A general term for a small, dark, ugly and mischievous or evil fairy. In Western folklore, the word ‘goblin’ is used to refer to any small, dark and ugly fairy of a mischievous or evil disposition. It comes from the Old French gobelin , which probably derived from the Greek kobālos , meaning a mischievous spirit, and the term includes boggart s, bogies and bogle s, among others. They are said to live underground, especially in churchyards, or between the roots of ancient trees, and are most likely to be seen at hallowe’en . Some people claim that the race of goblins originated from a cleft in the Spanish Pyrenees, and from there spread all over Europe. Goblins are most common in English and French folklore, and are usually portrayed as diminutive and grotesque figures who visit human dwellings, usually in order to wreak havoc there at night, knocking on doors and walls, breaking crockery, moving furniture around and banging on pots and pans. Folk tales generally hold that it is wise to…