The Festering Goblin Doctrine of ritual

A working paper from the Goblin Department of Applied Confusion proposes that ritual is best understood through the lens of 'productive misunderstanding.'

In the goblin taxonomy of reality, ritual occupies a category all its own: 'That Which Is Not A Trick But Also Not Not A Trick.' This category contains exactly one other thing: the goblin king's sense of humor.

silence as Heard Through the Goblin Wall

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

engine as Heard Through the Goblin Wall

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

The Goblin Verdict on ritual

When all evidence is gathered—and the goblins have gathered quite a lot, mostly from places they should not have been—the truth about ritual becomes clear: it was always a goblin thing. The humans just borrowed it for a while, and the goblins are ready to take it back.