Gnomes

From TinWiki.org

Gnome: nature's little helper & protector

Gnomes are a fabled race of miniature humanlike creatures who dwell in the earth. The gnome is kin to the wood nymph, dwarf and troll, with respect in their close relationship to the dark cold mossy woodlands of the old world, lending themselves easily to the thought that strange secrets lurk in the depths of these ancient forests.

1 Literary Origins
2 Ornamental Origins
- 2.1 Symbolic Purpose
- 2.2 Extinction & Rebirth
3 Sightings
4 ATS Discussion Forums & Threads
5 Referenced External Links

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Literary Origins

The name 'gnome' originates from the works of 16th-century Swiss alchemist medieval scholar Paracelcus, in a treatise on four species of elemental beings: nymphs in water, sylphs in air, salamanders in fire, and pigmaei or gnomi in the earth. The first English writer to adopt it was the poet Pope, in The Rape of the Lock (1714). Gnomes became more common in 19th- and 20th-century literature, especially for children, where illustrators gave them the standard appearance of dwarfs in Swiss and German folklore, including a red cap. They were popular in children's fairy tales and were often described as old men who guarded treasure, mining for metals and precious stones. However, gnomes or similar creatures were also found in folklore from many different countries, where they went by different names such as Nisse in Denmark and Norway, Duende in Spain and Hob in England.

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Ornamental Origins

In the little Thuringian town of Graefenroda, Germany, gnomes have been a familiar presence in every home garden for a century and more. Its citizens insist that theirs is the birthplace of the ceramic garden gnome, an invention they trace to the first gnome figurines for gardens exported in the late 1860s by Sir Charles Isham, to decorate a large rockery at Lamport Hall (Northamptonshire) imitating a mountain landscape, in which they represented mining dwarfs.

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Symbolic Purpose

The history of gnomes also passes along the folklore and why you would want one in your garden. Gnomes are known as symbols of good luck. Originally, gnomes were thought to provide protection, especially of buried treasure and minerals in the ground. A garden gnome adds a bit of whimsy and a connection to the old world, where farmers believed the good luck charm could help their fields yield more produce and protect their livestock from thieves, pests and other problems. They were also thought to help gardeners in the night.

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Extinction & Rebirth

Terracotta gnomes were once a cherished collectible ornament that stayed in the family and was passed down through the generations. Unfortunately, the world wars wiped out most garden gnome production in Germany, and beginning in the 1960s, the plastic gnomes we know today came on the scene. In the 1980s, companies in the Czech Republic and Poland started to make gnomes and flooded the market with cheaper mass-produced plastic-resin imitations, which changed the general publics perceptions to one of affectionate mockery.

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