The History of Gnomes
Their stone likenesses guard gardens and they are the stuff of legend. Gnomes are sometimes depicted as kindly, old men and other times as vicious, malicious beasts. Learning the history of gnomes, both the good and the bad, just might make you look twice at that garden ornament (especially if you think you just saw it move).
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Geography
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Gnomes, small bearded man-like creatures, are found in the mythology and folklore of most northern, eastern and central European countries. Legends of gnomes, however, seem to have originated in Scandinavia in the fourth or fifth century and have since filtered into Europe. Scandinavian gnomes were supposed to be shy creatures who haunted forests and avoided human beings. Some gnomes, who later came to be called "garden gnomes," were melancholy creatures who gathered to tell sad tales in abandoned gardens and fields. Siberian gnomes, however, were seen as malicious creatures who preyed on humans.
19th Century
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In the 19th century, the philosophical and artistic movement known as "Romanticism" encouraged belief in an unseen world, often linked to faeries or other mythological creatures. In the early part of that century, German potters and artists began creating gnome statues---whimsical bearded men to guard gardens. The fad caught on in England and the United States, where terracotta gnomes became a charming addition to the gardens of wealthy landowners.
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1970s
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In 1976, on a whim, Wil Huygen and illustrator Rien Poortvliet wrote a faux-documentary book simply titled "Gnomes." The book depicted the daily lives of gnomes, their physical characteristics, diet and predators in an anthropological format. The tome's tongue-in-cheek voice and beautiful illustrations made gnomes "come to life" for many readers. It became a run-away hit and, in 2006, enjoyed a 30th anniversary reprinting.
Fantasy
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Very few fantasy games lack for gnomes; they appeared as a playable race in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons in 1978 and have remained a staple of the game ever since. Gnomes also are playable races in massive multiplayer online games such as EverQuest and World of Warcraft. In J.K. Rowling's immensely popular Harry Potter series, Harry helps Ron Weasley rid the Weasley garden of destructive gnomes.
Popular Culture
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The online travel website, Travelocity, adopted the "Roaming Gnome" as its spokesperson in 2004. This was an homage to the "traveling gnome" prank of stealing someone's garden gnome and "returning it to the wild," that is, taking it to famous landmarks, photographing it and sending the pictures back to the original owner. In 2000, the "Garden Gnome Liberation Front" upstaged a Paris artistic show dedicated to the gnomes by stealing about 20 of the 2,000 lawn ornaments. A note left behind stated, "When you read these few words we will no longer be part of your selfish world, where we serve merely as pretty decoration."
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