Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market," published in 1862, tells the tale of two sisters who encounter a host of otherworldly creatures. One of the sisters, Laura, barters for fruit from the monsters, which drive her mad when she eats them. When denied the fruits, she begins to waste away until her sister Lizzie braves the wrath of the goblins to gain more fruit. The creatures pelt her with juice and pulp, which she uses to heal her sister and break the spell.
Edgar Allan Poe ranks as one of literature's most noted practitioners of supernatural poetry. His work "The Haunted Palace," first published in 1839, describes a palace ruled by a wise king which fell long ago to the forces of evil. The palace then houses the spirits of the unquiet dead, who "laugh, but smile no more."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" first appeared in 1798 and now stands as one of the greatest works of poetry ever conceived. Its titular character brings a host of bad luck to his vessel when he shoots an albatross (traditionally representative of good spirits or good fortune). The crew forces him to wear the albatross, but the ship's bad luck continues and the crew members die, one by one. Only the Mariner himself remains; when he repents his wicked deeds, the bodies of the dead are possessed by good spirits, who guide him home before vanishing with the ship. Despite his deliverance, he must still pay for his wicked deeds by wandering the Earth and telling his tale.
"Der Erlkönig" stems from a Germanic legend, and was penned by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1782. It describes a father riding home at night with his son. The elf king and his daughter appear to the child and try to pull him into their world, though the father does not see them. When he arrives home, his son has died.