Gnomes On Dope

Gnomes attempted to infiltrate the interior of my house at about 0300 hour this morning (Eastern Standard Time). While Martin the Bear and the Porcelain Piglet decimated the main body of gnome troops, Alter Gnome escaped unharmed and undetected.

Per the Gnome Defence Manual, I have buried the remains of the gnomes head down around the perimeter.

Note Carefully

Need to raise the sensitivity on the Gnome Early Warning System (GEWS) Pronounced “goose” during snowy weather. False Alarms all night long. Somehow they knew…….

Gnome adventurers let their curiosity for the unknown get the better of them, and often can be found in the company of elves or dwarves.

The picture is from Karl Gjellerup’s book Den Ældre Eddas Gudesange [The Divine Songs of the Elder Eddas] Kalliope, Denmark, 1895 [re-released by Thaning and Appel, Copenhagen, 1973]; some call these figures ‘gnomes’.

The term gnome appears better attributed to Paracelsus, where they are described as ‘elementals’ having to do with the earth. This may have led to confusion of the terms, since dwarves are usually identified as ‘soil dwelling dwarves’ [the old Norse Eddas], or below-ground stone and metal smiths [Tolkien].

Even the term gnome is not settled in its origins; while some attribute it to the Greek gnome ‘to know’, others from the Greek genomon ‘one who knows’, and by extension ‘guardian’ (of treasure), yet others say Greek genomus ‘earth dweller’ [presumably from ge, gaia 'earth' + nómos 'an allotted abode'].

Mythologically Dwarves are believed to live in subterranean halls, or mines, and guard great treasures. The term Dwarf traces back to ancient Northern European roots [e.g.: Swedish dverg, Old German twerg], but its origin is essentially unknown.