Hobgoblins and bobgoblins

Dungeons & Dragons uses "hobgoblin" to refer to a bigger, meaner variety of goblin, but in the dictionary and folklore this is not the case. A hobgoblin, in the dictionary, is just a synonym of goblin, bugbear, bogeyman, etc. In English folklore, a hobgoblin is smaller, nicer variety of goblin; the exact opposite of the usage in fantasy gaming.

Why is this? It all goes back to Tolkien, who himself noted that the usage was incorrect. But Gygax and friends never got the memo, so now we got stuck with it.

The prefix "hob" has a number of possible etymologies. It may derive from the German halb meaning "half," a diminutive of the name Robin or Robert, a part of a fireplace, or a Welsh spirit of the hearth. The latter makes them similar to many heart spirits in a number of cultures and stories, such as the lares and penates of Roman myth and the character Calcifer in Howl's Moving Castle.

Somebody apparently went back to the original sources to give us the cartoon character Bobgoblin, a friendly goblin. Similarly friendly goblins may be found in a number of other cartoons, such as LEGO Elves: Secrets of Elvendale.

Goblins, LEGO Elves: Secrets of Elvendale