Where Do Gnomes Come From?
Where do gnomes come from? Gnomes are little creatures that live underground and come to life in literary works of fantasy fiction. Their name comes from “genomos” which means “earth dweller” in Latin.
Gnomes first appeared in the works of Paracelsus, who lived in Switzerland during the 16th century. He was a doctor, astrologer, alchemist, and botanist. Paraclesus used gnomes as another name for pygmies, which are beings from mythology and one of the four elements. The elements are earth, air, fire, and water. Gnomes are earth elements, sylphs are air, salamanders are fire, and undines are water.
Beginning in the 19th century, if you asked, “Where do gnomes come from?” people might have said fairy tales. Gnome became another name for goblin, and they were not as attractive as fairies or elves. In some stories, the gnomes guarded treasures under the ground. Soon, the word gnome became synonymous for any small creature, like brownie, leprechaun, and kobold.
By the 20th century, gnomes were widely used in the fantasy category of fictional literature. They are often portrayed as being cunning and clever. In The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis, the gnomes live in the Underland and are used by the Lady of the Green Kirtle (Queen of the Underland) as slaves. Gnomes are the name of the Noldor, a race of elves created by J. R. R. Tolkien. Red Gnomes were used by Tolkien in The Father Christmas Letters. They helped Father Christmas and his elves fight the evil goblins.
Lastly, J. K. Rowling, in the Harry Potter books, had both goblins and gnomes. Gnomes are magical, ugly little creatures who were like garden pests. They were not welcome, as they burrowed underground and dug up roots. They were not very smart and bred prolifically. Some wizards thought that gnome saliva had healing properties. The goblins of Potter’s world are small creatures with long fingers and feet that have their own brand of magic. They run Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which has underground chambers like safety deposit rooms. They are very clever and their language is Gobbledegook.
Gnomes in Other Places
One possible answer to the question, “Where do gnomes come from?” would be “our imagination.” You could also say they come from under the ground. They have, however, made appearances on top of the ground in several ways.
In the 19th century, ceramic garden gnomes were being manufactured in Germany. By the mid 1900s, plastic lawn ornaments called “garden gnomes” were introduced. They looked like the dwarfs in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Some garden gnomes are based on gnomes from literature, like the books by Rien Poortvliet.
An expression using the word “gnome” is “Gnomes of Zurich.” This compares Swiss bankers to creatures that hoard gold in underground vaults. The phrase was used by Harold Wilson in 1956. Another gnome that comes to mind is the “Travel Gnome” which is used in Travelocity commercials.
Other Magical Creatures
There are many magical creatures, like fairies, goblins, pygmies, and elves. Following are definitions of a few more of these small wonders.
Brownies were popular in Scottish and English folklore, and were similar to elves. They live in houses and help out with chores. They only work at night and are sometimes offered food or tokens. If the people call the gifts payments, the brownies will leave the house. They will also leave if clothes are offered to them. Sometimes brownies do not have noses.
Leprechauns are small and mischievous. They usually wear a green or red jacket and are associated with Ireland. They make shoes and place all their gold coins in a pot and hide it at the end of a rainbow. If someone catches them they must give them three wishes to obtain their freedom.
Kobolds, or kobolts, are sprites and come from German mythology. They are usually invisible, and can materialize in many forms including: animals, fire, objects, or people. They live on ships to help sailors, houses to help with housework, or underground, to help with mining. The metal “cobalt” was named after them.