Also called nisse, tomtenisse, tonttu, julenisse, tomtegubbe
The tomte, or nisse, is the small, grey-clad, red-capped farm spirit of Scandinavian folklore who looks after the house and animals. He expects respect all year and a bowl of Christmas porridge with a pat of butter on top, and grew into the Christmas gnome familiar today.
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Take care: Do not leave food out overnight where it will draw rodents into the house, and keep butter and porridge away from dogs and cats that cannot tolerate dairy.
Some Norwegian households set out a meal for the nisse not only on Christmas Eve but on Thursday evenings, placing it in the barn. Neglecting the offering, or mocking it, was said to bring punishment.
Uses: porridge, Christmas ale
Rydberg's poem shows a lone tomte keeping watch over a sleeping farm on a winter night and wondering about life and death. Jenny Nyström's illustrations for it fixed the white-bearded, red-capped look that later merged with the Christmas gift-bringer.
Records from Sweden mention Christmas Day gifts to the tomtar of coarse wool cloth, tobacco and a shovelful of earth, called a reward for their year's service.
Uses: wadmal cloth, tobacco, earth
The tomte takes his Swedish name from tomt, the homestead plot, and the Norwegian and Danish nisse is probably a pet form of Nils, a form of Nicholas. He was imagined as a small old man, far stronger than his size suggests, living in the barn or under the floor. He looked after livestock, sometimes stole hay or grain from neighbors for his own farm, and punished anyone who mistreated the animals, cut corners or spilled things without warning.
In the nineteenth century the nisse moved indoors and into Christmas. Viktor Rydberg's 1881 poem Tomten, illustrated by Jenny Nyström, and her many Christmas cards shaped the modern figure, and in Denmark and Norway the julenisse became the bringer of presents. Astrid Lindgren's picture books based on Rydberg's poem carried the tomte to English readers. In Finland the borrowed tonttu developed its own identity, and the tomte still appears on Christmas cards and candle holders across the Nordic countries.
The night of 5 December in the Alpine countries, when Saint Nicholas brings gifts to good children and his horned companion Krampus threatens the naughty with birch switches. Masked Krampus and Perchten runs are also said to chase off the dark spirits of winter.
A brownie is a small, shaggy household spirit of Scottish and northern English folklore who does chores at night in return for a bowl of cream or milk and a bit of bread. Insult him, show off his work, or hand him a gift of clothes, and he leaves for good.
The domovoi is the guardian spirit of the Slavic household, usually pictured as a small, hairy old man who lives behind the stove. Kept happy with bread, salt and leftovers, he protects the family and livestock, and when the family moves house he must be invited to come along.
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