GNOMES: ELEMENTALS AND PROTECTORS

When I first thought about gnomes, I pictured those garden statues of small bearded men with red pointed hats. Moreover, I regarded gnomes to be some sort of dwarf. Digging deeper, I discovered that Gnomes (Note 1) are Earth Elementals. Meanwhile, the statues of garden gnomes have two traditions – the hermit in the garden and the folklore about gnomes (in which they are be considered a sub-race of dwarfs).

 

In “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard,” Oberon Zell-Ravenheart defined an Elemental as “a localized focus or manifestation of the collective spirit of any of the four material Elements.” He stresses that the Elementals are not “Nature Spirits” as They are only associated with their particular Element. Gnomes are Earth Elementals “personifying the Earth.” Zell-Ravenheart further adds that They are guardians of the hidden treasures in the Earth.

 

According to Manly Palmer Hall in “The Elements and Their Inhabitants,” the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus said that the “invisible, spiritual counterpart of visible Nature” was inhabited by “peculiar beings (Elementals) of the Elements” that seem human. Each Element had two parts – the lower which is visible and fixed and the higher which is indiscernible and rarefied. Hall explained these parts as “a subtle vaporous principle and a gross corporeal substance.” According to both, “the Elementals live between humans and spirits.” These Elementals are the Undines (water), Gnomes (earth), Sylphs (air), and Salamanders (fire).

 

Paracelsus called Gnomes, “Pigmies.” Since he saw Them as earth dwellers, who had powers over minerals, Paracelsus labeled Gnomes “the Guardians of Hidden Treasures.” He said that since Gnomes lived in stones, plants, and trees, therefore tree and forest sprites were also Earth Elementals. The Beings that modern people regard to be Gnomes are the ones who built houses of stones or lived in caves.

 

Other people wrote about Gnomes as well. Churchman and mystic, Abbe de Villars said “The earth is filled well nigh to its center with Gnomes, people of slight stature, who are the guardians of treasures, minerals and precious stones. They are ingenious.” The Norse believed that Gnomes lived in caves and had immense power over minerals, stones, and metals. Meanwhile, Shakespeare in “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” said that the Gnomes were ruled by Gob, and were also called “Goblins.”

 

Because they lived in the Earth, Gnomes became assigned to the position of North. In ceremonial magick, Watchtowers of the Four Cardinal Directions are invoked for protection. When calling the Watchtowers, Gob, the King of the Gnomes is invoked as the Guardian of the North.

 

The gnome statue that people see in gardens was first an ornamental hermit. A person who wanted solitude would seek residence in a hermitage, a formal garden. The notion of a hermit in the garden originated in France and spread to Italy and Spain. It was a form of lay spirituality for the owner of the hermitage since the hermit also acted as a monk. However the hermits were expected to entertain at picnics and put on performances.

 

The custom of garden gnomes came from Northern Europe, noticeably Germany and the Netherlands. To them, the gnomes were mythical little people who worked underground. Gnomes would protect and bless their gardens. Placing statues of the gnomes themselves started in Germany in the 1800s. Today’s garden gnomes is a combination of the ornamental hermit and the folkloric gnome.

 

Digging into the lore of gnomes, I found that people believed them to “embody the desire to work with physical matter.” Gnomes could be considered the heart of the home transforming it into a thing of beauty. They not only blessed the land but the home as well.

 

Gnomes have various magical qualities. They offer wisdom and protection of the earth. Also, they bring good luck through productivity. They reward people who care for the earth with arcane knowledge of plants. It is said that gnomes will come out at night and help the plants of the garden grow.

 

Since they are tied to the earth, Gnomes are stable. I consider myself stolid like a Gnome. Because of my injury, I live in the “Brain Cave” much like a Gnome. Since I am close to the Earth, I can readily ground myself.

 

Like gnomes, I am attuned to the plants and animals of nature. My neighbors see me talking to trees and squirrels. I believe that these Beings have something to say to me. As I go on my flower walks, I try to teach my neighbors about these plants. (I suppose I could also be considered an ornamental hermit since I wander about.) Since I want to extend nature’s beauty wherever I am, I like to make things of beauty. Furthermore, I bless my home and make it a cozy place to live.

 

Notes:

 

Note 1: I capitalize the Elemental.

 

Works Used:

 

Campbell, Gordon, “The Hermit in the Garden.” Oxford University Press: Oxford. 2013.

 

Hall, Manly P., “The Elements and Their Inhabitants. (1928).” E-book. Edizioni Aurora Boreale. 2002.

—, “Unseen Forces: Nature Spirits, Thought Forms, Ghosts and Spectors, the Dweller on the Threshold. (1924).” E-book. Borodino Books. 2018.

 

“Elementals and the Guardians of the Watchtowers.” Otherworldly Oracle. 1 December 2020. Web. https://otherworldlyoracle.com/elementals-guardians-of-the-watchtowers/.

 

Parks, Shoshi, “Ornamental Hermits Were 18th-Century England’s Must-Have Garden Accessory,” Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July, 2023. Web. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ornamental-hermits-were-18th-century-englands-must-have-garden-accessory-180982469/.

 

Silva, Jorge, “What Does a Gnome Represent and Symbolize? 7 Meanings,” Angelical Balance. December 2021. Web. https://www.angelicalbalance.com/spirituality/what-does-a-gnome-represent/.

 

Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, “Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard.” New Page Books: Franklin Lakes (NJ). 2004.