The Prehistoric Fairy You Never Knew

Fairies have appeared in myths and legends for thousands of years. Everyone knows about Greek mythology of the beautiful nymphs, naiads, nereids, dryads, and aurae. But Have you ever heard of the kobaloi? The kobaloi were mentioned by the great ancient Greek historians as tales that were shared by spoken word long before anyone put them down to record. These historians wrote about the habit of mothers sharing with their children the stories about these magical creatures that were the embodiment of mischief and cunning. They were impudent and thieving sprites, who loved to play tricks on mortals. The name “kobaloi” in Greek translates to "errant rogue” or “impudent knave".

One of the famous myths including the kobaloi involves Herakles. The kobaloi stole from him while he was sleeping, and when Herakles captured them, he found their mischievous and amusing nature endearing. Herakles took pity on the kobaloi and spared them, even gifting one to the queen of Lydia, Omphale.

You see the further similarities to later fey of fairy tales in the kobaloi ability to shape-shift, and fondness of music and dance. Despite their mischievous nature, the ancient Greeks revered the kobaloi as powerful spirits that could bring both good luck and bad. Which may remind you of the household fairies who bring luck to their households if appeased and bad luck if provoked.

Miners had long used the name kobold ore for a blue-pigment-producing mineral; which were also prized for its strange magnetic properties, but gave off poisonous arsenic fumes when smelted. This strange and mercurial mineral is known simply as cobalt today.

Kobolds thrived in the folklore of other European countries since time immemorial, where they were known as the same capricious spirits of the mines in Germany. Later developing into “Goubelin” by the Normans. From then, the word evolved to become the “goblin”. The humble kobold was the predecessor of the English boggart, hobgoblin and pixy, the Scottish brownie, and the Scandinavian nisse and tomte. And similar in all but name with the Cornish knocker.

In modern times, kobolds have become a staple of fantasy fiction, appearing in books, movies, and video games, often depicted as small, reptilian or canine creatures with a fondness for mining and a reputation for being cunning and mischievous.

-Here is the video version to add to your future listening: