Close relations?

[SRAYN1]

Is the gremlin related to a goblin?

[anneduncan]

A gremlin is an mischievous invisible being said by pilots to cause engine trouble and mechanical difficulties. This term may have been coined by Roald Dahl. A goblin is a grotesque, mischievous sprite or elf. Given that gremlin is a modern term related to aviation and golbin is a term used old fairy tales they are probably not related

[James]

No ' this is a different creature altogether. Let's start with their cousin, the gnomes, who live under the earth, guarding treasures. According to the medieval scholar Paracelcus, they move as easily through the earth as humans walk upon the ground. They cannot stand the sun, for even one ray would turn them to stone. (Presumably that's why you see so many of them in gardens, smiling just before the sun shone.) Goblins are a more unpleasant variety of gnomes. They are often playful, but frequently show evil ways. A goblin sours the milk and makes fruit fall prematurely from the trees. They pester humans by hiding small objects and altering signposts (now what sounds like a gremlin, doesn't it?) Goblins came from France and spread across Europe after creeping through a crack in the Pyrenees. They usually live in the roots of ancient trees, although they move around a lot.