Goblins

Goblins are a race of highly intelligent creatures who live side by side with wizards.

Goblins are short and dark-skinned. They have very long fingers and feet, and some have pointed beards (PS5) and dark, slanted eyes (GF24). Griphook, one of the hundreds of goblins working at Gringotts (PS5), has a bald head, pointed nose, and pointed ears (HPM). Some goblins wear pointed hats (OP7). Goblins speak a language called Gobbledegook.

Throughout the history of the wizarding world there have been rebellions where the goblins have fought against discrimination and prejudice. They are still considered subservient in the minds of most wizards, and they are forbidden by the Ministry from carrying wands, which has lead to deep-seated resentment, although Goblins have their own kind of wand-less magic. Goblin rebellions were most prevalent in the 1600s (PA5) and 1700s (GF15, OP31), but even today there are subversive goblin groups who work in secret against the Ministry, according to the Daily Prophet (OP15). One rebellion, in 1612, took place in the vicinity of Hogsmeade; the Inn there was used as headquarters for the rebellion (PA5). The rebellions have been described as "bloody and vicious." The names of the rebels tend to run along the lines of "Bodrod the Bearded and Urg the Unclean," according to Ron (GF31).

Despite this troubled history, they have established themselves as a vital part of wizarding society. Being in charge of Gringotts, they control the wizarding economy to a large extent. Apart from their cleverness with money and finances, goblins are also very capable metalsmiths. Their silverwork is well known and prized. Sirius Black's wealthy family had dishes which were 'finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest' (OP6). When Hagrid visited the giants, one of the presents he brought was a goblin-wrought helmet which was described as "indestructible" (OP21). At her wedding to Bill, Fleur Delacour wore a goblin-made tiara owned by the Weasley's Auntie Muriel (DH8). Goblins actually mint the Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts used in the wizarding world; each coin is stamped with a serial number identifying the goblin who cast it (OP19). Perhaps the most famous goblin-made artifact was the Sword of Gryffindor (DH15). Goblins have distinct beliefs about the ownership of goblin-made objects. "To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any object is the maker, not the purchaser. All goblin made objects are, in goblin eyes, rightfully theirs."(DH25)

There were rumors, almost certainly unfounded, that Cornelius Fudge was plotting ways to wrest control of the money supply and the economy from the goblins while in office (OP10). Ludo Bagman, got on the wrong side of a group of goblins when he swindled them out of a large amount of gold at the Quidditch World Cup in the summer of 1995 (GF37). This exacerbated the anti-Ministry feeling which made it difficult for Bill Weasley who was tasked with the job of trying to persuade the goblins to side with wizards against Voldemort (OP5).

The goblins suffered their share of losses during the first rise of Voldemort to power in the 1970s. A family living near Nottingham had been murdered by Voldemort's followers at that time (OP5).

A Goblin Jazz Singer was a performer in The Blind Pig speakeasy run by the goblin Gnarlak.  The goblin is described as ‘glamorous’ as she ‘croons on a stage full of goblin musicians”.  She would use her wand to create smoky images to accompany her singing. She was singing when Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski entered the nightclub (FWT).