was no such thing as childhood in medieval society. Children were nothing less than miniature adults. If they can walk, they can work.
So, why were you so interested in goblins anyway? Were you trying to create a character for your Dungeons & Dragons session? If your interest in goblins is game-related, you should check out the goblins ambient sounds on ambient-mixer.com. There are many different ambient sounds there related to goblins and the likes. Use those ambient sounds to make your game sessions more immersive.
