The Princess and the Goblin

Eight-year-old Princess Irene lives a lonely life in a castle in a desolate, mountainous kingdom, with only her nursemaid for company. Her father, the king, is normally absent, and her mother is dead. Unknown to her, the nearby mines are inhabited by a race of goblins, long banished from the kingdom and anxious to take revenge on their human neighbours. One rainy day, the princess explores the castle and discovers a mysterious lady who identifies herself as Irene's namesake and great-great-grandmother. The next day, Princess Irene heads outside but is chased by goblins and rescued by a young miner, Curdie. At work in the mines, Curdie overhears the goblins talking and learns their weakness: they have very soft, vulnerable feet. He also hears that the goblins intend to flood the mine. Irene is about to see her great-great-grandmother again, but is frightened by a cat and escapes up the mountain; the light from her great-great-grandmother's tower leads her home. Her great-great-grandmother gives Irene a ring attached to an invisible thread, which connects her constantly to home. When Curdie explores the goblins' domain, he is discovered by the goblins and stamps on their feet with great success; when he tries to stamp on the Queen's feet she is uninjured due to her stone shoes. The goblins imprison Curdie and Irene's magic thread leads her to his rescue. Curdie steals one of the goblin queen's stone shoes. Irene takes Curdie to see her great-great-grandmother but she is visible only to Irene. Curdie learns that the goblins are digging a tunnel in the mines toward the king's palace, where they plan to abduct the Princess and marry her to goblin prince Harelip. Curdie warns the palace guards about this, but is imprisoned instead and contracts a fever through a wound in his leg, until Irene's great-great-grandmother heals the wound. The goblins come to abduct the princess, but Curdie escapes from his prison and stamps on the goblins' feet. He follows the magic thread to Irene's refuge at his own house, and restores her to the king. When the goblins flood the mines, the water enters the palace, and Curdie warns the others; the goblins drown. The king asks him to serve as a bodyguard; but Curdie refuses, saying he cannot leave his mother and father. Instead he accepts a new red petticoat for his mother.