Goblins: Difference between revisions
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:''For the main article on this subject, see '''[[Orcs]]'''.'' | :''For the main article on this subject, see '''[[Orcs]]'''.'' | ||
'''Goblins''' is another name for [[Orcs]]<ref>{{L|131}}</ref><ref>{{L|144}}</ref>. | '''Goblins''' is another name for [[Orcs]]<ref>{{L|131}}</ref><ref>{{L|144}}</ref>. | ||
The term was used primarily in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' but also in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' where it is used synonymously with "Orc".<ref>{{TT|III1}}</ref> | |||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
Goblin is a folk word, which according to "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English," is probably derived from the Anglo-French ''gobelin'' a diminutive of Gobel (cf. Kobold) | Goblin is a folk word, which according to "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English," is probably derived from the Anglo-French ''gobelin'' a diminutive of Gobel (cf. Kobold). It is a Romance-derived word, unlike other Germanic words preferable by Tolkien<ref>http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/EnemyMisc.html#Orcs</ref> | ||
It's possible that ''goblin'' is the [[Hobbitish]] name of the creatures, as opposed to the "pure" [[Rohirric]] ''Orc'' which is [[Old English]].<ref>{{App|F1ii}}</ref> | |||
==Portrayal in Adaptations== | ==Portrayal in Adaptations== | ||
Revision as of 11:53, 26 September 2010
- For the main article on this subject, see Orcs.
Goblins is another name for Orcs[1][2].
The term was used primarily in The Hobbit but also in The Lord of the Rings where it is used synonymously with "Orc".[3]
Etymology
Goblin is a folk word, which according to "The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English," is probably derived from the Anglo-French gobelin a diminutive of Gobel (cf. Kobold). It is a Romance-derived word, unlike other Germanic words preferable by Tolkien[4]
It's possible that goblin is the Hobbitish name of the creatures, as opposed to the "pure" Rohirric Orc which is Old English.[5]
Portrayal in Adaptations
For the strategy games The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring and The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II goblins have been made clearly distinct from Orcs.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 131, (undated, written late 1951)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 144, (dated 25 April 1954)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Departure of Boromir"
- ↑ http://tolkien.slimy.com/tfaq/EnemyMisc.html#Orcs
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Men"
