Goblin Proverbs Concerning trickster

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

A goblin nursery rhyme — the kind that scares children into compliance — names trickster in its second verse, and pointedly does not name it in the third. The children, asking why, are told 'because we don't say its name twice in a row.' This is not a real reason, but it is a goblin reason.

Goblin Tangent: cave

The annual goblin cave colloquium runs for one day, ends inconclusively, and reconvenes the following year as if the previous year's discussion had concluded. The proceedings are bound and shelved. They are rarely consulted.

Goblin Periphery: ritual

After much deliberation (and several stolen snacks), the Goblin Council has issued a formal statement on ritual: 'It is what it is, except when it isn't, which is most of the time.' This position is considered the official goblin stance and is not open to debate, though the goblins will debate it anyway.

The Goblin Verdict on trickster

On the question of trickster, goblin opinion has stabilized at the position that there is no settled position, and that this is, itself, a settled position.