Harry Potter Goblins

>>48937158
They're hyperlogical sociopaths with minimal physical abilities but massive mental capacity. It's less of a "race type," and more a somewhat ungeneric personality type that is sometimes adopted for races.

>>48937178
Yeah, but what about the culture, the magic and the interesting history?

>>48937158
I think you have it on the nose in that they're working with traits usually split between gnomes and dwarves in other media. Which makes sense, in that there's a lot of overlap between the various types of "small folk" in older folklore.

I always liked the bit we learn in the 7th book about their fairly alien conception of ownership (the owner of something goblin-made is the goblins--even if it's bought or given as a gift, it's considered "on loan" and it's expected that you'd arrange to have it returned one day). I get a kick out of weird culture clashes like that.

>>48937525
>the culture, the magic and the interesting history

They have none. The most that is known about them is that they make magic shit occasionally, and they're greedy bankers.

>>48937808
That cultural bit makes very little sense, though. I mean, it's very hard to run anything like an economy while holding onto a belief like that. That anecdote might've fit within the first couple books, which had a far stronger "children's book" feeling filled with whimsical wonder, but in the last few (which attempted to create a world feeling a bit more mature, to go with the readers having grown themselves) it stands out badly

>>48938111
Eh, not really. Everything we've seen that is "goblin-made" is either a massively important and special artifact or held by the goblins. They don't use their goblin-made stuff as part of the economy because their economy is not isolated to goblins. Most of what they handle is human made or liquid assets (Loans, interest, banking stuff). Also, they don't care which goblin gets it back as long as it goes back to a goblin, which means they can freely buy, sell, and trade among themselves.

>>48937853
Hey now, we know a bit of the history. The books go on a bit about the goblin rebellions, without getting too exact in details. http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Goblin_Rebellions

Some also have a deep seated lingering hatred of the Wizarding World, despite being their primary bankers, because wizards have declared it so only they can use wands. It's a different type of magic to what goblins and house elves (for example) naturally use and it pisses them off to no end that they're denied.

As for culture, we also know that they are exceptional fair at least in that they won't break a deal but only to a very exacting interpretation of that deal. They expect you to follow any deal as they would, and are quite dangerous if you cross them, but if, for instance, you bargain with one to get you into a place and forget to bargain on them getting you out again, they only feel beholden to you once they fulfill the literal wording of your agreement.

Goblins also only sell to other goblins. When a wizard or witch hires them to create a magical item, such as the Sword of Gryffindor, no matter now much gold you pay them they only view it as essentially a loan. They don't recognize human concepts of inheritance of magical items within families and believe that when the person who paid them dies all ownership rights revert to the goblins. Another sore point that has lead to friction.

>>48939490
But there's no detail about goblin life. We don't know if they have an independent political structure or what family life is like, how the rebellions actually went down (were there battles, how did the goblins fight people who can teleport anywhere and kill with a word, etc), what sort of enforcement they have on these deals, even the selling thing is speculation.

I like HP, but a Wizarding World sourcebook it is not.

>>48939651
Guess how the author will keep earning money in the next few decades?

Don't like cursed child? Is just a theather play based on the books. Think Magical America as seen in the non main books sucks? Ignore it. Want to learn about magicals beasts and were to find them? There is a book about that.

And so on.

The author originally wanted to use leprechauns but she found using globins less offensive, that is.

Remenber most of the books takes place in a castle in Scotland.

>>48940603
I read both Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through The Ages, and they were not great in terms of giving a decent view of wizard society. Little context clues, yes, but nothing she has done (including her staunch refusal to license the property for an RPG) suggest to me that we'll ever get a comprehensive look at how it all fits together.

Also, saying "If you don't like stuff, pretend it's not canon," is the opposite problem. The issue isn't bad fluff, it's no coherent and consistent fluff. She clearly wrote the books as stories, with worldbuilding far to the rear. Not bad for books, but you can't build a complete picture of goblin society because there's almost nothing to hang it on.