Genii
The idea of the genius follows a generic concept that encompasses several categories within which beings such as goblins or elves might be included. What happens is that the distinctions between one type and another tend to overlap across different traditions.
For pagan traditions, genii were divinities that engendered all existing things. In the particular case of Roman mythology, they were beings that accompanied man and other natural or social entities throughout their entire existence. Thus, under different names, they are known in nearly every region and culture.