hobgoblin

Hobgoblin

Hobgoblin Hall, William Wordsworth's House, Rydal Mount, 1904.
Grouping	Fairy Goblin
Region	Europe

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

Hobgoblins in modern fantasy fiction

The Lord of the Rings

In The Hobbit, 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".^[3] 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.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Hogsqueal, the anti-hero 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.

Moomin books

In Finn Family Moomintroll, 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 games

The creature commonly appears in the bestiaries of fantasy role-playing games, 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 bugbears.

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."

Comic books

Spider-Man comics feature a villain named Hobgoblin, an imitation of the Green Goblin, first appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #238 written by Roger Stern.

A hobgoblin appears in Monster in My Pocket #23, a prankster who serves as comic relief among the good monsters and has the ability to project fire from his fingers.

Music

Huey and The Hobgoblins Link label are an 8-piece band from Drogheda, Ireland.

The name of Icelandic 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.

Others

Hobgoblin is also the name of a strong dark ale produced by the Wychwood Brewery (England).

Hobgoblin Clothing Link label is a clothing manufacturer in Australia that caters to the adventure sports fraternity.

See also

• Hob (folklore)

References