The Children's Theatre Ed Pack (2007)

Part Three

Hobgoblin[1]

·        Hobgoblin traditionally applies to folktales, when referring to a friendly goblin

·        ‘The word seems to derive from 'Robin Goblin', abbreviated to 'hobgoblin', 'hob', or 'lob'. The name originally referred to that of a specific folkloric character Robin Goodfellow but has grown to be defined as a different species of goblin or fairy’

·        ‘The name is often interchangeable with ‘bubear’, ‘boogeyman’, ‘bugaboo’ or ‘bogie’, and the term "hobgoblin" has grown to mean a superficial object that is a source of fear or trouble’

·        In French folklore, the hobgoblin is referred to as Lutin

HOBGOBLIN’S IN POPULAR CULTURE

·        The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien. ‘Tolkien later remarked in a letter that through further study of folklore he had subsequently learned that “the statement that hobgoblins were 'a larger kind' [of goblins] is the reverse of the original truth”.’

·        Hobgoblins appeared, ‘most notably in the B movie from the 1980's, Hobgoblins, and the second installment released in 2007, Hobgoblins 2’.

·        Hobgoblin in Dungeons and Dragons, and Hoggoblin in Warhammer. Here Hobgoblins are ‘portrayed as a larger, stronger, smarter and more menacing cousin of the goblins’ in these role-playing games

·        In computer games, RuneScape presents hobgoblins as ‘an evolved form of goblins that are stronger and attack weak players’. ‘In the Fable game series they are small, fat and disfigured. they are called hobbes and are described as trouble, stupid and greedy’. ‘In the Heroes of Might and Magic Series, hobgoblins are upgraded forms of goblins, and are aligned with the barbarian/might towns’

·        In the Spider-Man comic series, Hobgoblin is the name of a villian. ‘Another hobgoblin is in Monster in My Pocket #23. In the comic book series, he is a prankster who serves as comic relief among the good monsters. He makes fire come out from his fingers’

·        ‘Hobgoblin is a strong dark ale brewed by the Wychwood brewery in Oxfordshire’

GOBLINS[2]

·        Mythical creatures often included in fairy tales

·        Thought to have originated in Europe

·        Meaning “rogue” in Greek

·        Usually ugly in appearance, covered in dark hair

·        Grow no bigger than 30cm

·        Often regarded as troublemakers, but are more pranksters than actually evil

·        Usually live in mossy rocks at the base of ancient trees

·        Can appear as animals

·        Often invisible to humans

·        Friends of the dead

·        Kidnap women and children; replace human babies with goblin babies

·        Sometimes eat humans

·        Usually male, associated with all-male race, aside from a queen

·        Can create nightmares and plant them in a sleeping human

 Jackal

·        Worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians as the god of embalming and the underworld (Anubis).

·        Jackals live singularly or in pairs. Sometimes found in loose packs of related animals.

·        Family or pack members communicate with each other by a screaming yell and yapping, or even a siren like howl.

FAMILY

·        Scientific name (common) –

Canis aureus

·        Member of the dog family

·        There are a number of different types of:the Common Jackal (Canis aureus), the Side-Striped Jackal (Canis adustus), the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus), and the Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas).

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

·        Length – 45-90cm

·        Tail – 26-40cm

·        Weight – 6-12kg

·        Colour – Ginger, gold, red-brown, black markings (depending on breed).

Habitat

·        open and wooded savanna. Found in Africa and Asia.

Diet

·        Omnivorous / scavenger.

·        Typically eat young antelopes, reptiles, insects, ground dwelling birds, fruits, berries, grass, carcasses from other kills.

BREEDING

·        Two months (app.). Pups are fed until they are two months old. By three months they are following their parents and learning about behaviour and territory. By six months they are hunting on their own. Lifespan – 10-12yrs

Predators

·        Leopards, hyenas, eagles, loss of habitat.

Jack Frost[3]

·        ‘Jack Frost is an elfish creature who personifies crisp, cold, winter weather’

·        Variant reading have connected Jack Frost to Father Winter (aka Old Man Winter)

·        Believed to have been derived from Viking folklore

·        Jack Frost is said to frost windows on a cold morning

·        ‘He is said to leave frosty crystal patterns on windows’

·        It is believed that the origins of the name Jack Frost are ‘from the Norse character names, Jokul (“icicle”) and Frosti (“frost”)’

·        ‘Another theory is that he is a much more recent import into Anglo-Saxon culture from a Russian fairy tale’

·        ‘Other tales in Russia represent frost as Father Frost, a smith who binds water and earth together with heavy chains. In Germany however, it is an old woman who causes it to snow by shaking white feathers out of her bed’

JACK FROST IN POPULAR CULTURE

·        ‘Cecily Pike wrote a children's nursery song describing Jack Frost as a “gay little sprite”.’

·        ‘Laurell K. Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry series has a character who within the context of the book is discovered to be the original Jack Frost’

·        Jack Frost (1979) was a claymation, Christmas TV special ‘in which Jack Frost fell in love with a human girl and so asked to become human’

·        ‘Jack Frost appears in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause played by Martin Short’.

·        ‘Jack Frost was used by Bob Dylan as a pseudonym for when he produced his 2001 album Love and Theft’

Lady-in-waiting

·        A lady of the court appointed to serve or attend a queen, princess, or other royalty.

·        A royal personal assistant.

·        The English lady-in-waiting dates back to the dark ages and medieval periods

·        Ladies-in-waiting would be selected from high ranking and noble families.

·        They were an important member of the court who actively participated in many forms of entertainment, e.g. masques, dances and musical entertainments.

·        These ladies had to be able to play an instrument, read and embroider.

Numbat[4]

·        small terrestrial marsupial

·        diurnal – more active in the morning and late afternoon during the summer and middle of the day during fall

·        State Animal of Western Australia

·        alternate names of banded or marsupial anteater (MYRMECOBIUS FASCIATUS)

·        lives in family groups for part of the year

·        possibly endangered

·        enjoys sunbaths during the winter months

·        also known as Walpurti

FAMILY

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

DIET

·        feeds exclusively on termites

·        adults forage alone

·        eats up to 20,000 termites daily

·        only occasionally eats ants, apparently accidentally

HABITAT

·        usually shelter in fallen hollow logs or dead tree trunks and sometimes in burrows

·        eucalyptus woodlands

·        woodland with grassy, herbaceous/shrub under-story

·        Western Australia

BREEDING

·        Young are born between January and March

·        2-4 young per litter

·        1 litter per year

·        female is pouch-less but her offspring cling to her 4 teats

·        young are weaned in about 6 months

PREDATORS

·        Foxes

·        Eagles

Poodle[5]

·        Country of origin: France

·        Miniature and toy poodles probably bred down from standard poodles

·        Standard poodle was developed for hunting

·        Smaller poodles developed as companions

·        Performed in circuses in the 18^th and 19^th centuries

·        All three types of poodles are identical except for size

Physical Description

·        Straight muzzle, equal in length to the skull

·        Nose is black or liver

·        Eyes are oval and wide apart

·        Long, wide drop ears that hang close to the head

·        Tail is docked and carried erect

·        Coat is harsh and curly

·        Coat is of a uniform colour, including: apricot, black, blue, cream, grey, silver, or white

·        Three varieties:

·        the standard, which is 38 cm (15 in) or more in height at the shoulder and weighs 9 kg (20 lb) or more

·        the miniature, from 25 to 38 cm (10 to 15 in) high at the shoulder and weighing from 5 to 9 kg (12 to 20 lb)

·        the toy, which is 25 cm (10 in) or less at the shoulder and weighs under 5 kg (12 lb)

·        standard variety is used in the country as a water retriever, watchdog, and pet

 ·        the miniature and toy varieties are used as pets chiefly in urban surroundings

·        custom of clipping apparently originated as a means of facilitating swimming

Temperament

·        Intelligent and highly trainable

·        May be wary of strangers but are affectionate with their family

·        Enjoy human companionship