Goblin, Kobold and Cobalt Are Connected
A goblin is a mischievous creature of folklore. Miners blamed a similar spirit for a troublesome ore, and named the metal after it.
A goblin is a small malevolent creature of European folklore. German miners had a related spirit, the *kobold*, and blamed it for an ore that looked valuable but yielded no copper and released poisonous fumes when smelted. They named the ore after the goblin, and when the metal was isolated in 1735 it kept the name: cobalt.
- A mischievous creature. *A cave goblin.*
- Goblin as a modifier. *Goblin folklore.*
- Hobgoblin — a household spirit. *A hobgoblin by the hearth.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | goblin | A grinning goblin. |
| Plural | goblins | Cave goblins. |
| Related | hobgoblin | A friendly hobgoblin. |
| Related | kobold | A German kobold. |
| Related | cobalt | Cobalt blue. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Cobalt is named after a goblin.Via the German kobold.
- A hobgoblin was originally friendly.The fearsome sense came later.
- Nickel has a similar story.From a German word meaning devil's copper.
Metals named after spirits
- Cobalt — from *kobold*, a goblin blamed for worthless ore
- Nickel — from *Kupfernickel*, devil's copper
- Both — named by frustrated German miners
- Both isolated — in the eighteenth century, keeping the names
- Tungsten — Swedish for heavy stone, a rare case of a plain description
From Old French *gobelin*, possibly from Medieval Latin *gobelinus*, related to German *Kobold*.
Why is cobalt named after a goblin?
German miners blamed a mischievous spirit for an ore that looked like copper, yielded none and released toxic fumes.
Is nickel a similar case?
Yes. It comes from *Kupfernickel*, meaning devil's copper, for the same reason.