I had a chance to read one of the titles from the list of books that inspired Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The Princess and the Goblin was written by George MacDonald in 1872. It is written in a fairy tale style but its length and more modern writing style disqualifies it as a fairy tale.
It is the story of Princess Irene, a girl of eight, and Curdie the miner’s son, twelve years old. They both live on the side of a mountain that has goblins living inside. The goblins hold a grudge against humans in general and the princess’ family in particular. The goblins’ plan to kidnap the princess and force her to marry the goblin prince or destroy the mountainside with a flood is discovered by Curdie. Curdie’s wits and resolve, together with magical assistance from Irene’s ghostly ancestress, prevent the goblin plot.
The goblins in The Hobbit borrow several ideas from MacDonald’s portrayal of the creatures. The precursor to Galadriel’s Mirror is seen in the water tub of Irene’s magical ancestress. I was at first concerned that seeing where Tolkien got his ideas would reduce my appreciation for his books. Instead, my thoughts about Tolkien’s books haven’t changed as I see the seeds for his ideas but still applaud how he worked with them to make something all his own.
The Princess and the Goblin is a great book. The book tones down violence and mature themes for its younger audience so it may not appeal to all fantasy readers. It is recommended for those looking for something to read to children but I enjoyed it on its own merits. Like The Hobbit and many tales written for general audiences in years past it has moral lessons for the younger listeners. I have read so many books written in this style that I don’t get offended like more modern readers but I will admit that MacDonald took a heavier hand than he needed to with the lessons in this book.
As for potential ideas for fantasy roleplaying this book has several to offer. I liked the portrayal of a smaller, simpler kingdom. Many gamemasters quickly go overboard with lavish, powerful kingdoms and forget that there were times when small kingdoms existed with modest resources. Although more heroic books are usually the inspiration of D&D campaigns it’s nice to see a hero solve problems through gathering intelligence and raising support from nearby groups of people as Curdie does.
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