While on screen. J.R.R. Tolkein's four books made six movies, and many fans were split over it. While The Lord of the Rings was adored by fans and critics alike, The Hobbit was seen as a bit much.
It felt as though the story was being stretched for dollars rather than for any meaningful reason. Some things, however, did stay the same. The Goblin King plays a memorable, but short-lived role, in both The Hobbit novel and film. Yet, as is always the case in Middle Earth, there are always more details to examine.
Different Titles
While he is usually referred to as "The Goblin King," particularly in The Hobbit films, this great monarch beneath the ground is known by a much longer title in some places. Rather than a king, the Goblin is often referred to as "The Great Goblin."
He rules all of Goblin Town beneath the Misty Mountains. While he is referred to as a goblin in The Hobbit in the Tolkein Lord of the Rings books goblin and orc are that are used interchangeably amongst many of the author's characters.
He Feared Elvish Swords
Part of the reason that the Goblin King gets so upset with the dwarves and their arrival in his kingdom is because of the swords they possess. Many of the elvish swords had a history of killing goblins (Thorin's sword, Orcrist, in particular, was known as "Goblin Cleaver").
The Goblin King's fear seems to be well placed however as, when he is eventually dispatched, it is by Gandalf's elven sword, Glamdring. He may not seem like the wisest character, but the Goblin King understood enough to all but predict his own demise.
His Death Started a War
Goblins and dwarves both held dominion beneath the ground in Middle Earth and, while they were not always warring with one another, relationships were always a bit on edge and a bit hostile.
The fact that it was the arrival of a group of dwarves (and a hobbit among them) that led to the death of The Goblin King/The Great Goblin, led to renewed hostilities amongst the dwarves and goblins, particularly over who would hold the most power in the north. The death of the Goblin King was far from the final act of violence beneath the Misty Mountains.
Animation
In 1977 the animated version of The Hobbit was released on television on NBC. The Goblin King, as he does in Peter Jackson's Hobbit films, does make an appearance. In the animated television special the Goblin King is voiced by actor John Stephenson.
John Stephenson was known for a few different voice-over roles, most notably as the character of Mr. Slat, Fred Flintstone's boss, on the Hanna Barbera classic program, The Flintstones.
A Goblin and a Shark
While John Stephenson voiced the Goblin King in the NBC animated television special of The Hobbit, it was actor Barry Humphries who took on the role in the Peter Jackson adaptation. Humphries is better known for his alter ego Dame Edna.
He not only voiced the Goblin King for Peter Jackson, but he also acted out the character in motion capture. If you haven't heard of Dame Edna, you have probably still run into Humphries before. Barry Humphries also voiced Bruce the Shark in Disney's Finding Nemo.
Goblins/Orcs
While the term Goblin and Orc are used almost interchangeably in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, but Peter Jackson gave them a different design than some of the other Orcs in the Lord of the Rings films.
The goblins and orcs of Peter Jackson's world vary considerably. They are not so much interchangeable as there are subtypes. Goblins aren't orcs, but rather a type of orc, smaller and slightly less menacing (though that doesn't seem to hold true for the Goblin King himself who is both menacing and quite large).
Lacks Description
Peter Jackson was certainly allowed to take liberties with the design of his goblins as Tolkien himself doesn't offer too much detail or description for this Misty Mountains monarch. In fact, all that Tolkien offers his readers in of describing the Goblin King, are the facts that he has a large head.
As it says in the book, “There in the shadows on a large flat stone sat a tremendous goblin with a huge head." Jackson certainly kept that as part of the design but added on as he went.
The Great Goblin Wars
How did Thorin's sword, Orcrist, an elvish sword, get the name "Goblin-Cleaver"? It got that name because it was used during the Great Goblin Wars. This is why the Great Goblin recognizes it and gets so upset about Thorin and his company being in the Misty Mountains.
For one, dwarves and goblins have never had the best relations, and second, Thorin is carrying a very specific word with a very bitter history attached to it where goblins are concerned.
Film Violence
Peter Jackson added a significant amount of action to his Hobbit trilogy (he had to add something to justify making one book into three films) and one place he added an action sequence was in Goblin Town.
In the films, Thorin has a price on his head, leading the Great Goblin to want to murder Thorin and his companions. In the book, however, the goblins are only suspicious of the dwarves' presence. They are wondering what the dwarves were doing in the cave in the Misty Mountains. There is less of a reason for a battle to begin in the book.
Book Thorin vs. Film Thorin
In the film, Thorin isn't exactly helping himself by acting stubborn and a bit rude in the Goblin King's presence. He almost deserves to be attacked in the Peter Jackson version. In the original Hobbit, Thorin tries to talk his way out of Goblin Town by reminding the Great Goblin about the hospitality of the Misty Mountains.
It obviously doesn't work, but Thorin seems much more respectful and levelheaded with the ruler he comes into with on the page than he does on screen.
