Editing Gremlin (section)

==Aviation origins==
[[File:B-1B Gremlin Nose Art.jpeg|thumb|Gremlin depicted in [[nose art]] of a [[Rockwell B-1 Lancer]] aircraft of the [[28th Bomb Wing]].]]
Although their origin is found in myths among airmen claiming that gremlins were responsible for sabotaging aircraft, the [[folklorist]] John W. Hazen states that some people derive the name from the [[Old English]] word ''gremian,'' "to vex",<ref name=Hazen>Hazen 1972, p. 465.</ref> while Carol Rose, in her book ''Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia'', attributes the name to a portmanteau of Grimm's Fairy Tales and [[Fremlin's Brewery|Fremlin Beer]]. According to [[World Wide Words|Paul Quinion]], it is plausible that the term is a blend of the word "goblin" with the name of the manufacturer of the most common beer available in the RAF in the 1920s, Fremlin.<ref name=pq/>

An early reference to the gremlin is in [[aviator]] [[Pauline Gower]]'s 1938 novel ''The ATA: Women with Wings'', where Scotland is described as "gremlin country", a mystical and rugged territory where scissor-wielding gremlins cut the wires of [[biplane]]s when unsuspecting pilots were about.<ref name=merry>Merry 2010, p. 66.</ref> An article by Hubert Griffith in the servicemen's fortnightly ''Royal Air Force Journal'' dated 18 April 1942, also chronicles the appearance of gremlins,<ref>[https://www.angelfire.com/id/100sqn/gremlins.html "The Gremlin Question"]. ''Royal Air Force Journal'', Number 13, 18 April 1942.</ref> although the article states the stories had been in existence for several years, with later recollections of it having been told by [[Battle of Britain]] [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]] pilots as early as 1940.<ref>Laming, John. [http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/gremlins.htm "Do You Believe In Gremlins?"] ''Stories of 10 Squadron RAAF in Townsville'', 30 December 1998. Retrieved: 12 October 2010.</ref>

This concept of gremlins was popularized during World War&nbsp;II among airmen of the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) units,<ref>Desmond, John. [https://www.nytimes.com/1943/04/11/archives/the-gremlins-reform-an-raf-fable.html?sq=gremlin&scp=54&st=p  "The Gremlins Reform: An R.A.F. Fable"]. ''The New York Times'', 11 April 1943. Retrieved: 12 October 2010.</ref> in particular the men of the high-altitude Photographic Reconnaissance Units (PRU) of [[RAF Benson]], [[RAF Wick]] and [[RAF St&nbsp;Eval]]. The flight crews blamed gremlins for otherwise inexplicable accidents which sometimes occurred during their flights. Gremlins were also thought at one point to have enemy sympathies, but investigations revealed that enemy aircraft had similar and equally inexplicable mechanical problems. As such, gremlins were portrayed as equal opportunity tricksters, taking no sides in the conflict, but acting out their mischief from their own self-interest.<ref name=Sasser>Sasser 1971, p. 1094.</ref> In reality, the gremlins were a form of "[[buck passing]]" or deflecting blame.<ref name=Sasser/> This led John Hazen to note that "the gremlin has been looked on as new phenomenon, a product of the [[machine age]]&nbsp;– the age of air".<ref name=Hazen/> The concept of gremlins as a scapegoat was important to the morale of pilots according to the author and historian Marlin Bressi: {{blockquote|"Gremlins, while imaginary, played a very important role to the airmen of the Royal Air Force. Gremlin tales helped build morale among pilots, which, in turn, helped them repel the Luftwaffe invasion during the [[Battle of Britain]] during the summer of 1940. The war may have had a very different outcome if the R.A.F. pilots had lost their morale and allowed Germany's plans for [[Operation Sea Lion]] (the planned invasion of the U.K.) to develop. In a way, it could be argued that gremlins, troublesome as they were, ultimately helped the Allies win the war." Bressi also noted: "Morale among the R.A.F. pilots would have suffered if they pointed the finger of blame at each other. It was far better to make the scapegoat a fantastic and comical creature than another member of your own squadron."<ref>Marlin Bressi, quoted in {{cite web|url=http://www.journalofthebizarre.com/2015/07/gremlins-colorful-lore-of-aviation.html|title=All about gremlins, fifinellas and flippertygibbets|last=Newburg|first=Anna L|work=Journal of the Bizarre|date=12 July 2015|access-date=25 May 2015|archive-date=11 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211123838/http://www.journalofthebizarre.com/2015/07/gremlins-colorful-lore-of-aviation.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> }} Examples of Gremlins can be seen in the IBCC Digital Archive.

<gallery mode="packed" caption="World War II posters warning of gremlins" heights="200px">
File:Gremlins are floor greasers^ Watch your step^ Back up our battleskies^ - NARA - 535378.jpg
File:Gremlins love to pitch things at your eyes. Wear safety goggles. Back up our battleskies^ - NARA - 535379.jpg
File:Gremlins will push you 'round^ Look where you're going^ Back up our battleskies^ - NARA - 535380.jpg
File:The Gremlins will get you if you don't watch out^ - NARA - 535062.jpg
File:"WHY HELP GREMLINS" - NARA - 516157.jpg
</gallery>