Hobgoblin

From Free net encyclopedia

This article is about the legendary creature. For other uses, see Hobgoblin (disambiguation).

Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to a friendly or amusing goblin. The word seems to derive from 'Robin Goblin', abbreviated to 'hobgoblin', 'Hob', or 'Lob'. The name originally referred to that of a specific folkloric character Robin Goodfellow but has grown to be defined as a different species of goblin or fairy. The name is often interchangeable with "bugbear", "boogeyman", "bugaboo" or "bogie", and the term "hobgoblin" has grown to mean a superficial object that is a source of fear or trouble.

Traditional local fairy tales of Britain say hobgoblins were 1 or 2 feet tall, hairy, and naked or wearing brown clothes. They lived by the fire and rarely went outside. They were described as friendly, impish, ugly, mischievous, good-humored, helpful, mean, grotesque, and fond of practical jokes. If annoyed, they would turn nasty.

The term originated in the 1530s, from hob, meaning elf, from Hobbe, a variant of Rob (Hick for Richard, Hodge for Rodger) an abbreviation or alternative form of Robin Goodfellow, similar to a Kobold in German folklore. A hobgoblin appears in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream under the name Puck.

The creature commonly appears in the bestiaries of fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, 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 the core Dungeons & Dragons rules, including the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, they worship the goblin deity Maglubiyet.

In the Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, Hobgoblins are a menacing, larger and stronger form of goblins. Since "Goblin" was originally the name used by Hobbits to refer to the orcs of the Misty Mountains, They are now known as Uruk-Hai, Uruks,.

See main article Hobgoblin (Dungeons & Dragons).pl:Hobgoblin