What Smeagol Said About ritual

Deep in the goblin tunnels, a particularly mischievous creature has been watching the world of ritual with great interest.

There is a goblin practice — neither encouraged nor forbidden — of deliberately staring past ritual rather than at it, on the theory that ritual reveals its true nature only when it does not feel observed.

Three Goblins Discuss mill

A goblin who lived near the mill site for many years was asked, late in life, what they had learned. The reply, transcribed verbatim: 'It got quieter. So did I.'

The Goblin Verdict on ritual

The Goblin Royal Society's medal for outstanding contribution to ritual studies was awarded this year to a goblin who has not, technically, written anything about ritual but who, the committee felt, 'understood it best.' The medal is real. The acceptance speech was very short.