Kobold

A kobold is a household sprite of German folklore. Like the brownie or tomte, it lives by the hearth or in the barn or cellar, does chores at night, and expects a bowl of milk or porridge in return. Kobolds are often invisible, but when seen they may look like a child, a small man in a red pointed cap, an animal, or a streak of fire.

Kobolds can be dangerous. In a chronicle of Hildesheim, the sprite Hödeken took terrible revenge on a kitchen boy who kept throwing slops at it. The Heinzelmännchen of Cologne, written down by Ernst Weyden in 1826, baked bread for the city's bakers each night until a curious tailor's wife scattered peas to trip them, and they left for good.

Miners had their own kobolds. They blamed troublesome ore, which gave off poison fumes and yielded no silver, on these sprites, and the name stuck: the metal cobalt is named after the kobold.

What witnesses report

• Chores done overnight
• Knocks and bangs in the house
• Milk or porridge left out and eaten
• Pranks after an insult

Famous cases

1. 1584Hinzelmann begins haunting Hudemühlen Castle
   Hodenhagen, Germany
2. 1826Ernst Weyden writes down the Heinzelmännchen legend
   Cologne, Germany