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Carreg y Bwci

Rhiannon​…

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The Orcadian name being mentioned is Hogboon. But the second element means farmer, it is the first that makes him one of we haugr 'mound-dweller' (from the Old English with Scots/Lallans being derived from a diffferent dialect to that giving rise to Middle English. The Scandinavian equivalent are the huldu-folk and I don't reckon Puck would like being called a troll !).

Hey thanks for that Wideford (I thought you'd be the one to remember their name - Hogboon, of course). That's fascinating stuff - I am going to have to look into the huldu-folk before I can comment further, though. Just one remark for now:

"I don't reckon Puck would like being called a troll!"

I'm not so sure, Puck and his hordes are a tricksy, mischievous bunch, and their character is in many ways in-keeping with that of trolls. Like I say, though, I'm going to take a closer look at the huldu-folk.

If you're looking for Scando-Germanic goblins, of course, then the Kobolds are what you're after. They resemble the Bucca (cornwall) in a big way, and I have a theory that their name (like the word goblin itself) may originate in that of Bu. More research is needed, though, and given a bit of time I'll be able to say more.

A curious aside: folklore connects pretty much all of these goblins (although perhaps not the Hogboon?) with phenomenon that we would today label with the word "poltergeist".