Kobold
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Kobolds are spirits of German folklore. The name comes from the German word kobalt or kobold meaning "evil spirit", and is often translated in English as goblin.
The most common version, Heinzelmännchen, is similar to Robin Goodfellow and brownies: as household elves of ambivalent nature, they sometimes perform domestic chores, but play malicious tricks if not appeased (Hinzelmann is a particular example).
Kobold is often used in German to translate the word 'Leprechaun', a type of Irish fairy goblin.
Another type of kobold, more similar to the gnome, haunts mines and other underground places. The name of the element cobalt comes from kobold, after the poisonous and troublesome nature of the typical arsenical ores of this metal (cobaltite and smaltite) which polluted other mined elements (compare nickel).
"Kobold" is also an uncommon surname found in German speaking areas.
[edit] Kobolds in fantasy fiction
See also Kobolds in gaming
- In the fantasy novel Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, one of the main characters is a kobold. However, she is called a "Brownie" in the English version. (She has a humanoid shape, but furry and with a head like a cat's.)
- In the fantasy novel The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold, kobolds inhabit mines in the fantasy world in which the book takes place. The first kobold in the book is described as about two feet tall, brown, and with black eyes. Kobolds as presented in this book also enjoy milk, and the way they drink it is described as cat-like.
- In the fantasy novel Revenge of the Shadow King by J S Lewis and Derek Benz, kobolds are mercenaries hired by Morgan La Fey. They can see through solid objects and are resistant to iron, which kills other faeries. They are a kind of goblin with armor, used to working in mines.
- Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods returns to the traditional legend, depicting Hinzelmann as a benevolent, yet "closet-vengeful-homicidal" spirit that guards an apparently perfect small Wisconsin town at a price.
- Terry Brooks series Landover features two kobolds. One is the King's protector, while the other is the castle cook. Their names are Parsnip and Bunion.
- Robert A. Heinlein's novel Friday contains numerous references to kobold dwarfs. They are "living artifacts", or genetically engineered beings, drawn from human stock, but built to be the perfect miners.
- Larry Niven's novel Protector has much of the action take place in a small, secret, artificial world named "Kobold", and built to resemble M. C. Escher's famous 1953 painting Relativity.
- In the RPG video game Suikoden by Konami, Kobold has shape like a werewolf but with a good nature and live like humans. They have their own village and frequently appeared on the Suikoden series. On Suikoden 1 and Suikoden 2, Kobolds are one of the 108 Stars of Destiny.
