The Princess and the Goblin: who's who, timeline and places

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IreneIrene is a young princess living in a mountain house, kept indoors at night because of goblins.First seen in chapter 1
The kingThe king is Irene’s father, whose mountain palace is her birthplace.First seen in chapter 1
GoblinsGoblins are underground creatures who hate the people above, especially descendants of the king who exiled them.First seen in chapter 1
The grandmotherThe grandmother is Irene’s secret great-great-grandmother, a queen who spins upstairs and says she cares for her.First seen in chapter 3
CurdieCurdie is a miner boy whose songs drive away goblins as he guides Irene and Lootie home.First seen in chapter 6
Curdie's motherCurdie’s mother is the parent for whom he hopes to earn money for clothing.First seen in chapter 7
Peter PetersonPeter Peterson is Curdie’s father, who works with him in the mines.First seen in chapter 7
The queenThe queen is a goblin ruler whose shoes are discussed by a goblin family.First seen in chapter 8
HarelipHarelip is the goblin prince who proposes changing his future princess’s feet.First seen in chapter 18
Sir WalterSir Walter is the man Irene asks to take charge of her after Lootie’s accusations.First seen in chapter 24

Chapter 1
Irene lives in a mountain house, where fear of goblins keeps her indoors at night.
Chapter 3
Lost upstairs, Irene meets an old woman who says she is her great-great-grandmother and secretly cares for her.
Chapter 4
Irene tells her nurse about her grandmother, but the nurse refuses to believe her.
Chapter 6
Curdie drives off goblins with songs and guides Irene and Lootie safely home.
Chapter 8
Curdie overhears a goblin family, learns about their tender feet, and discovers a secret threat against the miners.
Chapter 9
Curdie spies on a goblin palace meeting and suspects a plan to flood the mine.
Chapter 10
The king visits Irene and leaves attendants to guard her after questioning Lootie about their evening outing.
Chapter 11
Irene finds her grandmother upstairs after injuring her thumb and wakes with her hand healed.
Chapter 14
A strange creature frightens Irene onto the mountain, where her grandmother’s light guides her home.
Chapter 15
Irene’s grandmother gives her a ring attached to an invisible thread that she can follow in danger.
Chapter 17
The king explains that Irene’s ring belonged to her mother and leaves additional guards after hearing about strange creatures.
Chapter 18
Curdie loses his route through the caves, overhears the goblin royal family, and is captured by the queen.
Chapter 20
Irene follows her grandmother’s thread deep into the mountain until it passes through a heap of stones.
Chapter 21
Irene frees Curdie from his prison and follows the thread with him back to her garden.
Chapter 22
Curdie sees only a bare attic when Irene takes him to meet her grandmother and leaves feeling mocked.
Chapter 23
Curdie’s mother challenges his distrust of Irene, and he discovers that goblins are tunneling toward the palace.
Chapter 25
Guards wound Curdie in the garden and imprison him, dismissing his warning as feverish nonsense.
Chapter 26
The household mistakes goblin tunneling for an earthquake while the goblins gather beneath the house to seize Irene.
Chapter 27
Curdie helps repel the goblin invasion and rescues Lootie, but cannot find Irene.
Chapter 28
An invisible thread guides Curdie to his mother’s cottage, where he finds Irene safe and apologizes for doubting her.
Chapter 29
Curdie rouses the miners, who build a stone barrier to protect the mine against the goblins’ planned flood.
Chapter 30
Curdie and his mother bring Irene home, and she receives her father’s permission to give Curdie the promised kiss.
Chapter 31
Curdie warns the king before floodwater bursts through the house, saves the horses, and refuses a royal appointment.
Chapter 32
Curdie and the miners drain the house, finding dead goblins, while many surviving goblins leave the area.
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