Goblincore

Sensitive Content Notice ⚠️

The following article contains and discusses content that may be distressing to some readers.
Reason for Warning: This aesthetic draws inspiration from folklore that may contain elements considered anti-Semitic or racially insensitive, which some may find difficult to distinguish from more recent anti-Jewish propaganda. Reader discretion is advised.

Goblincore is an aesthetic based on the appreciation of aspects of nature not typically regarded as beautiful, such as frogs, snails, moss, mud, plants, and fungi such as mushrooms. It is named after the goblin, a creature from European folklore, but in Goblincore, the goblin represents a carefree infatuation with nature's "ugliness" and unpredictability.

In Celtic mythology, the fae folk are often divided into two courts: the Seelie Court, which is generally considered benevolent and associated with beauty and light, and the Unseelie Court, which is often seen as malevolent or mischievous and associated with darkness and wildness.

Goblincore is popular in the LGBTQ+ community, especially among non-binary and transmasculine people. Practitioners often collect and hoard small, shiny objects, referred to as "shinies." Many are also involved in adjacent movements such as Cottagecore, Crowcore, and Vulture Culture.

Visuals[]

Snails
Buttons
Painted Rocks and pebbles
Earthy Tones
Mushrooms and Moss
Frogs and Toads
Tinctures made from all these things
Rings
Old, tarnished jewelry
Jewelry and accessories made of discarded trash or pieces of nature
Fantasy, mythology and adventure
Forests
Bugs
Crystals
Petrichor

Fashion[]

Goblincore fashion can involve any clothing that is suitable for adventure, but most Goblincore fans like outfits with several clashing patterns/colors. Lots of the clothing is worn-out, thrifted, or second-hand for a more comfortable feel. Most Goblincore fans enjoy getting dirty, so keeping their clothes fresh and clean isn't a top priority. Cozy Oversized Sweaters, worn-out or customized jeans and overalls, and unique socks are staples in Goblincore fashion. These people like to wander around the woods and collect random objects that pique their interest. Since they love nature so much, Earthy colored clothes like brown or green fit them the best.

Goblins are often seen in dark green or brown clothes. Sometimes, they will also have belts with alchemists pouches or a satchel to store shiny objects.

Fragrance Notes[]

The fragrance of Goblincore is mainly tied to the scents of nature.

Wood, grass, pine, hints of pumpkin, and the smells of spring call into mind the traditional goblin.
Green and floral scents such as Bamboo, Galbanum, Chypre, Lavender, Sandalwood may exemplify more fae-like goblins.
Moss covered stones and humid fragrances such as that of soil and mud aptly characterize aspects of goblinhood.
The smells of a goblin abode might include the smell of a campfire or the smell of some unspecified pot of gumbo, with hints of various spices and herbs found naturally by goblinfolk. Some goblin abodes also smell overwhelmingly like marijuana smoke

Media[]

Literature[]

The Rainbow Goblins by Ul De Rico
The White Goblin by Ul De Rico
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi
Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Tree Stump by Chris Forbes
Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Frog and Toad Series by Arnold Lobel
Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke
Pogo by Walt Kelly

Film[]

Labyrinth
The Dark Crystal
My Neighbor Totoro
Howl's Moving Castle
The Muppet Movie
Pete's Dragon
Gremlins
Strange Magic
The Black Cauldron
The NeverEnding Story
Princess Mononoke

Series[]

Frog and Toad (Apple TV+)
Gravity falls
Over The Garden Wall
The Moomins / Moominvalley
Hilda
Hakumei and Mikochi

Games[]

Night in the Woods
Oxenfree
Firewatch
A Short Hike
Little Misfortune
Fall of Porcupine
Stardew Valley
Beacon Pines
Birth
Palia
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
The Legend of Zelda

Music[]

Nekrogoblikon
The Gizzard Blizzard and the Lizzard Wizzard
Ty Segall
Sloppy Goblins
Mister Goblin
Sex Bob-ombs
Madilyn Mei
Adrianne Lenker
Yaelokre
Rabbitology
Elf Power
Alex G
Foot Ox
Cavetown
The Crane Wives
Big Thief
Faye Webster
The Oh Hellos
Fleet Foxes
Haley Heynderickx
Rosemary & Garlic
Lost in the Trees
Le Tigre
The Paper Kites
Cosmo Sheldrake

Songs[]

Playlists[]

Criticism[]

Goblincore has been accused of and criticized for being antisemitic, or judeomisic more specifically.^[1] This is because Goblins, especially when depicted as ugly, thieving or greedy creatures obsessed with shiny things, have sometimes been used as an antisemitic or judeomisic caricature.

People have suggested alternatives to the name, calling it Gremlincore instead of Goblincore,^[2] or using other terms which evokes the idea of being attracted to shiny objects (such as Crowcore), or terms which evokes great greed (such as Dragoncore), or other aesthetics similar to Goblincore. There are Jewish people who disapprove of Goblincore,^[3] but also those who do not.^[4]

One explanation of why Goblincore is not essentially judeomisic:

"Goblin, as a term and as a creature is a very old concept. They're one of the many types of fae with all that that implies. Love of shiny things, not afraid of a bit of muck. Recognizing the pretty in the conventionally ugly and generally considered to be outsiders.
"Antisemitic regimes, much later on in history, used a conveniently mutated interpretation of goblins as an allegory for Jews, as just one of many ways to dehumanize them to make it easier for the general populace to stand by and watch them being persecuted. It's at this time where goblins stay to be described as demonically ugly, greedy creatures with big pointy noses, poor hygiene and a tendency to eat children.
"The way goblins are portrayed in media now, with prime examples being Tolkein and Rowling, is antisemitic and should be called out.
"The way goblins are portrayed by Goblincore is much closer to the original fae being and not antisemitic in the slightest."^[5]

However, as another user on the same thread pointed out, unconscious stereotyping and bigotry are very much a part of human nature, and not everyone may be able to distinguish between ancient folkloric traditions and more recent anti-Jewish propaganda.^[5] Some tropes that carry heavy Judeomisic baggage are goblins as greedy and power hungry, ugly goblins--especially featuring warty, hooked noses and/or green skin--and goblins as both depraved and contagious.

One Jewish blogger's advice for avoiding Judeomisia in Goblincore:

"So what does all of this mean? Well, first and foremost, it means that you have to be careful how you depict your goblins. How? When drawing your goblinsonas or goblin ocs, stay away from drawing them with huge, hooked, and warted noses, don’t make their skin green or red (personally, I prefer grey skin for goblins.) If your goblin has sharp teeth, don’t make them huge and obvious. Because modern goblins are fair folk, it’s difficult to depict them without pointed ears, but try not to exaggerate the proportions.
"Behavior: Stop with the 'greedy little goblin' thing. That DIRECTLY comes from jewish stereotypes. Your Goblins are allowed to collect shiny things they find, but don’t make them greedy about it! Have your goblin share what they collect, make it a community effort. Sharing the things you love is way better than being miserly anyhow, and sharing more represents what we as goblins should want in our community! Also, be careful with your goblins being terrors. Yes, there are usually evil beings in every single race (whether mythological or real) but just be really really careful. Hitler loved to depict jews eating the Good Germans(™) or terrorizing communities. So even if your goblin is an evil one, be really really careful and be sure to educate yourself first so you’re not just perpetuating the same tired shit that Hitler did. Collecting coins....

"You just can’t depict yourself or your goblin character collecting only coins and being very greedy with them. That’s literally doing nothing but echoing the same propaganda that Hitler used against us. Collect them all you want, but if I see 'Greedy little goblin hoarding coins all for themselves' I swear I’m gonna hit the fan. To clarify, you can absolutely show off you coin collection in the goblin tags, just be careful how you frame it."^[6]

Goblincore has also been accused of excessively cross-tagging in the Witchblr community, something taken very seriously on the website Tumblr.

Resources[]

External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic.

Communities[]

r/Goblincore (Note: Suffering from Lack of Moderation Staff. Please help if possible.)
Gobtown Discord

Vendors[]

Note: If you happen to know any stores that sell specifically Goblincore clothes or things related to it, feel free to add to the list. It would be much appreciated.