These little people are dressed in green, obsessed with treasures, rainbows, cheating, and of course, shoe craft. These are the general ideas about gnomes - famous characters in Irish folklore. Much of what is written about them in old tales has already been forgotten.
Dwarf. Wax Museum, Ireland
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ancient gnomes
The gnomes are believed to have been one of the many inhabitants of fairy forts or fairy rings in ancient Ireland. The funny little deceivers could be the embodiment of the Euro-Celtic god Lug. Lug is the sun god, patron of arts and crafts, and the leader of the tribes of the goddess Danu.
Altar with the image of the god Meadows, discovered in Reims
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Photo: Wikipedia
In medieval Irish manuscripts of the XII-XVI centuries. it is noted that gnomes were originally people who lived underwater. Contrary to today's beliefs, not all of them were men. They were portrayed as warriors with an insatiable appetite, and female gnomes lured normal men into secret adventures.
The ancient gnomes were portrayed as cunning old men who wore red or green suits and only made one shoe. The word "one" also applies to the social preferences of gnomes, who mostly spent their time alone instead of interacting with other magical creatures or gnomes. Because of their isolation, others also avoided them. It was believed that the gnomes were mischievous brownies who loved to drink. These characteristics were later transferred to the "cousins" of the gnomes - klurikons - drunkards and rude people. They are blamed for noisy nights and dirty houses (especially wine cellars).
Klurikon, cousin of the Dwarfs. Illustration from the book of T. S. Crocker, 1862
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Rich shoemakers
By 1825, all gnomes were considered men. In his book Traditions and Legends of the South of Ireland, T. Crofton Crocker introduced these mythical creatures as follows: "They are often described as bearded old men, dressed in green, wearing shoes with buckles, in a pointed cap, sometimes smoking a pipe."
The gnomes were very popular and were mentioned by the famous Irish writer William Butler Yeats in 1888: “They looked like dandies, dressed in a red coat with seven rows of buttons, a vest richly decorated with gold, wearing a cocked hat and buckled shoes.”
Gnomes and the Shoemaker from Horace E. Scudder's Book of Fables and Folk Stories. Illustration by George Cruikshank.
Photo: Wikipedia
The 19th century English poet William Allingham is considered the creator of the image of the "modern gnome": a short man with a red beard, a green hat with four gold clover leaves (a symbol of good luck) and a green suit with a large buckle at the belt.
The modern stereotype of the gnome
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Morale of the Dwarfs
In the 19th century, the idea of gnomes as rich and intelligent creatures developed. These tiny old men hid their gold from greedy people who were eager to seize it. It was believed that the captured gnomes gave gold to people in exchange for their freedom.
Dwarf with his gold, engraving 1900
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Legends tell mostly about people who caught the gnome in order to get his wealth. The most famous story is about a farmer who caught a gnome and forced him to tell where he hid his gold. The dwarf showed him a tree under which a treasure was buried. The man did not have a shovel to dig up the treasure, so he tied a red cloth to a tree and took an oath from the dwarf that he would not remove the mark. When the man returned with a shovel, he saw that there were pieces of red cloth hanging on many trees, and the dwarf had disappeared. Thus, the gnome managed to deceive the person and keep his gold.
Another similar story tells of a girl who caught a dwarf and told him to take her to the place where he hides his treasures. On the way, she heard a noise, the gnome said that it was the bees who wanted to attack her. When she turned to look, the dwarf was gone.
In addition, according to some legends, the gnome has two leather pouches. One contains a silver shilling, which is returned to the bag after it has been given. In another pouch is a gold coin, which is said to turn to ash or leaves when the gnome is freed.
There are also common stories that gnomes promise people who catch them to fulfill three wishes, from which people go crazy or their desires backfire. The most popular story of this kind is about Seamus. Seamus, a resident of County Mayo, caught the gnome and he promised him to fulfill one of his wishes. Seamus asked to be the richest man on a tropical island. His wish came true, but there were no bars, no shops, no people on the island. Seamus soon got tired of this and eventually returned to Ireland.
All of these stories have the same moral: getting rich quickly won't help in the long run, stealing is a sin. And it's best not to mess with the Irish gnomes.
Interest in gnomes still exists
Gnomes are now perceived as characters from old fairy tales, people tell bizarre stories when they see a rainbow. However, interest in these little creatures does not fade away. Dublin even has a gnome museum, which offers guided tours and detailed information about gnomes contained in Irish folklore for centuries. Some Irish themed websites also give readers advice on how to catch a gnome and what to do with it afterwards. There are also horror films and comedy films about how these devious deceivers torture adults.
The gnomes cannot really provide us with gold and silver, but they certainly constitute a wealth of Irish folklore.