Hob (folklore)
Encyclopedia
A hob is a type of small mythological household spirit
found in the north
and midlands
of England
, but especially on the Anglo-Scottish border
, according to traditional folklore of those regions. They could live inside the house or outdoors. They are said to work in farmyards and thus could be helpful, however if offended they could become nuisances. The usual way to dispose of a hob was to give them a set of new clothing, the receiving of which would make the creature leave forever. It could however be impossible to get rid of the worst hobs.
A famous hob called the hobthrust lived near Runswick Bay in a hobhole, and was said to be able to cure whooping cough.
As well as the brownie, another cognate exists in the Scandinavian
tomte
or nisse
; all of which are thought to be derived from the household gods of olden times, known in England as the cofgodas
(Old English for "house-gods") of which the brownie and hob are indeed a survival.
In Moldovan Gypsy folklore a correlate of the hob was the "Goblin
". They also lived inside or outside, worked incredibly fast and hard and could make plants grow quickly. These abilities combined with their supernatural strength and speed made them invaluable to farmers lucky enough to be on their good side. There existed no folklore regarding a negative interaction with clothing except that these creatures considered the clothes of mankind to be inferior to their own.
Household deity
A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in pagan religions as well as in folklore across many parts of the world....
found in the north
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
and midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, but especially on the Anglo-Scottish border
Anglo-Scottish border
The Anglo-Scottish border is the official border and mark of entry between Scotland and England. It runs for 154 km between the River Tweed on the east coast and the Solway Firth in the west. It is Scotland's only land border...
, according to traditional folklore of those regions. They could live inside the house or outdoors. They are said to work in farmyards and thus could be helpful, however if offended they could become nuisances. The usual way to dispose of a hob was to give them a set of new clothing, the receiving of which would make the creature leave forever. It could however be impossible to get rid of the worst hobs.
A famous hob called the hobthrust lived near Runswick Bay in a hobhole, and was said to be able to cure whooping cough.
As well as the brownie, another cognate exists in the Scandinavian
Scandinavian folklore
Scandinavian folklore is the folklore of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the Swedish speaking parts of Finland.Collecting folklore began when Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden sent out instructions to all of the priests in all of the parishes to collect the folklore of their area...
tomte
Tomte
A tomte , nisse or tonttu is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. The tomte or nisse was believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep...
or nisse
Nisse
Nisse can refer to:* Nisse, Netherlands, a town in the municipality of Borsele* Another name for the tomte, a mythical creature in Scandinavian mythology* A pet form of the Scandinavian given name Niels, Nils-See also:...
; all of which are thought to be derived from the household gods of olden times, known in England as the cofgodas
Cofgodas
A Cofgod was an household god in Anglo-Saxon paganism related to the German kobold and equivalent to the Roman penates. It is generally accepted that the English hob and Anglo-Scottish brownie are the modern survival of the cofgod.-References:* "", An Other Dictionary: Tribal English. Accessed 13...
(Old English for "house-gods") of which the brownie and hob are indeed a survival.
In Moldovan Gypsy folklore a correlate of the hob was the "Goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
". They also lived inside or outside, worked incredibly fast and hard and could make plants grow quickly. These abilities combined with their supernatural strength and speed made them invaluable to farmers lucky enough to be on their good side. There existed no folklore regarding a negative interaction with clothing except that these creatures considered the clothes of mankind to be inferior to their own.
Modern popular culture
- In Jim ButcherJim ButcherJim Butcher is a New York Times Best Selling author most known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series. Butcher grew up as the only son of his parents, and has two older sisters. He currently lives in Independence with his wife, Shannon K...
's The Dresden FilesThe Dresden FilesThe Dresden Files is a series of contemporary fantasy/mystery novels written by Jim Butcher.He provides a first person narrative of each story from the point of view of the main character, private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, as he recounts investigations into supernatural disturbances in...
, hobs are eyeless creatures who burn in light. They therefore use a spell which creates a substance known as myrk to shield an area from light, and then drag their victims to their tunnels to eat. They serve the Queen Mab of The Winter Court of the Sidhe. - In the Lionhead StudiosLionhead StudiosLionhead Studios is a British computer game development company led by industry veteran Peter Molyneux, and acquired by Microsoft Game Studios in April 2006. Lionhead started as a breakaway from the developer Bullfrog, which was also founded by Molyneux. Lionhead's first game was Black & White, a...
' video games FableFable (video game)Fable is an action role-playing video game in the Fable series. It was developed for Xbox, Mac OS X, and Windows platforms, by Big Blue Box, a satellite developer of Lionhead Studios, and was published by Microsoft. The game shipped for Xbox on October 14, 2003...
, Fable II, and Fable IIIFable IIIFable III is the third video game in the Fable series of action role-playing games . The game was developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. The story focuses on the player character's struggle to overthrow the King of Albion by...
some of the minor adversaries are creatures known as "hobbes". Hobbes in the Fable series are created from children who misbehave and are captured by hobbes. The hobbes then use an unknown process (which involves hanging the children in sac`s made of an unknown biological substance from the ceilings of caves) to turn those children into hobbes. - In J.K. Rowling's Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series, house elves (such as Harry's friend Dobby) appear to be a type of hob, doing household tasks for human masters and driven from their households if given gifts of clothing (in what most house-elves see as a type of shameful expulsion, but the eccentric Dobby – and several human observers – consider an emancipation from slavery). - The Hob appearing in The Years of Longdirk by Ken Hood is considerably different from the traditional depiction, being a powerful spirit which is amoral, neither good nor bad, but which has considerable destructive powers it can use if provoked, and which can enter into a human being and cause him or her considerable trouble (which is what happens to the series' protagonist). In Hood's fantasy world, "Hob" and "ImpImpAn imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy or demon, frequently described in folklore and superstition. The word may perhaps derive from the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted tree.-Folklore:...
" are two names for much the same kind of being. - In Tad WilliamsTad WilliamsRobert Paul "Tad" Williams, born in San Jose, California, is the author of several fantasy and science fiction novels, including Tailchaser's Song, the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, the Otherland series, and The War of the Flowers....
' The War of the FlowersThe War of the FlowersThe War of the Flowers is a fantasy novel by Tad Williams about a rocker who is drawn into a magical world while reading a book.-Plot introduction:Theo Vilmos is a thirty-year-old lead singer in a marginally successful rock band...
, hobs are the unseen managers of the manors and towers of the upperclass Fairies. They serve as guides and messengers within their building, being able to rearrange the building such that rooms are brought to the individual and broadcast private and public messages to the building's inhabitants. - In The Hob's Bargain by Patricia BriggsPatricia BriggsPatricia Briggs is an American author, well-known for the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, and lived in various cities in the Pacific Northwest...
, the Hob is a powerful creature, possibly the last of his kind, who bargains to help protect a local village from a necromancer in exchange for a mate. The heroine who brought the Hob to the village agrees to his bargain in exchange for his help. The Hob is large, muscular yet graceful, with dark grayish skin, amber colored eyes, a tufted tail, pointed ears threaded with piercings, fangs, and a strong sense of honor mixed with whimsy. - In Moonshine, the second novel of the Cal Leandros novels by Rob ThurmanRob ThurmanRobyn Thurman, writing under the name Rob Thurman, is the author of the Cal Leandros Series of six novels: Nightlife, Moonshine, Madhouse, Deathwish, Roadkill, and Blackout...
, the villain is "Hobgoblin" or "the Hob," the oldest of the race of immortal creatures known as pucks. In this series, the pucks all look alike, with curly brown hair, green eyes, and "foxlike" faces. Unlike his fellow puck, Robin Goodfellow, the Hob sees humans merely as toys and tools, beings which are utterly beneath him. He is also quite insane, killing those no longer useful to him in grotesque ways.