Heinzelm�nnchen (Gnomes)

Gnomes (Heinzelm�nnchen) are small, intelligent, and very wise folk, not to be mixed up with Dwarves or even Garden-Gnomes (Gartenzwerge). These Garden-Gnomes are a disastrous calumny - a vile distorted picture of the REAL Heinzelm�nnchen! Round about A.D. 1200, the Swede Frederik Ugarph found a well-preserved wooden statue in a fisherman's house in Nidaros (now Trondheim) in Norway. The statue was 15 cm. (just under 6 in.) high, not including the pedestal. Engraved on the pedestal were the words: "NISSE Riktig Storrelse which means "Gnome, actual height." The statue had been in the fisherman's family as long as anyone could remember, and Ugarph succeeded in buying it only after days of negotiation. It is now part of the Oliv family collection in Uppsala. X-ray tests have proved the statue to be more than 2,000 years old. It must have been carved from the roots of a tree that is no longer known; the wood is incredibly hard. The letters were carved many centuries later. The statue's discovery and dating illustrate what gnomes themselves have always said-that their origins are early Scandinavian. It was only after the Great People's Migration beginning A.D. 395 that gnomes appear in the Low Lands-probably in 449, when the Roman outpost of Britannia fell to the Anglo-Saxons and Jutes.Since "Nisse" is the Norwegian word for "Gnome", it is obvious that their population extends farther that a single language, so it stands to reason that they are fairly widespread.There are Heinzelm�nnchen in Germany, too. I guess they exist worldwide... There exists a very old reported sighting of the Heinzelm�nnchen von K�ln ( the Gnomes of Cologne - not to be mixed up with "The Gnomes of Zurich"!). There was a shoemaker in Cologne, who was visited by the Heinzelm�nnchen at nights, they helped the poor man to get his work done, so he could feed his family. At first the shoemakers wife placed a bowl with porridge for them, but as time went on, she got curious. She put uncooked peas on the floor, so whatever came in, would stumble and the noise would wak her up and she would see what it was that finished the shoemakers work every night. The plan worked, she got sight of the Heinzelm�nnchen, but they were so embarrassed of her unthankful behaviour, that they vanished and never came back.... The Gnome is usually 15 cm (3 and a half feet) tall, but with its cap on it appears much taller. Their feet are somewhat pigeon toed which gives them an extra edge on speed and agility through the wood and grass. Most Gnomes are 7 times stronger than a man, can run at speeds of 35 miles per hour, and have better sight than a hawk. These abilities help the Gnome to do many things, such as find wounded, dying animals for which they feel they are responsible for. Because of their love for animals, all the an mals of the forest are the Gnome's friends and are willing to help him at any time. If you see a Gnome, he might very well be riding on the back of a fox, flying with a hawk, or even riding on the back of a frog! (To see a picture of a Heinzelm�nnchen look at: http://www.avalon.net/~rob/english/good.html#Wood ) After their bad experiences with the human race, most Gnomes left civilisation and withdrew to less populated areas, like big woods or distant meadows. But some of them are still here with us, and if you are a sensitive person you will see their works...perhaps even online! Isn't that magic? But don't disturb them or else they will never come back!