Post by Darkforeboding on Jun 15, 2016 9:32:05 GMT -5
Wikipedia actually has a good article on this in the entry for kobolds.
Today when someone mentions kobolds or hobgoblins the connotation is of a scary, evil being. Many years ago this was not the case. In the Middle Ages these were considered spirits that could be attached to a family or household and potentially be very helpful, that is, unless they were angered. If angered they were able to do great harm. Otherwise they were capable of a good deal of mischief.
In ancient times before Christianity the Pagan belief was that most everything had an associated spirit. These included nymphs, sylphs, naiads, and dryads that were associated with trees, forests, and pools of water, especially springs, and are still remembered today. It is my belief that as more homes began to be built of stone and wood people came to the belief that the spirits within the stone and wood became the spirits within the buildings themselves.
This was not only true of houses, but also true of sailing ships. Ships were considered to have a spirit, which was thought to reside in the figurehead of the ship. A version of kobold, the kaboutermannikin, was associated with ships and another was associated with mines. The mine spirits, tommyknockers, were often heard in the mines and sometimes warned miners of cave-ins or pointed out veins of ore. The element cobalt was named associated with them.
In ancient Roman times each house had an associated spirit that historians refer to as lares (lah-reez) and penates (pin-ah-teez). Ancient homes in Pompeii and other places commonly had a box or shelf set into the wall where the figures of these spirits resided. Due to the idea that they could protect the home and family they were commonly treated with respect and sometimes given a form of offering.
These ideas joined with Pagan belief throughout Europe so that almost every part of the former Roman Empire came away with it's own ideas of protector spirits for homes and other buildings. In Germany they were commonly called kobolds, but other countries had other names for similar spirits. In Scotland they were known as brownies and in England they were known as hobgoblins. The word goblin has a similar origin with kobold and the syllable hob- denoted where it resided, the hob or hearth of the fireplace. They were often given a small offering of milk or a baked sweet to appease them, which is where we get the word brownie.
These spirits were given a place to reside by carving a small figurine for them out of wood or wax. The figure was sometimes kept in a small box to keep the spirit from escaping and only the owner was allowed to open the box. The box was often kept in an honored place on the hearth or sometimes in a niche on the wall near the fireplace. Children were cautioned not to open the box or the spirit would come out. As a substitute they were given a toy box that when opened a puppet would spring out. These were the original Jack-in-the-box toys. Figures carved in wood were often carved from green wood and the back of the figure was carved out hollow to prevent the wood from cracking as it dried and to allow the wood to expand and contract in summer and winter. For this reason stories about meeting kobolds or similar entities often include the detail that they had a hollow back.
Other places they were thought to reside was in the cellar, in the eaves or rafters of the house, in a favorite corner or wall, in the fireplace, or sometimes in barns, or other buildings. Some were thought to reside in a favorite tree near the house.
By the Middle Ages the belief was widespread across Europe. The Christian church at times turned a blind eye to the Pagan belief but other times Priests were called to exorcise the spirits from the home. Some parishes kept an exorcist on hand for the task. As Christian belief solidified and modernized it became more prevalent to consider these spirits as evil and associate them with the devil or witchcraft and the idea came into disfavor. Folklore also notes that fairy folk were driven to remote areas because of their aversion to iron and machines.