Goblin
From the One Wiki to Rule Them All, the Lord of the Rings Encyclopedia.
Goblins are a type of Orc which are very violent and have lived deep under the Misty Mountains since after the War of Wrath in the First Age, when their Lord, Morgoth was taken in chains to Valinor, and the Goblins and other creatures were forced to flee from Angband. Their actual kingdom is located in High Pass and, by the time the One Ring made it to Rivendell, the goblins had spread throughout the misty mountains, even conquering the dwarven city of Moria. They are also relatives to orcs and can come in great numbers. Their blood is black in color.
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[edit] Abilities
Goblins are able to see in total darkness, enabling them to make their homes deep in the Misty Mountains. They can also crawl and climb with ease, another vital skill for any creature dwelling in the cave networks.
[edit] Weapons and armor
Goblin weapons are varied and often described as poor quality, yet still extremely dangerous. Their arsenal includes scimitars, arrows and shields, as well as weapons they have stolen from other races, although they will not touch elf weapons due to the power in them. Their own armor is made in a crude fashion and is often described as rusty, but strong enough to protect the wearer or bearer from the unceasing skirmishes amongst the different dwarf clans and the occasional meetings with other races. It is believed that their armour and weapons were modeled after the physical appearance of the Balrog, Durin's Bane in Moria, whom they worship as a demon-god. They have helmets that have a sliked-backed end with an eyeslit that has a small horn like spike in the middle of the front of the helm so from inside the helmets they see as if there are two eyeholes. Swords are long, triangular blades that are sometimes poisonous. And the shilds are sharp and rectangular with a long spike at the bottom corners.
[edit] Fellowship of the Ring
In the Peter Jackson movie of the Fellowship of the Ring, the goblins attack the fellowship in huge numbers in the halls of Moria. In this instance, their main weapon appears to be a Cave Troll, which has to be brought down by the whole fellowship, whilst Sam takes out a Goblin with a pan. Yet again they are shown as less than threatening when they gather in huge numbers before being frightened off by the approach of the Balrog. However, it could be said that one of the most effective and memorable scenes in the film is the one with goblins crawling out of and across the ceiling and then down the pillars whilst the fellowship run below.
In the book however, they are portrayed as much more effective fighters. It was a Goblin chieftain who stabbed Frodo, rather than the cave troll of the movie, and Sam was also injured by another Goblin. Haldir tells the fellowship that the goblins will track for long distances, even during the day, to avenge the death of a chieftain.
[edit] The Two Towers
In the book of The Two Towers, the goblins form half of the party which attacks The Fellowship on Amon Hen. They have tracked the fellowship from Moria in order to avenge the death of their cheiftain, whom Aragorn killed as they left the mines, although it was one of the Uruk-Hai who actually killed Boromir. However, in the book, Legolas finds four goblin soldiers dead at Amon Hen, and this is proven in the film, as the four goblins look like uruk-hai, yet they have the curving blades not associated with uruks.
[edit] Trivia
Goblin is the term used for orcs in the novel The Hobbit. The only time the term "orc" was used is when Gandalf was trying to scare Bilbo
As stated in Tolkein's appendices, the term "goblin" is a slang word referring to orcs, often used by hobbits, among others.
