Hello, Readers! I thought it would be fun to go over a few of the inspirations and share some fun facts for The Goblin's Crown. Here, I'll go over the origins of Knut and Matilda, the goblin religion, as well as how to pronounce certain goblin names among other things.
WARNING: THIS SPECIAL CONTAINS A FEW SPOILERY THINGS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK IF YOU HAVEN'T READ EVERYTHING UP TO THIS POINT.
So if you haven't, go do that now. I'll be here when you get back....did you read it? Ready? Awesome! I hope you enjoy this special!
Funnily enough, I got the idea for this book while I was researching for a short story about The Nutcracker. I was looking up information about The Rat King when I found an article about a condition where the tails of numerous rats become entangled or stuck together by blood, hair, sap or some other substance. These masses of rats are called Rat Kings and in the medieval era was believed to be omens of death and disease. This image gave me the idea for a race of fantasy creatures who's king controlled all others through sort of a hive mind. Eventually, I made this fantasy race into goblins, because...they're my favorites. Originally, all of the goblins were going to appear rat-like, but I eventually decided that this was too boring and gave that distinct look to Knut. However, the influence of this first idea can still be seen in their way of movement, facial expressions and the goblins' relationship with the other magical races as most see them as being very low on the totem pole. Queen Mab, for instance, calls Knut, Rat and Matilda, Vermin Queen.
Knut:
The idea of a multi-headed Rat King, its tail connected to hundreds more, is what led me to naming Knut, Knut. Knut (pronounced: Knoot) has its roots in old Norse and means knot. It's a nod to the story's origins. I reference this again with the knotted thread Matilda has to pull to accept Knut's proposal and even in the way her brothers and father are killed, hanging.
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The Goblin's Crown
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