The Goblin Hypothesis
Goblins. Goblins? Goblins! Goblins. Goblins? Goblins! Goblins. Goblins? Goblins! Goblins. Goblins? Goblins! Goblins. Goblins? Goblins! Goblins. Goblins? Goblins! Goblins. Goblins? Goblins! Goblins.
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I’ve fallen down a bit of a rabbit hole recently. Because here’s the thing — one wouldn’t expect an imaginary little creature from the 12th century to still hold relevance in modern society. And yet the word of the year was ‘goblin mode.’ So, what is it about these freaky dudes that have kept them a fixture of popular culture?
And what does it say about the human condition?
0:00 The Goblin Hypothesis
0:46 The Problem
2:09 Goblins = Monsters?
3:10 Goblins = Cannon Fodder?
5:08 Goblins = Tricksters?
6:48 Goblins vs. Gnomes vs. Fairies
8:04 The Big Question
9:31 Going Goblin Mode
11:58 Goblins = Enlightenment?
13:45 Meat's Back on the MENU!
16:16 Sympathy for the Goblin
17:31 The Goblin Inside
18:19 1m+ Subs Thank You!
Media Shown: The Hobbit (1977), The Hobbit (2012), Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Ghoulies, Gremlins, Adventure Time (The Silent King), Adventure Time (The Great Bird Man), Mandy (Cheddar Goblin), Clash of Clans (Ad), Clash of Clans: Goblin’s Eleven, Nekrogoblin, Unwelcome, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Styx: Master of Shadows, Warhammer II, Goblins & Grottos, Goblins of Elderstone, Labyrinth, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate II, Spider-Man (1967), Spider-Man (2002), Legend, The Black Cauldron, Troll 2, Hellboy II, Freddy Freaker Ad, Boglins Ad, Magic the Gathering: Goblin Weenie Ad
Copyright Disclaimer: Under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. All video/image content is edited under fair use rights for reasons of commentary.
I do not own the images, music, or footage used in this video. All rights and credit goes to the original owners.
♫ Music Used – Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart), Demon Dragon (Zelda), Parasail (Zelda), Herd Game (Zelda), Four Seasons Spring Part 1 (Vivaldi), Sword Search (Zelda), Around the Fire (Skyrim), Waltz of the Flowers (Tchaikovsky), Deku Palace (Zelda), Sky Above, Voice Within (Skyrim), Skyloft (Zelda), Outset Island (Zelda), Inside a House (Zelda), An End Once and For All (Mass Effect 3), Rhizome (Cloud Gardens)
Sources:
“The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology” by Arthur Cotterell & Rachel Storm
“Goblin Mythology: A Brief Study of the Archetype” by Annliya Shaijan
“Why are so Many People Going ‘Goblin Mode’?” by Kari Paul https://www.theguardian.com/technolog...
“The Word of the Year Goes Goblin Mode” by Jennifer Schuessler https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/ar...
https://www.vice.com/en/article/gobli...
“The Essentials of Goblincore” by Mary Frances "Francky" Knapp https://www.vice.com/en/article/gobli...
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