It's a Rat! It's a dog! It's a kobold!

I typed "dog-rat-lizard-goblin creature" into the AI image generator and this is what it came up with. The bot had the decency to provide him with clothes.

If you've played any edition of Dungeons and Dragons, you've probably encountered a kobold or two. Or forty, swarming on ziplines from above and shooting down upon your party through murder holes in cavern walls. If you survive, as I did during one campaign, you may be asked to fill out a survey on the effectiveness of various traps you encountered while trespassing in their subterranean home.

Let's talk about the origin of the word "kobold." It evolved from the word “goblin” in the Middle Ages, and both words come from the same root: “kob” which means “beneath the earth.” Evolution of the word: goblin, gobolin, gobold, kobold. See how that works?

Kobolds in German folklore come in three different varieties: house kobolds, mining kobolds, and ship kobolds. This thread on EN World, “From Dogs to Dragons: Kobold Evolution” points out that the kobolds of DND are based on the mining kobolds, which were described as two-foot-tall, elderly, dark-skinned, and ugly, with enormous glowing hearts that took up their entire chest, like E.T. Maybe this notion that the kobold had a visibly glowing heart lead to their connection to fire-breathing dragons down the line.

These mining kobolds were mean-spirited and liked to trick miners into taking fake ore that caused a burning sensation at the touch. This fake ore later came to be called cobalt, named after the kobolds.

Kobolds have been portrayed differently in each edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Originally they were described as “like goblins, but weaker,” as pictured in this Monster Card by Jim Roslov (below). This tracks with the shared word root between goblin and kobold in the Middle ages, but it doesn’t explain what happened to the kobold next.

Kobold monster card by Jim Roslov. Source: Retroist

First Edition kobolds gained dog-like features because of an artist taking creative license. Dave Sutherland drew the kobold less like a goblin and more like a gnoll (pictured on the right below). Gary Gygax let him keep it that way because “it made no difference to the game’s play.” The creature still has scaly skin and goblinoid ears, but now is arbitrarily dog-faced.

First Edition kobold by Dave Sutherland. Source: Retroist

Since First Edition, kobolds have undergone many more confusing transformations. In Second Edition, the kobold has become this scrawny-looking rat guy makin’ his way downtown with a scorpion on a stick.

Second Edition kobold. Source: Retroist

Somehow or other, by Third Edition, kobolds were more reptilian in nature, and have been since then.

Hopefully, this answers some of our deep burning questions about these strange mischievous creatures. Or not.

Follow me down the rabbit hole. Here are some things I found while writing this:

• Dungeon and Dragons Monster Cards- Kobold. This article shares some of the kobold artwork made for DND through the years, including Jim Roslov and Dave Sutherland's renditions.

• Chris Perkins showed up as a guest on season 2 of Critical Role, playing kobold named Spurt. He is one of my favorite guest PC's on this show. I won't give away what makes him so memorable: Spurt: Critical Role.

• Aaron Mahnke did an episode about kobolds on the Lore podcast: Episode 32: Tampered.