# Goblin Feet

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Early poem by J. R. R. Tolkien

An accompanying illustration to the poem by [Warwick Goble](/source/Warwick_Goble) from *The Book of Fairy Poetry* (1920)

**"Goblin Feet"** is a poem written in 1915 by [J. R. R. Tolkien](/source/J._R._R._Tolkien) for [Edith Mary Bratt](/source/Edith_Tolkien), his wife-to-be. It celebrates the diminutive type of elf that Tolkien soon came to dislike, and he regretted having published the poem.

## Poem

"Goblin Feet" was published in *Oxford poetry 1915* before being reprinted in anthologies such as *The Book of Fairy Poetry* (1920): it thus marks Tolkien's first appearance in the capacity of a writer for children.[1] It was his first notable published work.[2]

His fiancée had expressed her liking for “spring and flowers and trees, and little [elfin people](/source/Fairy_painting)”,[3] and the poem with its rather twee references to “the tiny horns of enchanted leprechauns...their little happy feet”[3] reflects her preferences. Tolkien himself would later wish that “the unhappy thing, representing all that I came (so soon after) to fervently dislike, could be buried for ever”.[4]

"Goblin Feet" reflects one strand in the twin [elf](/source/Elf_(Middle-earth)) traditions Tolkien inherited – the frivolous, small-scale, singing and dancing elves of the Edwardians, as opposed to the [medieval-style](/source/Tolkien_and_the_medieval) warrior elves who would become the mainstream of his legendarium.[5]

Tolkien's use of words like 'flittermouse' for bat in the poem mark an important opening of his philological interests into his fairy world.[6]

## See also

English [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has original text related to this article:

**[Goblin Feet](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en:Goblin_Feet)**

- [J. R. R. Tolkien bibliography](/source/J._R._R._Tolkien_bibliography)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [J. Rateliff](/source/John_D._Rateliff), *[The History of The Hobbit](/source/The_History_of_The_Hobbit), Pt 1: Mr Baggins* (2007) p. 120

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Goblin Feet, a poem by J.R.R. Tolkien"](https://tolkienlibrary.com/press/oxfordpoetry1915.htm). *tolkienlibrary.com*. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Carpenter_2002_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Carpenter_2002_3-1) [H. Carpenter](/source/Humphrey_Carpenter), *[J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography](/source/J._R._R._Tolkien%3A_A_Biography)* (2002) pp. 106–107

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [J. Rateliff](/source/John_D._Rateliff), *[The History of The Hobbit](/source/The_History_of_The_Hobbit), Pt 1: Mr Baggins* (2007) p. 125

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [J. Rateliff](/source/John_D._Rateliff), *[The History of The Hobbit](/source/The_History_of_The_Hobbit), Pt 1: Mr Baggins* (2007) p. 120

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [T. A. Shippey](/source/Tom_Shippey), *[The Road to Middle-Earth](/source/The_Road_to_Middle-Earth)* (1992) pp. 31-32

## External links

- [Goblin Feet](https://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/oxfordpoetry1915.htm)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Goblin Feet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin_Feet) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goblin_Feet?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.