Gnomes, elves, fairies, goblins - collectively `The little people' - have an important place in European folklore. Not so long ago, it was common in some districts for people to leave saucers of milk outside their doors for the fairy people. But if there is a direct link from the suburban garden gnome to the folklore of the little people, then we have an interesting reversal here; traditionally, it is the little people that do the kidnapping. Gnomes are now under our control.
Folktales tell of the little people and fairies abducting a human child, leaving a fairy child in its place. And adults too: Robert Cook, a 17th century Scottish clergyman and author of The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies was commonly believed not to have died a natural death, but to have been abducted by the little people and held under a fairy hill. There are stories of the little people abducting human midwives, to assist at the birth of fairy-human hybrids. If a human entered a fairy hill, or an underground lair, their sense of time would be distorted. These are, of course, exactly the same ideas as we see in the reports of modern UFO abductions. I don't believe in either as physical reality, but I do believe in both as genuine folk beliefs worth investigating.
How the gnome made it into the garden is undocumented, although it can safely be said that it started with architecture, much like the gargoyle. As frontispieces to many of the grandest buildings in Europe, gnomes are often depicted as a kinder, gentler version of their winged counterparts. Gnomes were said to welcome and greet, rather than ward off. Examples of gnomes used in facades are present in Venice and Athens.
With their rounded caps and upright appearance, many believe gnomes to be an ancient phallic symbol; a purveyor of fertility in the garden. This is an interesting allusion, although I personally find that theory hard to swallow.
If you want to visit a place where there are more gnomes than people, visit Southern Germany. In Germany, gnomes are copyrighted and can only be manufactured by one company. At the Czechoslovakian/German border, gnomes can be purchased at discount prices. Many German gnomes are of Czech descent.
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