The Princess and the Goblin · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald.
Chapter 1
Why the Princess Has a Story About Her
The chapter introduces Princess Irene, an eight-year-old princess living in a mountain palace. It explains the history of goblins who once lived above ground but were driven underground by the king's harsh taxes and laws. Over generations, they became grotesque and cunning, living in subterranean caverns and harboring a grudge against the king's descendants. The goblins now have their own king and government, and their chief aim is to torment the surface-dwellers. This is why Irene is never allowed outside at night, for fear of goblin attacks.
Chapter 2
The Princess Loses Herself
On a rainy day, Princess Irene, bored and restless, ventures beyond her nursery up an old stairway and through a maze of passages and doors. She becomes lost, panics, but then composes herself and attempts to find her way back. She discovers a narrow stair leading upward, which she begins to climb.
Chapter 3
III: The Princess and—We Shall See Who
Princess Irene, lost in the passages, discovers a hidden room where she meets her great-great-grandmother, a very old but beautiful lady who spins. The old lady explains she gave Irene her name and has been there since Irene arrived. She shows Irene her pigeons, which she calls her poultry, and explains how she gets eggs from them. After washing Irene's face, she leads her partway back to the nursery, and Irene promises to tell her nurse everything.
Chapter 4
What the Nurse Thought of It
Princess Irene returns from visiting her great-grandmother and tells her nurse about the experience. The nurse refuses to believe her, accusing her of making up stories. Irene is deeply hurt by the lack of trust, but eventually the nurse apologizes and promises to go with her to see the old lady.
Chapter 5
The Princess Lets Well Alone
Princess Irene wakes to another rainy day and decides not to ask her nurse to take her to the tower lady, fearing the lady might not want visitors. She sneaks away to find the tower herself but gets lost again. After crying, she remembers she found the stair before after crying, so she wipes her eyes and searches anew. She finds a stair going down instead of up, which leads her to the kitchen. The nurse retrieves her but does not suspect how she got there, and Irene keeps her secret. Her failure to find the old lady makes her thoughtful, and she sometimes wonders if she dreamed the encounter, but she never fully believes that.
Chapter 6
The Little Miner
After three days of rain, Princess Irene and her nurse Lootie venture up the mountain. They stay out too long, and as sunset approaches, Lootie panics and runs home with Irene. They encounter Curdie, a miner boy, who helps them safely back. Irene promises Curdie a kiss, but Lootie prevents it, arguing that a princess must not kiss a miner boy. Irene insists on keeping her word, but Lootie drags her inside, leaving Curdie behind.
Chapter 7
The Mines
Curdie returns home and decides to keep the princess's story secret to protect the nurse. He hears goblins outside his window at night but scares them away. The next day, he and his father go to work in the mine, where miners dig for ore. Curdie learns that goblins work in the mines at night, and that miners defend themselves with verses, which goblins hate. Curdie decides to stay alone in the mine overnight to earn extra money for his mother's petticoat and to investigate the goblins' activities.
Chapter 8
The Goblins
Curdie, working late in the mine, overhears a goblin family discussing their plans and the nature of goblin society. He discovers a thin wall separating him from their dwelling and begins to enlarge a hole, learning about goblin weaknesses (their soft feet) and their disdain for human customs. The goblins prepare to leave for a palace meeting, and Curdie resolves to follow them to uncover their evil design.
Chapter 9
The Hall of the Goblin Palace
Curdie follows the goblin family through underground passages to the magnificent hall of the goblin palace, where he overhears the king and chancellor discussing plans for revenge against the humans. He learns of a plot involving water and a potential flood, and decides to keep the passage open to discover more, then returns home to inform his father.
Chapter 10
X: The Princess’s King-Papa
The king visits Princess Irene after a long absence. During their time together, Irene asks to see her great-grandmother in the tower, but the king gently dismisses it as a dream. He learns of Irene's late evening outdoors and speaks with Lootie, leaving six guards to watch the house at night.
Chapter 11
XI: The Old Lady’s Bedroom
Princess Irene, feeling dreary during autumn and winter, accidentally pricks her thumb on a brooch, causing swelling and pain. Unable to sleep, she wanders the house at night and climbs the old staircase, determined to find her great-great-grandmother again. She reaches the tower room where the old lady is spinning spider-silk thread by moonlight. The old lady explains that Irene could not find her sooner because she had begun to think she was a dream, and instructs Irene to return in a week. Irene falls asleep in her arms and wakes in her own bed, her hand completely healed.
Chapter 12
A Short Chapter About Curdie
Curdie spends many nights in the mine, secretly working to earn a new petticoat for his mother, Mrs. Peterson. He uses a ball of string to explore the goblins' territory, following the lode that Glump said would lead to the deserted habitation. He watches the goblins at work but cannot yet discover their purpose.
Chapter 13
XIII: The Cobs’ Creatures
The men-at-arms guarding the king's country house begin to see grotesque, misshapen creatures at night. These are goblin-tamed animals that have evolved over centuries into bizarre forms, and they have emerged from a stream channel broken by the goblins' mining. The creatures frolic on the lawn, causing fear and confusion among the guards.
Chapter 14
XIV: That Night Week
Irene spends the week thinking about her promise to visit the old lady but remains uncertain if it was a dream. On Friday, she resolves to go but is frightened by a goblin creature that leaps through her window. In her panic, she flees outside and up the mountain, where she becomes lost and terrified. She sees a mysterious silver light, which she believes to be her great-great-grandmother's lamp, and it guides her back home. Once safe, she finally runs up the tower stairs and knocks on the old lady's door.
Chapter 15
XV: Woven and Then Spun
Irene visits her grandmother's chamber, where she is comforted and cleansed by the old lady's magical fire. Her grandmother reveals her youthful beauty and gives Irene a ring with a fire-opal, attaching an invisible thread that will guide her in times of danger. The chapter explores themes of trust, courage, and the nature of true gifts.
Chapter 16
XVI: The Ring
Irene returns to the nursery after her adventure on the mountain, greeted by her weeping nurse Lootie. She recounts her encounter with the long-legged cat but omits any mention of her grandmother or the magical lamp. Lootie scolds her for running out, but Irene reminds her of Lootie's own fear during the goblin attack. The household rejoices at Irene's safe return, and the captain orders increased security. The next morning, Irene notices her ring glowing and asks Lootie about its origin, but Lootie cannot recall who gave it to her.
Chapter 17
Springtime
Spring arrives and the king visits Irene, explaining that her ring once belonged to her mother who has passed away. The king, disturbed by reports of goblin creatures, leaves extra guards. Irene spends her days on the mountain enjoying the flowers and goats, while the goblins hunt wild goats and keep their own strange sheep.
Chapter 18
Curdie's Clue
Curdie, while spying on the goblins, follows his string but is led astray when goblin creatures steal his pickaxe. He stumbles into a goblin palace, confronts the king and queen, and uses his knowledge of goblins' vulnerable feet to fight them. He is eventually captured and trapped in a hole, but not before learning important clues about the goblins' plans.
Chapter 19
Goblin Counsels
Curdie awakens in a goblin prison, overhearing the goblin king, queen, and prince Harelip discuss his fate. They debate starving him, killing him, or feeding him to their creatures. Curdie taunts them with rhymes, provoking the queen and causing a domestic quarrel. After they leave, he resolves to feign weakness and prepare more rhymes as weapons.
Chapter 20
XX: Irene’s Clue
Princess Irene wakes to a fright from battling animals in her room, remembers her grandmother's advice, and uses her magic ring and thread to follow a path through the mountain. She bravely navigates dark passages and rough terrain, guided by the thread, until it leads her to a cavern where it disappears into a heap of stones, leaving her lost and crying.
Chapter 21
The Escape
Curdie and Princess Irene escape from the goblins' underground domain, guided by Irene's magical thread from her grandmother. Along the way, Curdie steals the goblin queen's shoe, revealing her six toes, and they emerge safely into the palace garden. Irene tries to convince Curdie of the thread's reality, but he remains skeptical. She then leads him to meet her grandmother to prove her truthfulness.
Chapter 22
The Old Lady and Curdie
Irene brings Curdie to meet her grandmother, but Curdie cannot see the old lady or her magical room, only a bare garret. The old lady comforts Irene, explaining that Curdie is not yet ready to believe. She bathes Irene in a magical silver bath and puts her to bed, assuring her that Curdie has been safely returned home.
Chapter 23
XXIII: Curdie and His Mother
Curdie returns home to his parents, still upset with Princess Irene for what he perceives as deception. His mother encourages him to reconsider his harsh judgment, suggesting that Irene may have been truthful in ways he cannot yet understand. She recounts a personal encounter with goblins and a mysterious protective light, hinting at deeper mysteries. Curdie reveals his theory that the goblins are mining toward the king's house and plans to investigate further.
Chapter 24
Irene Behaves Like a Princess
After waking from a deep sleep, Princess Irene is confronted by her nurse Lootie and a crowd of servants who believed she was lost. Lootie accuses Irene of hiding and lying, but Irene calmly defends herself, refusing to speak further when disbelieved. She requests the housekeeper's protection and then appeals to Sir Walter, the captain of the gentlemen-at-arms, to take charge of her until her father arrives. Sir Walter offers to send for the king, but Irene ultimately chooses to keep Lootie as her nurse after Lootie breaks down in distress, demonstrating maturity and forgiveness.
Chapter 25
Curdie Comes to Grief
Curdie, while secretly watching the king's house and garden for signs of goblin activity, is mistaken for a goblin creature by the men-at-arms and shot with a crossbow. He is captured, and despite his attempts to explain his mission and warn of the goblin threat, he is disbelieved—especially after the nurse falsely accuses him of having been rude to the princess. Wounded and feverish, he is locked in a disused room, where his warnings are dismissed as raving.
Chapter 26
The Goblin-Miners
Servants discuss strange noises in the king's house, which are actually caused by goblins mining beneath. The goblins dislodge a huge block, shaking the house, and later scoop through sand to reach the king's wine cellar. They then return to the goblin palace to announce their success, and the goblin royal family and people rush to the house to kidnap Princess Irene that night.
Chapter 27
The Goblins in the King’s House
Curdie dreams of his past adventures and wakes to find the king's house under attack by goblins. He rushes into battle, using his iron-shod shoes to stamp on goblin feet and a hunting-knife to slash at them. He frees the captive men-at-arms and the captain, then searches for Princess Irene. He finds the wine cellar full of goblins being served wine by the butler, and after routing them, rescues Lootie from Harelip. The goblins flee, but the princess is missing, and Curdie resolves to rescue her.
Chapter 28
XXVIII: Curdie’s Guide
Curdie, following the princess's invisible thread, is led to his mother's cottage where he finds Princess Irene asleep. He apologizes for not believing her about the thread and the grandmother. Irene explains she was led there by the thread, and Curdie recounts his wounding, imprisonment, and the goblin invasion. His leg is miraculously healed, and he realizes the grandmother healed him. After breakfast, Curdie suddenly remembers he must wake his father and rushes out.
Chapter 29
Masonwork
Curdie remembers the goblins' plan to flood the mine and rushes to help his father and the miners build a buttress to block the goblins' passage. After securing the mine, he returns to his cottage through a violent storm to find his mother and Princess Irene safe but stranded. They spend the night together, and the princess falls asleep gazing at her grandmother's lamp.
Chapter 30
The King and the Kiss
The king arrives at his house, grief-stricken over Irene's disappearance. Curdie carries Irene to the gate and reunites her with her father. Irene tells the story of her rescue, praising Curdie's bravery. She then reminds the king of a promised kiss from a previous adventure, and the king allows her to give it. A feast is held to celebrate.
Chapter 31
The Subterranean Waters
During a feast at the king's house, Princess Irene enters guided by her invisible thread and alerts her father to a distant noise. Curdie recognizes the sound as water from the goblins' failed flood plot, which instead of flooding the mine bursts through the tunnel to the king's house. The king orders an immediate evacuation, and everyone escapes to higher ground as a torrent of water destroys the house. Curdie rescues the horses, and a great globe of light appears, from which a white bird descends and circles the group before vanishing. The king offers Curdie a place in his bodyguard, but Curdie declines to stay with his parents, asking only for a red petticoat for his mother. The king and princess promise to return in the summer, and the company rides away into the night.
Chapter 32
The Last Chapter
The miners and Curdie's family return home, taking Lootie with them. They drain the king's house, find dead goblins including the queen, and secure the passage. Many goblins flee or become friendly over time, while the miners destroy the remaining goblin creatures. The chapter ends with a note that the rest of the story will be told in another volume.
