Hobgoblin
Encyclopedia
Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales
to describe a friendly but troublesome creature of the Seelie Court
.
The most commonly known hobgoblin is the character Puck
in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
. Puck, however, is only another name given to a much older character named Robin Goodfellow. However, the origins of his name are controversial.
Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men who—like their close relative, brownies
—are often found within human dwellings, doing odd jobs around the house while the family is lost in sleep. Such chores are typically small deeds, like dusting and ironing. Oftentimes, the only compensation necessary in return for these was food. Attempts to give them clothing would often banish them forever, though whether they take offense to such gifts or are simply too proud to work in new clothes differs from teller to teller.
While brownies are more peaceful creatures, hobgoblins are more fond of practical jokes. They also seem to be able to shape-shift, as seen in one of Puck's monologues in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Robin Goodfellow is perhaps the most mischievous and most infamous of all his kind, but many are less antagonizing. However, like all of the fae folk, hobgoblins are easily annoyed. When teased or misused excessively, brownies become boggarts—creatures whose sole existence is to play tricks and cause trouble for people. They can be mischievous, frightening, and even dangerous, and they are very difficult to get rid of.
The term "hobgoblin" has grown to mean a superficial object that is a source of (often imagined) fear or trouble. Probably the most well-known example of this usage is Ralph Waldo Emerson
's line, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," from the essay Self-Reliance
.
, by J.R.R. Tolkien, hobgoblins are a menacing, larger and stronger form of goblins. Tolkien later remarked in a letter that through further study of folklore he had subsequently learned that "the statement that hobgoblins were 'a larger kind' [of goblins] is the reverse of the original truth". This mistaken reversal in size on Tolkien's part has generally been followed in other fictional hobgoblins. Tolkien then renamed them as Uruks or Uruk-hai
in an attempt to correct his mistake.
of the fantasy saga by Holly Black
and Tony DiTerlizzi
, is a hobgoblin. In these stories a hobgoblin is a mischievous, albeit good natured goblin.
, the third book of the Moomin
series of children's books by Tove Jansson
, The Hobgoblin is a strange magical creature; even his hat, when found by other creatures, can work strange sorts of magic all by itself. While slightly frightening to those who don't know him, The Hobgoblin is in fact a rather lonely and sensitive creature, who can grant the wishes of others but not his own—unless somebody specifically asks him for something which he wants, and then gives him what he himself created. In this depiction, "Hobgoblin" seems the name of one specific creature rather than that of a whole species, though this point is left deliberately ambiguous.
It has to be said, though, that he's only known as "The Hobgoblin" in the English translation—in the Swedish edition of the book, The Hobgoblin is simply referred to as "Trollkarlen" ("The Wizard") and his species is not mentioned.
role-playing game
s, where it is portrayed as a larger, stronger, smarter and more menacing cousin of the goblin
, but not as high up on the goblinoid
hierarchy as bugbear
s.
In Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage
, hobgoblins are large, thorny brutes that infest the desolate mountain passes of Errormon, home of the Mirari folk. Their leader is Kitarak, who must be slain in a certain point of the game.
In Mage: The Ascension
, a hobgoblin is a physical manifestation of a hallucination suffered by a Mage's avatar.
In Exalted
, hobgoblins are warrior grunts of the fair folk.
In Flintloque, hobgoblins are a race similar to the Welsh
who come from the land of Taffsea and fight for the Grand Alliance with the orcs of Albion. They portray various Welsh stereotypes, often being named as the Boyos of Taffsea, and their cavalry ride on war sheep.
In Changeling: the Lost
, hobgoblins are strange fae creatures that live within the hedge that divides Arcadia and the mortal world.
In the MMORPG
RuneScape
, hobgoblins are a crossing between orks
and goblins. The Runescape hobgoblin is described as "An ugly, smelly creature."
comics feature a villain named Hobgoblin
, an imitation of the Green Goblin
, first appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #238 written by Roger Stern
.
Another hobgoblin is in Monster in My Pocket
#23. In the comic book series, he is a prankster who serves as comic relief
among the good monsters. He makes fire come out from his fingers.
The name of Iceland
ic progressive rock
group Þursaflokkurinn
translates as "The Hobgoblins" in English.
The Fall released a song called "City Hobgoblins" in 1980.
Hobgoblin is also a punk band from Newport, South Wales.
(England).
Hobgoblin Clothing Link label is a clothing manufacturer in Australia that caters to the adventure sports fraternity.
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
to describe a friendly but troublesome creature of the Seelie Court
Seelie Court
A Seelie Court is a term originating in Lowland Scottish folklore to indicate "good" fairies. The word "seely" being a Scots, Northern and Middle English term meaning "happy", "lucky" or "blessed"...
.
The most commonly known hobgoblin is the character Puck
Puck (mythology)
In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. Puck is also a generalised personification of land spirits. In more recent times, the figure of Robin Goodfellow is identified as a puck.-Etymology:...
in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
. Puck, however, is only another name given to a much older character named Robin Goodfellow. However, the origins of his name are controversial.
Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men who—like their close relative, brownies
Brownie (folklore)
A brownie/brounie or urisk or brùnaidh, ùruisg, or gruagach is a legendary creature popular in folklore around Scotland and England...
—are often found within human dwellings, doing odd jobs around the house while the family is lost in sleep. Such chores are typically small deeds, like dusting and ironing. Oftentimes, the only compensation necessary in return for these was food. Attempts to give them clothing would often banish them forever, though whether they take offense to such gifts or are simply too proud to work in new clothes differs from teller to teller.
While brownies are more peaceful creatures, hobgoblins are more fond of practical jokes. They also seem to be able to shape-shift, as seen in one of Puck's monologues in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Robin Goodfellow is perhaps the most mischievous and most infamous of all his kind, but many are less antagonizing. However, like all of the fae folk, hobgoblins are easily annoyed. When teased or misused excessively, brownies become boggarts—creatures whose sole existence is to play tricks and cause trouble for people. They can be mischievous, frightening, and even dangerous, and they are very difficult to get rid of.
The term "hobgoblin" has grown to mean a superficial object that is a source of (often imagined) fear or trouble. Probably the most well-known example of this usage is Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
's line, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," from the essay Self-Reliance
Self-Reliance
Self-Reliance is an essay written by American Transcendentalist philosopher and essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's repeating themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts...
.
The Lord of the Rings
In The HobbitThe Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
, by J.R.R. Tolkien, hobgoblins are a menacing, larger and stronger form of goblins. Tolkien later remarked in a letter that through further study of folklore he had subsequently learned that "the statement that hobgoblins were 'a larger kind' [of goblins] is the reverse of the original truth". This mistaken reversal in size on Tolkien's part has generally been followed in other fictional hobgoblins. Tolkien then renamed them as Uruks or Uruk-hai
Uruk-hai
The Uruk-hai are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth. They are introduced in The Lord of the Rings as an advanced breed or breeds of Orcs that serve Sauron and Saruman...
in an attempt to correct his mistake.
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Hogsqueal, the anti-heroAnti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
of the fantasy saga by Holly Black
Holly Black
Holly Black née Riggenbach is an American writer and editor, best known for writing The Spiderwick Chronicles, a series of children's fantasy books she created with illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi.-Early life and education:...
and Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony DiTerlizzi
Tony M. DiTerlizzi is an American fantasy artist, children's book creator, and motion picture producer.DiTerlizzi created The Spiderwick Chronicles series with Holly Black, and was an executive producer on the 2008 film adaptation of the series. He won a Caldecott Honor Medal for his adaptation of...
, is a hobgoblin. In these stories a hobgoblin is a mischievous, albeit good natured goblin.
Moomin books
In Finn Family MoomintrollFinn Family Moomintroll
Finn Family Moomintroll is the third in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomins books, published in 1948...
, the third book of the Moomin
Moomin
The Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Swedish-Finn illustrator and writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white and roundish, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses...
series of children's books by Tove Jansson
Tove Jansson
Tove Marika Jansson was a Swedish-Finnish novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. She is best known as the author of the Moomin books.- Biography :...
, The Hobgoblin is a strange magical creature; even his hat, when found by other creatures, can work strange sorts of magic all by itself. While slightly frightening to those who don't know him, The Hobgoblin is in fact a rather lonely and sensitive creature, who can grant the wishes of others but not his own—unless somebody specifically asks him for something which he wants, and then gives him what he himself created. In this depiction, "Hobgoblin" seems the name of one specific creature rather than that of a whole species, though this point is left deliberately ambiguous.
It has to be said, though, that he's only known as "The Hobgoblin" in the English translation—in the Swedish edition of the book, The Hobgoblin is simply referred to as "Trollkarlen" ("The Wizard") and his species is not mentioned.
Harry Potter
In the Harry Potter series, House-elves seem to be loosely based on hobgoblins or brownies, particularly their actions helping around the house, and the mention about their response to being given clothes as gifts.Role-playing games
The creature commonly appears in the bestiaries of fantasyFantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s, where it is portrayed as a larger, stronger, smarter and more menacing cousin of the goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
, but not as high up on the goblinoid
Goblinoid
Goblinoids are a category of humanoid legendary creatures related to the goblin. The term originated in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, in which goblins and related creatures are a staple of random encounters. Goblinoids are typically barbaric foes of the various human and...
hierarchy as bugbear
Bugbear
A bugbear is a legendary creature or type of hobgoblin comparable to the bogeyman, bogey, bugaboo, and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. Its name is derived from an old Celtic word bug for evil spirit or goblin...
s.
In Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage
Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage
Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage is a role-playing video game developed by H2O Interactive and published by THQ for the Nintendo 64 video game console.-Plot:...
, hobgoblins are large, thorny brutes that infest the desolate mountain passes of Errormon, home of the Mirari folk. Their leader is Kitarak, who must be slain in a certain point of the game.
In Mage: The Ascension
Mage: The Ascension
Mage: The Ascension is a role-playing game based in the World of Darkness, and was published by White Wolf Game Studio. The characters portrayed in the game are referred to as mages, and are capable of feats of magic...
, a hobgoblin is a physical manifestation of a hallucination suffered by a Mage's avatar.
In Exalted
Exalted
Exalted is a role-playing game published by White Wolf Publishing. The game is classified as high fantasy, but may be more accurately described as "mythic fantasy", as the developer specifically avoided drawing on J. R. R. Tolkien, but rather turned to a mixture of world mythologies for inspiration...
, hobgoblins are warrior grunts of the fair folk.
In Flintloque, hobgoblins are a race similar to the Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
who come from the land of Taffsea and fight for the Grand Alliance with the orcs of Albion. They portray various Welsh stereotypes, often being named as the Boyos of Taffsea, and their cavalry ride on war sheep.
In Changeling: the Lost
Changeling: The Lost
Changeling: The Lost is the fifth supplementary role-playing game line published by White Wolf, Inc. It uses the Storytelling System for rules and is set in the new World of Darkness setting...
, hobgoblins are strange fae creatures that live within the hedge that divides Arcadia and the mortal world.
In the MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
RuneScape
RuneScape
RuneScape is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in January 2001 by Andrew and Paul Gower, and developed and published by Jagex Games Studio. It is a graphical browser game implemented on the client-side in Java, and incorporates 3D rendering...
, hobgoblins are a crossing between orks
Orc
An orc is one of a race of mythical human-like creatures, generally described as fierce and combative, with grotesque features and often black, grey or greenish skin. This mythology has its origins in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien....
and goblins. The Runescape hobgoblin is described as "An ugly, smelly creature."
Comic books
Spider-ManSpider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
comics feature a villain named Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
, an imitation of the Green Goblin
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
, first appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #238 written by Roger Stern
Roger Stern
Roger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.-Early career:In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine CPL , one of the first platforms for the work of John Byrne...
.
Another hobgoblin is in Monster in My Pocket
Monster in My Pocket
Monster in my Pocket is a media franchise developed by Morrison Entertainment Group, headed by Joe Morrison and John Weems ....
#23. In the comic book series, he is a prankster who serves as comic relief
Comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
among the good monsters. He makes fire come out from his fingers.
Music
Huey and The Hobgoblins Link label are an 8-piece band from Drogheda, Ireland.The name of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
group Þursaflokkurinn
Þursaflokkurinn
Þursaflokkurinn , often written in a simplified way , is an Icelandic progressive rock group that was mainly active in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
translates as "The Hobgoblins" in English.
The Fall released a song called "City Hobgoblins" in 1980.
Hobgoblin is also a punk band from Newport, South Wales.
Others
Hobgoblin is also the name of a strong dark ale produced by the Wychwood BreweryWychwood Brewery
Wychwood Brewery is an English brewery founded by Paddy Glenny in 1983, and located in the town of Witney, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. It is owned by Refresh UK, a subsidiary of Marstons plc...
(England).
Hobgoblin Clothing Link label is a clothing manufacturer in Australia that caters to the adventure sports fraternity.