The Princess and the Goblin

Curdie is the story’s deuteragonist and is characterized by his courage, resourcefulness, and leadership abilities. Though Curdie is a miner rather than nobility, the novel hints early on that he is Irene’s counterpart: Much like Irene’s eyes represent her origins in the stars, Curdie’s eyes are “as dark as the mines in which he worked and as sparkling as the crystals in their rocks” (29). The description associates Curdie with light, though not the celestial light of Irene and Grandmother. Curdie’s light is (literally) earthly, which suggests various symbolic readings of his friendship with Irene—as the relationship between body and soul, human and divine, etc. In keeping with this earthliness, Curdie is slower to develop faith than Irene: He cannot see Grandmother’s thread or Grandmother herself. Nevertheless, he eventually has a mystical dream of Grandmother, and he demonstrates his belief when he uses the thread to find Irene, trusting it to lead him to the right place.

Curdie is first introduced on the mountain when Irene and Lootie become lost. They hear him singing a verse, which he explains is to keep the goblins at bay: “Hobble, hobble, hobblin’— Cobble! cobble! cobblin’! Hob-bob goblin!” (29). Curdie’s rhymes are also a symbol of hope and courage. Curdie is only 12 years old but has no fear of the goblins. He is mature and brave beyond his years, largely due to the fact that he works in the mines and regularly encounters the goblins. His parents trust him implicitly, and Curdie’s confidence grows the more he succeeds in fighting off the goblins and protecting Irene. The verses he sings showcase his creativity, wit, and ability to think on the spot. Curdie uses this skill to fend off the goblins when they attack the farmhouse as well, simultaneously singing and stomping on their feet. It is Curdie who discovers the goblins’ plan, thus making him pivotal in saving Irene and the kingdom. Unfortunately, the guards do not believe Curdie until it is too late, and this experience teaches him an important lesson in trust and faith.

When Irene explains to Curdie how she came to find him trapped in the goblins’ hole, he does not believe a word of it. Instead, he accuses Irene of making up stories to play a trick on him. Curdie’s mother lectures him about this, reminding him that Irene saved his life and is not the type of person to lie. Irene is quick to forgive Curdie when he apologizes, however, and the narrator refers to his willingness to admit his wrongdoing as a princely quality. The danger that Curdie and Irene experience together forges a bond that seals them forever. It becomes evident that Irene is falling in love with Curdie when she expresses deep concern over the harm that befell him during the goblin attack. Curdie seems to feel the same way, resolving that he would do anything for Irene.

Grandmother is a godly figure as well as a symbol of faith, love, and guidance. She often appears when Irene (or later Curdie) is in trouble, and she does not always do so in her human form; sometimes she manifests as a globe-like moon-lamp accompanied by a white pigeon. Grandmother appears simultaneously young and old, with a smooth face but “eyes [that] look[] so wise that you could not have helped seeing she must be old” (10). She survives off pigeon eggs and also uses her pigeons to do her bidding. Grandmother later reveals that she is several hundred years old. She is elusive, only being seen when she wants to be seen (specifically, when she feels that the person she is with is ready to see her), but she is extremely sweet and kind towards Irene. She understands that Irene is still a child and grants her infinite patience, answering every question Irene asks and imparting wisdom to her.

Grandmother is associated with several symbolic elements, such as the thread and ring that she gifts to Irene, the silver bath of stars, and the moon-lamp and pigeon. Each of these has their practical purpose in protecting and guiding Irene, as well as teaching her the importance of faith. For example, the light of the moon and the white pigeon that accompanies it become a beacon of hope and protection for Irene and the miners, who feel safe from the goblins whenever they are present. Symbolically, these elements reaffirm Grandmother’s divine nature and develop the novel’s Christian framework. Many are celestial: The moon and stars link her to the heavens. Pigeons are closely related to doves, which traditionally represent the Holy Spirit—the third person of the Christian Trinity, who serves as a kind of intermediary between humans and the divine. Fire—like Grandmother’s rose fire and the fire-opal ring—is another symbol of the Holy Spirit, associated especially with divine inspiration.

The most important symbol associated with Grandmother is the magical thread encased in a fire-opal ring, both of which she gives to Irene. This thread tests Irene’s faith and courage, as Grandmother instructs her to follow it without question, assuring her it will always lead her to safety. The thread allows Irene to save Curdie from the goblins and later guides Curdie away from the goblin fight to find Irene at his own cottage.

The King-Papa is Irene’s father; he is a round character who proves more than just a typical king, exhibiting traits more akin to a loving God than to a monarchical ruler. He rides on a white horse, further symbolizing his goodness and purity. When the king is first introduced, he is described as having “gentle, blue eyes, but a nose that made him look like an eagle. A long dark beard, streaked with silvery lines [a denotation of his connection to Grandmother], flowed from his mouth almost to his waist” (58). The novel’s illustrations depict him in a full suit of armor, hugging Irene close to him. Though the king seldom sees Irene, this is because he is always travelling around the kingdom, talking to his people and letting them know him as a person. He cares deeply for the welfare of others and runs his kingdom with safety as a top priority.

The king is extremely fond of his daughter, and when he visits her, he always picks her up and hugs her, holding her in his lap as she relays her most recent experiences to him. The king does not call Irene a liar or doubt her openly when she tells him about Grandmother; he instinctively knows she is telling the truth when she turns out to be wearing her mother’s ring. In the novel’s conclusion, Irene reunites with her king-papa, who gives her permission to give Curdie the kiss that she long ago promised him. Unlike Lootie, he does not look down on Curdie because of his status, even offering Curdie a position in the guard in recognition of his courage and leadership. The king ultimately represents what a good ruler should do: serve his people, protect his family, and place the welfare of kingdom first.

Lootie is Irene’s nursemaid. She is a static character who is characterized mainly by her devotion to Irene and her simultaneous, ironic disbelief of Irene’s claims about her grandmother. Irene’s mother has died, and her father is often away from home attending to his duties in the kingdom. Thus, Irene is being raised in a farmhouse adjacent to the castle by a host of servants. Her primary caretaker is Lootie, and Lootie loves Irene dearly. She is willing to do almost anything for her and allows Irene to get her way more often than she should. When Irene wants to stay out late on the mountain, Lootie knows the danger but allows Irene to continue running ahead anyway. Similarly, when Irene disappears, Lootie lectures her but does little in the way of punishing her.

Lootie is unkind to Curdie, never thanking him for helping to save her and Irene from the goblins, forbidding Irene from giving him a kiss, and calling him “the same young rascal who was rude to me and the princess on the mountain […] That wretch!” (162). Lootie also has virtually no faith in the mystical: As Grandmother notes, Lootie would not believe in her even if she saw her. Particularly as the novel progresses, Irene acts far more mature than Lootie, staying calm and showing Lootie what she can do as a princess. She threatens to summon the king and to replace Lootie with another caretaker, “but when Lootie saw the eyes of her dear princess going in search of another instead of her, she fell upon her knees by the bedside, and burst into a great cry of distress” (157). Irene is Lootie’s world, and she would not know what to do without her.

Curdie’s parents serve a crucial role in protecting the mines and princess Irene, and Curdie’s mother is instrumental in guiding him towards faith. Curdie’s father is a miner and a static character who appears briefly when Curdie needs to discuss the problems with the goblins. He trusts his son implicitly, and when Curdie explains the goblins’ plans to flood the mines, his father does not hesitate to formulate a counterplan to keep everyone safe.

When Curdie experiences doubt and anger over Irene’s claims of a magical grandmother, his mother tells him a story of a time that she saw the moon-lamp in the sky. She reasons with him about faith, using logic to explain his mistake in not trusting Irene: “You confess, my boy, there is something about the whole affair you do not understand? […] Then you have no right to say what she told you was not true” (146). Curdie’s mother is pivotal in protecting Irene as well, as the thread leads Irene to Curdie’s house on the night of the goblin attack.