# If you could be any mystical/fantasy creature... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563 "2012-07-17T21:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/41 "2012-07-19T01:52:52Z")
Some manner of Dwarf would likely fit me, too…something about living in a bunker deep in some lonely mountain, building things and never seeing the sun, just appeals to me. Plus I already have the beard to go with it. (It’s only about six inches long right now, admittedly…I just had a haircut in March. 'Had to get ready for summer.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/42 "2012-07-19T02:03:12Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > See, this is why I love this place. Not only are we miles away from Rainbow Unicorn Land,.. But you have to admit- a magic Rainbow Unicorn that poops ice-cream is still cool. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/43 "2012-07-19T02:16:07Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > See, this is why I love this place. Not only are we miles away from Rainbow Unicorn Land, we’re in places I’ve never even heard of. Only unicorns can go to [Candy Mountain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79YmYYr-Q8k), though. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/44 "2012-07-19T02:22:23Z")
Pookah. Although I can’t decide whether to be the kind that looks like a black horse with luminous eyes or the kind that looks like a giant eagle or the kind that looks like a black goat. Wait, I don’t have to decide! That or Siduri, the divine barmaid/Ishtar incarnation in Gilgamesh. She rocked. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/45 "2012-07-19T02:36:54Z")
My FIRST thought was a dragon. but then I thinks are the Great Old Ones mythical/fantastic? Sure Cthulhu may have body issues but god help the person (and the universe) that wakes me 🙂 I’m getting all tingly just thinking about it ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/46 "2012-07-19T02:42:42Z")
I’ll take Pan please. Frolicing with the nymphs, seducing Goddesses, partying. What’s not to like? Except I’m putting my hoof down about getting randy with the goats. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/47 "2012-07-19T03:49:47Z")
> [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](#): > > Dragon was my first thought, but I don’t like being alone all the time. Also you’d have to be on the watch for dragon slayers all the time. That’s why I picked Shadowrun dragon specifically. A lot of them spend more time in human form than dragon form. One of them was even elected President (though he was assassinated, so maybe he’s not the best example. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/48 "2012-07-19T04:01:54Z")
> [@sunstone](#): > > I’ll take Pan please. Frolicing with the nymphs, seducing Goddesses, partying. What’s not to like? Except I’m putting my hoof down about getting randy with the goats. Huh uh. If you’re Pan, you’ll be quite happy to get jiggy with goats. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/49 "2012-07-19T06:12:47Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Is there something that’s reclusive and longlived and plain, that gathers a library about itself? You can only get into the library if you’re worthy. Although worth might be bought by bringing more books. There was an episode of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ with that exact premise. How do you feel about being a [giant owl](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FxSsOO-biTg/TAJWTPMwkqI/AAAAAAAAARQ/gqLj1lbXXTg/s1600/owl+avatar.png)? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/50 "2012-07-19T06:19:45Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Shakespeare’s Puck is a distillation of much older english stories about mischievous spirits that developed into brownies, hobgoblins, and Robin Goodfellow. OK, I know that, but was it a category before he used it as a name? I’m not being cranky, I wanna know. The _duende_ Agujero is a specific _duende_, there is only one _duende_ called Agujero (because only that one _duende_ has an _agujero_ or hole in his hand). You can be the _duende_ Agujero but you can’t be a _duende_ Agujero… but you can be a _duende_. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/51 "2012-07-19T13:55:46Z")
Robin Goodfellow is a general name you’d call any fairy, just as you’d call them the Gentry, Fair Folk, the neighbors, lords and ladies etc. It’s unlucky not to use some bland euphemism, otherwise you might inadvertantly get their attention. Puck really isn’t a proper name either and (this is just a WAG) is probably a bastardized form of phouka. Or I might just be utterly wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/52 "2012-07-19T14:26:51Z")
The old welsh spirit of mischief bwci became bukka became puka became puck. You called them **Rob** in Goodfellow because to name the devil is to call him and you didn’t necessarily want to attract the attention of a **hob** goblin. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/53 "2012-07-19T15:15:25Z")
> [@Barking\_Dog](#): > > Robin Goodfellow is a general name you’d call any fairy, just as you’d call them the Gentry, Fair Folk, the neighbors, lords and ladies etc. It’s unlucky not to use some bland euphemism, otherwise you might inadvertantly get their attention. Puck really isn’t a proper name either and (this is just a WAG) is probably a bastardized form of phouka. Or I might just be utterly wrong. - Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice.\* - Pterry. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/54 "2012-07-19T16:14:13Z")
Nice, and _accurate_. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/55 "2012-07-19T18:01:26Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The old welsh spirit of mischief bwci became bukka became puka became puck. You called them **Rob** in Goodfellow because to name the devil is to call him and you didn’t necessarily want to attract the attention of a **hob** goblin. If I’m not mistaken, hob is another word for hearth; making a hobgoblin a spirit of the home, and thus indirectly a spirit of order. Not something like the spriggan or kelpie, a mad puck thing of the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/56 "2012-07-19T18:06:35Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > - > > Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. > Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. > Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. > Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. > Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. > Elves are terrific. They beget terror. > The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. > No one ever said elves are nice.\* > > - Pterry. “Up the airy moutains and down the rushing glen, we don’t go a-hunting for fear of little men. Wee folk, men folk trooping all together. Green jacket, red cap, and white owl’s feather. Down the rushing hillsides and through the rocks so bare, they’ve planted thorn tree for pleasure here and there. And any man so daring as to dig them up in spite, shall find the sharpest thorn tree in his bed at night!” - unknown ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/57 "2012-07-19T18:14:32Z")
Generally speaking a hobgoblin is any of a number of fey creatures that enjoy mischief. For some, like the brownies, the hob part has taken over. For others, the goblin part is stronger and they’re wilder and more malicious. It’s best to think of it as a continuum with brownies on the hob end and things like boggarts on the goblin end and in the middle are all sorts of creatures with varying degrees of animosity. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/58 "2012-07-19T18:59:18Z")
It seems to me that goblins are synomomous with elves, ie. and general descriptor for spirit creatures, whereas a hobgoblin is a very specific kind of fairy. A hobgoblin is not inherently benign. It is a creature of the hearth, ie. fire. Many stories tell of hobs setting fire to a house if it doesn’t feel it is properly fed or respected. All I’m saying is, whether good or evil, the hobgoblin exists as a creature of the home. Specifically. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/59 "2012-07-19T19:06:21Z")
A 300 year old turtle wizard!!! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563/60 "2012-07-19T19:07:17Z")
Well, you’re allowed to classify them as you wish, but traditionally there’s nothing that says a hobgoblin is specifically a home spirit. Hobs, yes. Hobgoblins, no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-be-any-mystical-fantasy-creature/628563.md?page=4)