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[Hebebebe]

Being part German, I can understand a tiny bit of the language, and it interested me when I found out Kobold is Goblin in German. Furthermore, according to a dictionary there are 2 entries for Kobold when I searched for it, which I don't believe so much:

Main Entry:   goblin
Part of Speech:   noun
Definition:   elf <== Wtf?
Synonyms:    brownie, demon, fiend, gnome, gremlin, imp, pixie, spirit, sprite, bogeyman, kobold, nixie

Main Entry:   troll
Part of Speech:   noun
Definition:   elf <== Wtf again?
Synonyms:    demon, dwarf, giant, gnome, goblin, hobgoblin, leprechaun, monster, ogre, kobold, mythical creature

Unless I've missed something, it seems Kobolds are basically feral Goblins.

[Dakk]

"Elf" was a widely used name for rather short and normal looking (normal as in, no multiple eyes, horns, etc) mythical humanoid creatures in the old media.

But yea, kobold is an old word for goblin, though a kobold is aways considered more feral and animal like, while goblins are considered evil, petty evil, but still evil.

Gnomes are widely called elves in fairy tales and western mythos, and orcs are called corrupted elves sometimes. Unfortunely, dwarves have been called elves once aswell.

The dwarves we know and love are a mix of the fairy tale dwarves (hard working, small bearded people who have a thing for precious metals) and the norse mythology ones (far more hardcore, bearded strong stocky people, with a natural skill for crafting wondrous items and weaponry, a need for booze and very greedy).

[HatfieldCW]

No, no, no.  It's just that there's no concrete fantastic zoology, so all the "imaginary magic people" get lumped together.  Modern-day authors and artists like Tolkien and Neil Gaiman and J.K. Rowlings and all those others like to define a bunch of different races and assign each a name from some folklore or another, but since the words are generally ancient and the oral traditions that originally featured them are fragmented and distorted through the ages, they have little to no denotative value outside of the context in which they're used.

Heck, that entry lists "leprechaun" and "ogre" as synonyms.  Do you see Shrek selling Lucky Charms?  Would you mistake a gnome for a demon?  A brownie for a pixie?

The fact that most of these words have been used for enemies in jrpgs further convolutes things for our generation of video game enthusiasts, since we likely encountered giants simultaneously as the thing Jack met at the top of the beanstalk and the big green bastards in that one tunnel in the Cave of Easrth in the original Final Fantasy.  Fee, fie, foe, fum, I have 1000 HP and am way overpowered for this dungeon!

[Tormy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold

"The kobold is a sprite of German folklore. Although usually invisible, a kobold can materialise in the form of an animal, fire, a human being, and a mundane object. The most common depictions of kobolds show them as humanlike figures the size of small children. Kobolds who live in human homes wear the clothing of peasants; those who live in mines are hunched and ugly; and kobolds who live on ships smoke pipes and wear sailor clothing.

Kobold beliefs mirror legends of similar creatures in other regions of Europe, and scholars have argued that the names of creatures such as goblins and kabouters derive from the same roots as kobold. This may indicate a common origin for these creatures, or it may represent cultural borrowings and influences of European peoples upon one another. Similarly, subterranean kobolds may share their origins with creatures such as gnomes and dwarves and the aquatic Klabautermann with similar water spirits."

Origins and etymology

"Grimm has provided one of the earlier and more commonly accepted etymologies for kobold, tracing the word's origin through the Latin cobalus to the Greek koba'los, meaning "rogue". The change to the word-final -olt is a feature of the German language used for monsters and supernatural beings. Variants of kobold appear as early as the 13th century. The words goblin and gobelin may in fact derive from the word kobold or from kofewalt. Alternatively, kobold may derive from the Middle English and Middle French word gobelin and ultimately from the Middle Latin gobelinus. Related terms occur in Dutch, such as kabout, kabot, and kabotermanneken. Citing this evidence, British antiquarian Charles Hardwick has argued that the house kobold and similar creatures, such as the Scottish bogie, French goblin, and English Puck, all descend from the Greek kobaloi, creatures "whose sole delite consists in perplexing the human race, and evoking those harmless terrors that constantly hover round the minds of the timid." In keeping with Grimm's definition, the kobaloi were spirits invoked by rogues. Similarly, British writer Archibald Maclaren has suggested that kobold beliefs descend from the ancient Roman custom of worshipping lares, household gods, and penates, gods of the house and its supplies."

[Koji]

I read a story about how ancient miners who were digging for copper would look for traces of blue in the rock, which indicated some copper ore or another. However, when they dug it out and refined it, it would occasionally turn out to be a useless (at the time) metal that they didn't want. They believed Kobolds were responsible, either enchanting the vein to look like copper, or stealing the ore and replacing it with false copper when nobody was looking. Thus, they called it "Cobalt."

Don't know if it's true or not, but it reflects the teutonic view of wild spirits pretty well.

[The Mad Engineer]

Well, in my book about the Faerie, they say that Kobolds are german goblins that inhabit abandoned mines...

[TheDJ17]

I read a story about how ancient miners who were digging for copper would look for traces of blue in the rock, which indicated some copper ore or another. However, when they dug it out and refined it, it would occasionally turn out to be a useless (at the time) metal that they didn't want. They believed Kobolds were responsible, either enchanting the vein to look like copper, or stealing the ore and replacing it with false copper when nobody was looking. Thus, they called it "Cobalt."

That would explain why the Kobolds use copper wepons.

[onodera]

My dictionary also says "elf" comes from "oaf".

[cerapa]

In Estonian dwarves and elves have the same word. So the 7 dwarves and the elves santa has are the same.

[Dakk]

My dictionary also says "elf" comes from "oaf".

Oddly apropriate

[AtomicPaperclip]

Kobolds sound a lot like elder scrolls goblins.

[Gothmog]

Being part German, I can understand a tiny bit of the language, and it interested me when I found out Kobold is Goblin in German.[...]

And I, as a German, am surprised simply because a Kobold and a Goblin are two very different things, so... where would you get THAT from?

The whole "Kobold=Goblin" thing I mean.

Oh no wait. My online-dictionary of choice just told me that goblin does indeed also mean "Alb" (IIRC a spirit thing connected with nightmares, according to folklore, but I also saw the term used for dark elves in literature) and "Wicht" (Small man like a Halfling, Leprechaun, Gnome... one could even say dwarf) in German.

Sooo... yeah. I guess you can't take dictionaries too serious when it comes to fantasy and such. 

[shadow_archmagi]

In Estonian dwarves and elves have the same word. So the 7 dwarves and the elves santa has are the same.

Functionally speaking, they seem to be pretty much the same in those two stories. They're both tiny, hardworking people who go out of their way to help others.

[Mashirafen]

Being part German, I can understand a tiny bit of the language, and it interested me when I found out Kobold is Goblin in German. Furthermore, according to a dictionary there are 2 entries for Kobold when I searched for it, which I don't believe so much:

Main Entry:   goblin
Part of Speech:   noun
Definition:   elf <== Wtf?
Synonyms:    brownie, demon, fiend, gnome, gremlin, imp, pixie, spirit, sprite, bogeyman, kobold, nixie

Main Entry:   troll
Part of Speech:   noun
Definition:   elf <== Wtf again?
Synonyms:    demon, dwarf, giant, gnome, goblin, hobgoblin, leprechaun, monster, ogre, kobold, mythical creature

Unless I've missed something, it seems Kobolds are basically feral Goblins.

So if this dictionary is right, kobolds are not just goblins but elves, dwarves, gremlins, gnomes, demons, imps, pixies, spirits, trolls, giants and ogres?

My head hurts.

[Sabre_Justice]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OurGoblinsAreDifferent
Oh, you've only seen the START.