![]() They are also, apparently, the ghosts of dead Jews. In the folklore of Cornwall and Devon in England, knockers (also known as knackers or tommyknockers) are goblin or gnome-like creatures who live underground in mines and are essentially harmless. Except, of course, in the case of knockers. I haven’t come across historical evidence which directly states that goblin folklore was influenced by medieval antisemitism or perceptions of Jews, or vice versa. Did antisemitism directly affect the creation of goblins? ![]() Though the latter illustrations are from a later period and the comparison is not one-to-one, my point is that throughout history, European artists have depicted both Jews and goblins as being ugly, grotesque and monstrous. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images) Or this scene of a Charles Dickens’ 19th century story “The Goblins Who Stole a Sexton”:Ī goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom. 49: Hobgoblins by Francisco Goya (Photo by Barney Burstein/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images) Or this sketch of hobgoblins by Francisco de Goya from around 1799: (Photo by: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Now compare that antisemitic image to this Dutch etching of a man speaking with devils in the forms of animals, goblins and hobgoblins from 1682:Ĭonversation of a Laplander with the Duijvel and his Kaboutermanneties (title on object): Jan Luyken (mentioned on object), Amsterdam, 1682. Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images This was done with the aim of making Jews easily identifiable as well as seeming as ugly, grotesque, subhuman and evil so Christians would not want to associate with them.įor example, here is a Judensau (literally translating to Jews’ sow, Judensau is a medieval German genre of art which depicts Jews committing obscene acts with pigs) wood print from around 1470: In primarily woodcuts and drawings, Jews were often portrayed as having an oversized and crooked nose and either appeared to be demon-like or consorting with the devil himself. Beyond the violence and displacement this would cause for European Jewish communities in the Middle Ages, antisemitism also had the effect of spawning art.Īs laid out by Debra Higgs Strickland in “Saracens, Demons, and Jews: Making Monsters in Medieval Art,” by the 12th century, the stereotypical Jewish “look” was established. And this relates to Jews how?Īt the same time that goblin folklore was emerging in medieval Europe, common antisemitic stereotypes and myths like blood libel, deicide, Jews’ association with money and what Jews looked like were also beginning to form. At the same time, they also used “goblin” as an umbrella term for fairytale creatures like the German kobold, Welsh Colbynau, redcaps, knockers (you’ll want to remember this one), trolls and so on. ![]() But on a basic level, goblins were used as a term by medieval peoples to describe a specific species of fairy that is small, thieving, sometimes beast-like and shapeshifting, and either commits pranks or is more murderous. There is no uniform consensus across Western culture as to what defines a goblin. Let’s go! First of all, what actually are goblins?Īccording to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a goblin is “an ugly or grotesque sprite that is usually mischievous and sometimes evil and malicious.” Though there are goblin-like creatures across cultural folklore, the term “goblin” comes from Europe, with the etymology of the word coming from the Anglo-Norman “Gobelin” or Old French “Gobelin,” and goblin lore dating back to the 14th century. From the site that brought you an antisemitic history of witches and an antisemitic history of vampires, it is unfortunately time to bring you a brief explanation of the antisemitic history of goblins. Throughout these conversations, many have pointed to the fact that it’s not just the goblins in “Harry Potter” that lean on antisemitic tropes - but an issue with the way goblins have been coded throughout history, especially in folklore and literature.Īsk and ye shall receive, Hey Alma pals and pop culture aficionados alike. ![]()
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