Anonymous
×
Create a new article
Write your page title here:
We currently have 2,416 articles on Monstropedia. Type your article name above or click on one of the titles below and start writing!



Monstropedia
2,416Articles
Revision as of 16:49, 5 May 2011 by Beastmaster (talk | contribs) (→‎Story)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Hobyahs are cannibalistic goblins that appear in English fairy tales.

Description

While the creatures are not described, Hobyahs appear to be humanoid beings, most like goblins. They always attack in groups, but are deathly afraid of dogs; the best way to repel an attack is through the use of a dog to drive them away.

Story

In "The Hobyahs", the most important story to feature the beings, the Hobyahs are malicious creatures that attacked and fed on rural folk. However, one house, home to an old couple and in some versions their young daughter, was protected from the Hobyahs by the family dog, Turpie. Whenever Turpie saw the Hobyahs coming, he would bark, putting them to flight.

However, the old man in the house, unaware that Turpie was protecting them from the Hobyahs and angered about being woken every night by the dog, mutilated and at last killed Turpie. There are two versions of what happened next.

In the most common variation of the story, with the family guardian dead, the Hobyahs stormed the house, killed the couple, and carried off the daughter in a bag to eat later. A passing stranger freed her and placed his dog in the Hobyahs' bag. When the monsters opened it, the dog sprang out and ate them all.

In another, gentler version, the old woman is taken by the Hobyahs instead. The old man repents of his wickedness and brings Turpie back to life, or the daughter is left alone and restores the dog, and together they effect a successful rescue, the ending similar to the previous variation of the story.