Gnomes: 8 Strange Facts about These Mythical Creatures

Discover what gnomes are, what their origin is and where to find these mythical creatures

29/01/2020 08:30:00h

Gnomes: 8 Strange Facts about These Mythical Creatures. |

Reality or myth? Gnomes are magical creatures, part of the popular culture that we grew up with since childhood. They are found in many children’s stories, fair attractions, tv series, and movies.

Join us on our adventure into the magnificent world of gnomes!

What are gnomes? A definition

The easiest definition of gnomes would be that of fantasy creatures which were initially identified as spirits or earth genies. Later on, gnomes were depicted as tiny creatures that lived in the forest, and they would sometimes be shown working in a mine or, on other occasions, they would blend in with the dwarfs.

Depending on which area are they are from, gnomes have different characteristics; however, one trait that is shared by all gnomes alike is their beautiful, pointy hats.

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Origin of the legend of these magical creatures

The origin of gnomes dates back to the 13th century, and according to tradition, Frederik Ugarph, a Swedish citizen, was visiting the house of some fishers in an area that is currently part of Norway. That is where he found a figurine of about 15 centimetres, that showed the image of a bearded man wearing a pointy hat, which had been carved in wood taken from the root of an unknown tree.

The words “Gnome, real-life size” were carved in the figurine and it is considered to be the first evidence to support the existence of these magical beings.

In many European countries, such as Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Finland, United Kingdom or Luxembourg there are gnome legends, and even though sometimes they are called by different names they have the same characteristics.

Where can we find gnomes?

There is a wide variety of gnomes, each with its clothing and unique characteristics, and each type of gnome has its own habitat.

Forest gnomes

They live in forests, and they are the most common type of gnome. They help animals, especially when they are injured by hunting traps.

Siberian gnomes

They are taller, they live in colder areas and are known for always being in a bad mood. They wear dark clothing.

Jungle gnomes

They live in tropical areas, and they are the shortest of all gnomes.

Desert gnomes

They usually live in dunes and wear light-coloured clothes.

Farm gnomes

Similar to the forest gnomes they live on farms along with humans and help animals have a pleasant life.

Garden gnomes

They are also very popular, and gardening shops sell statues of these magical beings that according to legend help grow healthy plants.

Home gnomes

These gnomes live in our houses, with a preference for big houses especially if they have a basement. They help humans fix broken things.

Eight strange facts about these mythical creatures

How much do you know about gnomes? Discover all the facts that you may have missed!

1. They are always born as twins

Gnomes live up to 400 years, and once the women are around 120 years old, they will always give birth to twins, either two boys, two girls or a boy and a girl. This way the population remains stable.

2. What is their height and how much do they weigh?

As mentioned earlier, depending on the type of gnome, they will each have a different height and weight. Generally, an adult gnome is about 15 centimetres tall (without adding the hat), and weighs about 300 grams if it’s male and around 250-270 grams if it’s female. The Siberian gnome, because it is the tallest kind, measures 19 centimetres in height.

3. The gnome’s enemies

In some folk stories and television series, such as ‘David the Gnome,’ trolls are the magical beings that try to make the gnomes’ lives impossible, and they are depicted as ugly, foul-smelling creatures.

Despite receiving help from gnomes, human beings can also be considered their enemy, especially when they go about cutting down the forests where they live. An interesting film that illustrates this issue is ‘The Gnome-Mobile’ by Walt Disney; it tells the story of a young gnome and his grandfather and how, due to indiscriminate deforestation, they are the last two existing gnomes in a natural park.

4. Fast and with excellent eyesight

Despite being so tiny, gnomes are almost seven times stronger than humans, they can run much faster than them, and it is also rumoured to have better vision than a falcon.

5. Masters of nature

Because they live in the wild, gnomes possess great wisdom regarding natural remedies, and it is also said that they are master artists when it comes to planting grafting and budding. Moreover, gnomes have the gift of telepathy which enables them to communicate with each other over vast distances.

6. A vegetarian diet

Commonly, gnomes are depicted as magical beings with a diet that consists solely of fruit and vegetables. They will sometimes drink milk, or eat eggs which are a gift from birds that don’t have enough space to incubate all of them.

7. The gnome of Girona

The story of the gnome from Girona became famous in Spain at the end of the 1980s. A married couple was allegedly having an idyllic day in the countryside when they encountered a small creature that was observing them. They identified it as being a gnome, and after they caught it, they trapped it in a birdcage.

According to the story, after four days the gnome died and was placed inside a glass bottle with formaldehyde, after which the couple sold it to Ángel Gordon, a passionate parapsychologist that specialized in vampires.

In the end, it all turned out to be a scam, and the remains found inside were identified as being a three-month-old calf fetus.

8. Kabbalistic origin?

Although Frederik Ugarph’s legend is the most popular, there are other sources which indicate that gnomes were created within the Jewish Kaballah belief system, and state that there is a gnome which governs each animal.

Read all about other Mythical Creatures

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