Gnome

Gnomes work in secret and hide from humans, often making themselves scarce or invisible when in danger of being discovered. When a gnome is spotted, he often looks like a small man, usually no taller than 20-30 cm, dressed in typical Scandinavian peasant clothing: woolen knee breeches with matching knitted socks, wooden clogs, a shirt, a vest, and a red hat. Though gnomes are usually male, there are stories of female gnomes and gnome children, too.

Gnomes are helpful and hardworking creatures. On farms, they take care of animals, work the fields, and tidy up in the yard; they pick up similar tasks in other places where they live. Though they are small, they are as strong as 10 men and quite resourceful to boot, so they can easily do tasks even humans struggle with. They’re typically not dangerous, but they can have a temper: an angry gnome can hurt both humans and animals in a fit.

Even though gnomes look alike, there are different types of them, in different places, and with different responsibilities.

Barn or farm gnome:

The most common type of gnome is the barn or farm gnome. He lives in barns and stables, where he looks after the animals on the farm. He’s particularly fond of horses and often has a favorite horse that he takes extra good care of. Although very helpful, he can be moody, erratic, and temperamental, and can cause a lot of mischief if he feels badly or unfairly treated.

House gnome:

The attics of old houses often become home to a house gnome. He is invisible for most of the time, but can sometimes be seen late on dark winter nights if he feels safe. He makes sure that the house is in order and performs small tasks like helping in the kitchen or rocking children to sleep. Like most gnomes, he is a bit of a troublemaker, so he can get up to some mischief from time to time.

Forest gnome:

Forest gnomes dwell in the wild, often in hollow tree roots or trunks deep in the woods. They look after the wild animals and birds of the forest and usually eat berries, mushrooms, nuts, and seeds, which they store in their winter reserves. The forest gnomes use animal tracks as roads, and in winter, they can drive sleds using cats or rabbits as draft animals, or travel using skis and ice skates.

Ship gnome:

In Northern Norway, sailors tell tales of ship gnomes. A ship gnome usually lives onboard a vessel, but can sometimes be found in boathouses, too. He is usually helpful and will steady the mast in a storm so it does not break; when a boat is docked, he will maintain it in good condition. If he knocks on the ship's hull, that is a good omen. However, if you hear him planing wood, he’s warning that a storm is coming. When the ship gnome leaves the ship, it is an omen of a certain shipwreck.

Church gnome:

In towers of old churches, one may find church gnomes. Every Saturday, the church gnome dusts the pews and chairs, sweeps the floor, and tidies up to make sure everything is ready for the Sunday morning service. If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the church gnome in the tower hatch when you are on your way to liturgy.

Christmas gnome:

In the 19th century, the image of gnomes with their red hats and the custom of setting out food for them around Christmas merged with stories of Saint Nicholas of Myra. This gave rise to stories of a julenisse or Christmas gnome. Even today, this is who Norwegian children expect to bring gifts on Christmas Eve.

The night of April 9th, 1940, is dark and stormy off the Norwegian coast. From the fog, warships emerge. They fly a red flag with a black hooked cross. Soldiers in dark uniforms storm the shores and fill the streets. They meet fierce resistance. Even so, within weeks, Norway falls, and the German occupation begins.

Life is different under occupation: German soldiers are everywhere, their threatening presence making life feel more stifled, less secure. Hotels, inns, and even houses turn into military camps. IDs are checked in the streets, at the gates, on ships, at train stations. Food, fuel, even clothes are rationed. And still, in secret, a resistance movement grows.

On December 8th, 1941, an ordinance is issued: the Norwegian flag and its colors are prohibited, not to be used in public, on clothing or decorations, in trademarks and advertising. This is German land now, where Norwegian patriotism has no place. The reason for the ban? Christmas cards.

The Norwegian flag is already a symbol: of the free and independent Norway, of peace, and a life the people want back. But with the holidays approaching, it becomes a motif, too: on Christmas cards, popular to send out around this time of the year, red-hatted gnomes wear red-white-blue tassels on their hats, retrieve the Norwegian flag from a rose-painted coffer, and wish the recipient a merry Norwegian Christmas. The artist behind the cards is Stavanger native Frank Wathne. Others quickly join him, and patriotic art by Kjell Aukrust, Thorbjørn Egner, Vigdis Rojahn, and Ulf Aas finds its way into Norwegian homes with holiday greetings.

The gnomes and their red hats become a symbol of resistance themselves. Wearing a red knitted hat in public signifies defiance of the occupation authorities and is considered offensive and provocative. On February 26th, 1942, red gnome-hats are forbidden too.

In the following years, Christmas cards bear religious motifs or show off Norwegian landscapes. If gnomes appear at all, their hats are green or yellow. But a black market for traditional cards with the red-hatted gnomes flourishes; the symbolic resistance continues.