Chanel your inner Goblin this Autumn with the beautiful work of Fez Inkwright
By Rebecca Bell
Goblincore, cottagecore, steampunk, cyberpunk, goth, emo, hipster…. Can there be anymore subcultures? Yes! Of course! And the latest trending subculture taking over our style choices and way of life is Goblincore, so let’s embrace our goblin nature and be the babe with the power!
What is Goblincore?
Goblincore is an aesthetic way of life for those that embrace the unconventional beauty of chaos, mud, worms, mushrooms, frogs and more… some say it’s Cottagecore for those who spend time exploring nature and being anywhere but stuck in the confides of a house and city living. It’s easy to see why this nature-rooted trend expanded during the lockdown years, when people just wanted to escape to anywhere but the four walls of their home and get away from people and things, to be with the quiet and mystery of nature on adventures in the woods.
Where did Goblincore originate?
The origin story, like most modern trends begin in a place called social media. It was the year 2010, in the online city of Tumblr when the aesthetic and hashtag began to emerge. It was the darker answer to Cottagecore and the floral crowns, instead inspired by David Bowie’s Goblin King and the Twilight Saga, full of foggy days and mossy terrain. Though this subculture remained out of the light for nine years, it recently began to pick up speed to explode in 2021 with an exponential increase in hashtags and sales on anything that fit the aesthetic.
How to be more Goblincore:
The main focus is listening to the natural world and not fearing its darker natures, as well as embracing what society deems as unconventional beauty. Example: the worms in the mud are wonderful creatures, for they help with decay and in turn create nutrient rich soil for new plant life to flourish. Not only that, they also make good food for crows and their young! Worm life is not as dark and murky as we thought, as poet Danusha Laméris explores…
Ever since I found out that earth worms have taste buds
all over the delicate pink strings of their bodies,
I pause dropping apple peels into the compost bin, imagine
the dark, writhing ecstasy, the sweetness of apples
permeating their pores. I offer beets and parsley,
avocado, and melon, the feathery tops of carrots.I’d always thought theirs a menial life, eyeless and hidden,
Feeding The Worms by Danusha Laméris
almost vulgar—though now, it seems, they bear a pleasure
so sublime, so decadent, I want to contribute however I can,
forgetting, a moment, my place on the menu.
We realised one way to get closer to the darker side of nature is to study it, and as such we look to Fez Inkwright who has created the ideal tome for your goblin curiosity with Botanical Curses and Poisons, and Folk Magic and Healing to indulge your lighter side! These books contain a rich history and lore around the everyday plants, trees, and fungi you can find walking though the woods.
For those goblins who dabble in witchy things, the tarot has become a popular choice… but what if there was an oracle deck that connected you back to your roots in nature? Well, once again Fez has created a lavishly-illustrated botanical deck The Seed and Sickle Oracle, which will help you focus on times for being productive and adventuring, and when its time to maintain the homestead and your wellbeing.
Fez’s portfolio also offers an opportunity to escape your human form and add an element of fantasy to your life, in the realms of cosplay and D&D. Sometimes living as your character would can help you connect to a more authentic version, or if your not sure what character to be on your next campaign. Available as part of the Seed and Sickle Special Edition, the Citadel Oracle can help you in choosing with its selection of archetypes you would find in a fantasy.
So, get your walking boots and your cosiest jumper, and head out into the woods this autumn for a good stomp in the rain and mud to learn about the wild things, along with the darker natures of plants and mushrooms. There’s no better time of year to embrace that Goblincore life!
