Used by the Puritans and in later times for wicked goblin spirits, as in Bunyan's 'Hobgoblin nor foul fiend', but its more correct use is for the friendly spirits of the brownie type. In a Midsummer Night's Dream a fairy says to Shakespeare's puck:

‘Those that Hobgoblin call you, and sweet Puck,

You do their work, and they shall have good luck:

Are you not he?'

and obviously Puck would not wish to be called a hobgoblin if that was an ill-omened word. 'Hob' and 'Lob' are words meaning the same kind of creature as the Hobgoblin, and more information will be found about these under hob, or hobthrust and lobs and hobs.

Hobgoblins and their kind do not strictly belong to the trooping fairies, nor yet to demons and goblins, though will o' the wisps and other tricksy spirits can be included in this category. They are, on the whole, good-humoured and ready to be helpful, but fond of practical joking, and like most of the fairies rather nasty people to annoy. Boggarts hover on the verge of hobgoblindom. Bogles are just over the edge.

[Motif: F470]