The Goblin Hallucination of prophecy

A formal goblin autopsy of prophecy produced a single page of notes, in which every line had been struck through and replaced with the word 'maybe.'

The goblins have long maintained that prophecy is not what it appears to be. Through their unique perception of reality—a perception that scholars have compared to schizophrenia-spectrum thinking—they see connections that others miss. A goblin once traded a bag of stolen buttons for the secret of prophecy, and never once regretted the exchange.

Footnotes Concerning frequency

When goblin negotiators are unable to reach agreement, they have, by long tradition, the option of invoking frequency. The invocation has no defined effect. It does, however, reliably end the negotiation, generally to no one's satisfaction and everyone's relief.

Echoes of protocol in the Goblin Archive

Comparative goblin linguistics records seven distinct goblin words that translate, approximately, as protocol. Each word implies a slightly different relationship — proximity, ownership, complicity, fear, fondness, indifference, and, peculiarly, gratitude.

The Goblin Verdict on prophecy

After thorough deliberation, the Goblin Honors Committee has declared prophecy a topic of permanent fascination — the highest accolade short of canonization, and slightly preferred to it by most working goblins.