Gnomes at The Corner Café
Yes, gnomes, those delightful things that get everywhere and are known for their spying techniques as well, or shall we say, seeking the best bribes to decide whose side they are on that day!!
The English word is from the early 18th century, and the word "Gnomes" is used in Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock.
After WW2, the figures classed as lawn ornaments in the 19th century came to be called garden gnomes. In the 1960s to 70s, the first plastic ones were made. OMG and since then the garden gnomes have certainly gone downhill! The really old ones had character and it was a bit spooky to have this gnome watching you as you walked around the garden, but the ones today, with gnomes with a fishing rod sitting round your pond . . . well a disgrace to gnomes!
The old gnomes can be worth a lot of money and are treasured by those that have them, which I can understand. They are known as a good luck symbol, and were thought to protect buried treasure and minerals in the ground, and are still used today to watch over crops and livestock and are often found in the rafters of a barn or placed in the garden where they can watch and not be seen.
You can buy gnomes now, not the awful plastic ones, for every occasion, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, you name it there are gnomes for it, waiting for a good home. The Scandinavian gnomes are small and bearded and are mischievous and, again, according to their folklore, they are responsible for the protection of the farmstead. Some people think that the gnomes originally come from the soul of the first person to own the farm.
Even they can get upset if you reject them!
But the gnomes I have and love do not sit out in the garden looking stupid, and are certainly not plastic. They sit quite happily on my office window sill watching my every move and everything I google so that they can store that information to sell to the highest bidder !!
My collection of mischief!
There are different ideas in different countries as to what they do and where they came from, but whatever the folklore or the country, we must just accept these delightful fun creatures are here to stay, and will bring luck and good fortune.
Let's have your thoughts on gnomes, garden or otherwise, and do you share your home with any? I know a few that do, and they are loved and respected members of the household.
So, let's have some fun with these lovely creatures who keep us on our toes.
All are welcome.
And please feel free to share all discussions you enjoy.
