COBALT BLUE comes from the German word Kobold, a mischievous household spirit. Miners blamed this tricky gnome for mishaps in the mine. They also accused the malicious goblin of stealing precious silver and leaving behind worthless rock that looked as though it contained metal but didn't. They mockingly called the false ore Kobold. The name stuck even when the stone was found to be useful as, among other things, a blue pigment.
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