The ancient fabulous race of dwarfs - gnomes - appeared within the framework of German-Scandinavian mythology. This is a short people, living mainly in caves and extracting precious metals and stones.

Fairy dwarfs - creatures of German-Scandinavian mythology

Dwarfs are often found in the literary works of writers around the world, but they gained particular popularity in the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, as well as cult cycles about Middle-earth and Narnia.

Origin of the gnomes

About who the gnomes are, they first told in their In the modern world, the image of these magical creatures can be found in literary works and folklore of the peoples of the world. There are several theories about the origin of this people. Some argue that he went from the ancient giants, who also lived in caves and dungeons. Others believe that the ancestors are those who lived in the darkness of the underworld.

The very word "gnomes" appeared thanks to the ancient alchemist named Paracelsus. The basis was the ancient Greek word "knowledge", because. the alchemist believed that fabulous dwarfs are the owners of knowledge hidden from people.

Depending on the country and people, gnomes are called differently.

1. In ancient times, the German-Scandinavian peoples called them dvergs or tsvergs.
2. The English version of the name of the dwarf race is dwarves.
3. In the Polish language, the name dwarfs was fixed.
4. The Serbian people call them Lyudki.

Description of appearance and character

Gnomes look like ordinary people. The main difference is that the growth of an adult dwarf does not exceed a human child. Despite this, the creatures are distinguished by unprecedented physical strength, which helps them to easily cope with difficult work. Such dwarfs are often the owners of a long, thick beard. They prefer to dress in simple rags.

Gnomes, i.e., female individuals of the race, have magnificent forms and the same long, thick hair as the beards of men of this species. They wear gray or dark green clothing. Particular preference is given to skirts and blouses.

Dwarves are a good-natured and hard-working people who still prefer to have as little contact as possible with representatives of other races.

Lifestyle of fabulous dwarfs

In the mythology of different peoples, gnomes and their way of life are described in different ways, but there are still common features. Among them:

1. Dwarfs prefer to live in underground caves. It is believed that such gnomes, like giant trolls, cannot be in sunlight, because it turns them into stone statues.
2. The underworld is distinguished by its complex structure and extraordinary beauty. They build real fortresses and castles in their caves.
3. Dwarves are the best metallurgists in the whole world. Living in their dungeons, they mine metal and precious stones, from which they then make unusual jewelry and weapons.
4. Due to the fact that the dwarves have untold wealth, they have many enemies among representatives of other races. They especially suffer from greedy people and huge ones. This forces them to lead a more secluded lifestyle.
5. Dwarves are on friendly terms with animals and birds that live in forests and grasslands. Therefore, they are also predominantly vegetarian. All kinds of fruits, vegetables and berries, mushrooms and nuts, as well as intoxicating infusions and mead are considered the favorite food of dwarfs.
6. The special differences of the gnomes are also: the ability to see clearly in the dark and longevity. On average, dwarfs can live up to 400 years.

Fairy dwarfs prefer to live underground

Types of gnomes

The race of dwarfs is distinguished by a wide variety of species depending on their habitat. The main differences are considered appearance, behavior and lifestyle. Among the types of gnomes known to mankind, the following are distinguished:

1. Forest dwarves are considered the most numerous and popular species. They are distinguished by isolation and a hermit way of life.
2. There are also gnomes that live in endless expanses of deserts and prairies. Their main feature is their relatively tall stature by dwarf standards. They also prefer to wear gray clothes, which helps them to be more inconspicuous.
3. The largest and fiercest are the dwarves, who live in the far, cold north. They are cruel, bloodthirsty and vengeful. For the sake of survival, they can go to battle with huge trolls.
4. Garden dwarfs are considered more good-natured and sociable. They love colorful clothes, old and overgrown gardens. If a person is lucky enough to meet such a gnome, he will be happy to tell a lot of fables, legends and more.
5. Some dwarfs have a preference for human homes or farms. They are not as sociable as garden counterparts, but some people managed to make acquaintance with them.

Gnomes in world literature

Fairy dwarfs are often found in the literary works of Western writers. One of the most striking examples is the fairy tales of German authors:

• brothers Grimm;
• Ernst Hoffman;
• Wilhelm Hauff.

The fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is especially popular. In this story, a princess who has escaped from a terrible sorceress stepmother meets with forest gnomes, who also mine gems in the dungeons.

New life was breathed into the image of dwarfs by the writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the author of the famous fantasy cycle called The Lord of the Rings. In his books, dwarves are among the chief inhabitants of Middle-earth. They live in caves, extract and protect countless treasures. They do well with a battle ax and participate in various adventures.

Dwarves also inhabit the magical kingdom of Narnia, which was described in his works by the Irishman Lewis Staples Clive. Dwarves were one of the first inhabitants magical land and played an important role in its history. This people is engaged in jewelry and weapons craft, distinguished by secrecy and silence.

Little underground spirits in different countries called differently. Sometimes they look like peaceful brownies, but in the mountains they live in underground caves and protect earthly riches. The most famous characters from this series - gnomes. They received their name relatively recently, in the 16th century. The word is of Latin-Greek origin - "genomos" in Latin means "underground inhabitant", and in Greek "gnosis" - "knowledge". It is believed that the word "dwarf" was invented by the alchemist Paracelsus, in order to designate the spirit of the earth as a primary element or as an earth elemental. But this name is firmly established for fabulous dwarfs, primarily from Germanic and Scandinavian myths. Their historical name in Old Norse is dverg, in German - zwerg, in English - dwarf. And also their ancient prototypes were the Nibelungs, the lower elves and kobolds. They all live underground and in caves, wear beards and often caps, are famous for their wealth and skill as jewelers and blacksmiths.

But the most ancient references to them are known in Egypt and Phoenicia. small in egypt Patek were a reduced hypostasis of Ptah, the god underworld and death, concurrently, he, respectively, knew everything about underground treasures. Pateks, they are also called pateikos, owned magic, the art of reincarnation, and they also created magical jewelry, which in Egypt was necessarily endowed with special properties. Amulets in the form of small bow-legged dwarfs were very widespread and, among various protective functions, they also protected against snakes. Pateks, like lizards, served Hathor - the turquoise lady. . So it is possible that little sorcerers came with people to the north of Europe and Scandinavia from Africa itself. And along the way, they left a trail all over the Eurasian north.

Underground dwarfs are known under other names. Dwarf inIreland - leprechaun, in England - brownie, in Belgium - kabuter(in Flemish - kleinmannenken), in Holland - skritek, in Germany they are also called erdmanane. In Poland - scrat or dwarf, in Serbia and Croatia - patulak or kerek, In Bulgaria - duje, Hungary - mano, Spain - duende. Prussian gnomes were called kaukis, Icelandic gnomes were called vuttir, and in Japan they were called tengu. Barbegazi are large-footed gnomes in France and Switzerland. Norwegian zettes, Irish seeds, Lapland chaklis are also popular. Megalithic structures- dolmens in the Caucasus were built by midgets-bicent. There are also gmurs and homozuli. Legends about underground dwarfs are common on almost all continents, up to Australia and Polynesia. I'm sure I haven't named all of them yet. The Russian ethnographer A.N. Afansiev in his work "The Tree of Life" wrote "among the Luzhans, dwarfs are called lyudki: these are underground spirits that live in the mountains, hills and dark caves .. People are skillful musicians, love dancing and come to rural holidays. For services give gifts, and when they are annoyed, they repay with cruel jokes. Everyone's favorite domovyata are their siblings))

This fountain is dedicated to the Cologne gnomes, found

Until now, the legends about the Chud are not fully understood - and meanwhile, in addition to the legendary underground Chud, who possessed witchcraft abilities, there was also a people who lived on a large territory and left a memory of themselves in toponymy, let us recall at least Lake Peipus. Maybe in the legends ideas about the people and their beliefs were bizarrely mixed up? In the North of the Urals, and throughout the entire Eurasian north, archaeologists find Chud dugouts and bronze casting, first of all, the Chud is associated with the development of copper mines, well, as there are many legends around all the ancient miners around the Chud, which speak of them as sorcerers and experts the underworld. In one of the Ural reserves - Taganay there is Mount Kruglitsa, which is considered esoteric, it seems that you can meet underground dwarfs there. I'm not talking about Bazhov, the collector of Ural tales and the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. And in Mongolia, by the way, the custom is still preserved, according to which special altars are erected for the Owners of mountains and roads - obo, laying hills of stones and decorating them with high shafts and bright blue fabric. And today, these funny characters continue to inspire writers, sculptors and artists.

Dwarf from Mirabell Park in Salzburg from here

Lemprechauns are Irish gnomes. Their ancestor is the god Lak. They went underground when the Celts came. Each leprechaun owns a pot of gold coins. Sacred tree - thorn bush.

Dwarves, they are also gmurs, they are also called homozuli, more ancient than their name; it is Greek, but the Greek classics did not know it, for it arose only in the 16th century. Etymologists attribute its invention to the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus, in whose writings it first appears.

"Gnosis" in Greek - "knowledge"; there is a hypothesis that Paracelsus invented the word "gnome", because the gnomes know and can reveal to a person the exact location of the metals hidden in the earth.

Gnomes are the spirits of the earth and mountains. In the mythology of the peoples of Europe, small, human-like creatures that live underground, in the mountains or in the forest. They are as tall as a child, but endowed with supernatural strength, have long beards and live much longer than humans. Gnomes are shorter than humans, but stronger and stockier. They are known for their fiery temper and incredible stamina. Gnomes have well-developed strength and physique, but with dexterity they are worse off. They are not as resourceful as humans, but are usually wiser due to experience gained over a long life.

Folk fantasy represents the dwarfs living under the mountains as bearded dwarfs with rude and funny features. This is how they are described in Western European fairy tales. There they are usually dressed in tight brown kaftans and monastic hoods. Outwardly, the gnomes resemble the same fairy-tale Karls, but they are a little less squat and longer-nosed.

Dwarves are great master blacksmiths who know the secrets of the mountains. They were the first to learn how to mine ores and smelt metals.

In general, these are hardworking and kind people, but they have suffered greatly from human greed, therefore they do not like people. Dwarves hide in deep mountain caves, where they built underground cities and palaces. Sometimes they come to the surface, but if they meet people in the mountains, they scare them away with a loud cry.

There are countless legends about gnomes...

They are considered a race related to elves and fairies. Like the vultures of Hellenic and Eastern beliefs and Germanic dragons, their duty is to guard hidden treasures.

One legend says that dwarves are fairies' shoemakers. Fairies love to dance, and they wear out their shoes pretty quickly when they dance. Shoemakers make them new shoes... for a fee, of course.

According to another legend, gnomes (gmurs) fight in dungeons with mountain monsters (grimturs) and dragons.

Since the gnomes are similar to people, only smaller (so it is more convenient for them to walk through the caves), some of the gnomes mixed with people: people got knowledge about blacksmithing and jewelry from them.

Gnomes are extremely touchy, quarrelsome and capricious. In the bowels of the earth, the gnomes keep treasures - precious stones and metals; they are skilled artisans, able to forge magical rings, swords, chain mail, and other magical items. Any person, having met a dwarf, tries to get his gold and silver, which is accumulated by a diligent dwarf in continuous, hard work. But gnomes can disappear, one has only to blink one's eyes.

According to the same legends, the dwarves are well resistant to diseases and poisons, but they really do not like water and do not know how to swim at all. They can see in total darkness. They have a highly developed facial expression (sometimes even a caricature), and a long and sharp nose serves as proof of belonging to an old and noble race.

Less is known about the life of the gnomes as a people, and therefore all statements will be more controversial. The most ancient race and, apparently, the smallest; live in childbirth, ignoring the problems of the world.

The magic of the gnomes is too different from the magic of people, and perhaps they have ancestral cults: progenitors, heroes and gods associated with mountains, craft and war. In all likelihood, all the legendary swords of this world came from dwarven forges. Dwarves tempered their swords in flames and made them openwork to reduce weight. The creators of the legendary swords themselves become formidable opponents during the battle.

Legends of the origin of the gnomes

Aule created them...

Tolkien tried to tell where the gnomes came from.

Dwarfs owe their origin to Aula, who created them in the darkness of Middle Earth.

“... Aule so strongly wished for the arrival of the Children, in order to pass on to the students his knowledge and his art in crafts, that he could not wait for the completion of Ilúvatar's plan. And Aule created the gnomes - such as they are now, because the images of the Children who were to appear were unclear to him. And since the Earth was still under the rule of Melkor, Aule tried to make his creations strong and enduring.

Fearing that the other Valar might denounce his design, he worked in secret. And first he created in a cave under one of the mountains of Middle-earth the seven fathers of the gnomes. However, Iluvatar knew what was happening. And at the very hour when Aule's work was completed, to his pleasure, and Aule began to teach the dwarves the speech that he invented for them - at that very hour Iluvatar spoke to him, and Aule, hearing his voice, fell silent.

And Iluvatar said to him: Why did you do this? Why are you trying to create something that you know is beyond your power and beyond your control? From me, as a gift, you received only your own existence, and nothing more, and therefore the creatures created by your hand and your mind may not live, but exist, moving only when you mentally tell them to move, and if your thought busy with something else, they will remain motionless. Is that what you wanted?

Then Aule replied: “I did not want this. I wanted to create beings different from myself, to love and teach them, so that they, too, could comprehend the beauty of Ea created by you. Because Arda seems to me to be a huge place for many beings who could enjoy life in it. Moreover, for the most part it is still uninhabited and silent. I was reckless in my impatience, but still the desire for creativity, hidden in my heart, was laid down in my creation by you yourself. An unintelligent child who turns his father's plans into play can do so without malice, but only because he is his father's son. But what can I do now so that you do not become completely angry with me?

As the son of my father, I offer you these beings, the creations of your own hands. Do with them what you will. But shouldn't I destroy my imperfect work?'

And Aule raised his great hammer to smite the dwarves, and wept. But, touched by his humility, Ilyuvatar felt compassion for Aula and his desire, and the dwarves recoiled in horror from the hammer, bowed their heads and begged for mercy. And then Iluvatar said to Aula: “I accepted your creation as you created it. Don't you see that these beings now have a life of their own and speak with their own voices! But they did not evade the blow, they did not dispute the decision you made.

And Aule, rejoicing, threw away his hammer and gave thanks to Ilúvatar, saying: “May Eru bless my work and correct it!”

But Iluvatar spoke again: “As I gave birth to the plans of Ainur at the creation of the world, so now I will fulfill your desire and give them life, but in no other way will I correct the work of your hands. And as you created them, so they will remain. But I will not allow these beings to come before the First Born of my design. Not that your creation is rewarded. They will sleep in the darkness under the stone and will not appear until the Firstborn awaken on Earth. And until that hour comes, you and your creatures will wait, however long. But when the time will come, they will wake up and become for you as your children, and there will be frequent clashes between your creations and mine, the children whom I adopted and the children chosen by me.

And then Aule took the seven Dwarf fathers and laid them down to rest in a secluded place, and he himself returned to Valinor and waited until the long years dragged on.

Since the Dwarves were to appear in the days of the power of Melkor, Aule created them strong and enduring, and therefore they are hard as stone, stubborn, strong in friendship and enmity, and more steadfastly endure the hardships of exhausting labor, hunger and bodily wounds than all others who have the speech of the peoples. And gnomes live a long time, much longer than humans are allowed to live - but not forever.

In the old days, the Elves of Middle-earth believed that the dead dwarves turned into the earth and stone from which they were created, but the dwarves themselves do not believe in this. They say that Aule the creator, whom they call Mahal, takes care of them and gathers them in Mandos in separate halls, that when the end of the world comes, he will give them a blessing and place them among the children. And then their business will be to serve Aule and help him rebuild Ard after the Last Battle. And they also say that the seven Dwarf fathers will rise again and again in their tribe and will again bear their ancient names. Of these, in later ages, the most famous was Darin, the founder of the most friendly tribe to the Elves, whose residence was in Khazad-dum.

The Silmarillion, J. R. Tolkien

ABOUT Dean created them...

The Scandinavian peoples have their own legends about the origin of the gnomes.

“... From the day when the sun first lit up in the sky, life on earth has become more fun and joyful. All people worked peacefully in their fields, everyone was happy, no one wanted to become more noble and richer than the other. In those days, the gods often left Asgard and wandered around the world. They taught people to dig the earth and extract ore from it, and also made for them the first anvil, the first hammer and the first tongs, with the help of which all other tools and tools were later made. Then there were no wars, no robberies, no theft, no perjury. A lot of gold was mined in the mountains, but they didn’t save it, but made dishes and household utensils from it - that’s why this age is called “golden”.

Once, rummaging in the ground in search of iron ore, Odin, Vili Ve found worms in it, which wound up in the meat of Ymir. Looking at these clumsy creatures, the gods involuntarily thought.

What shall we do with them, brethren? Ve finally said. - We have already populated the whole world, and nobody needs these worms. Maybe they should just be destroyed?

You are mistaken, - Odin objected. - We inhabited only the surface of the earth, but forgot about its bowels. Let's better make them little dwarf men or black elves and give them the underworld kingdom, which will be called Svartalfaheim, that is, the Black Elf Country.

What if they get tired of living there and want to go upstairs to the sun? asked Willy.

Do not be afraid, brother, - answered Odin. - I will make the sun's rays turn them into stone. Then they will always have to live only underground ...

The rest of the gods agreed with him. This is how the elves and dwarves and two new countries appeared in the world: Svartalfaheim and Ljesalfaheim.”

"Elder Edda"

Relationships between gnomes and humans

From the end of the 17th century until the beginning of the 19th century. the rocky regions and moorlands of Cornwall were covered with industrial buildings with smoking chimneys and deep mines where prospectors mined tin, lead and silver. The workers, holding on tightly to the rope, with candles attached to their hats, descended underground, knowing that they were not alone there. "Someone" constantly kept them company, and with this "someone" they had to be careful not to offend.

These were gnomes living and working in mines, also known as “knockers” (knocker (English) - knocking. Here a natural association arises about the poltergeist phenomena that our contemporaries encountered back in the 20th century. In addition, underground creatures are not the exclusive property of Western European mythology.Suffice it to recall the excellent book "Ural Tales" by the Russian writer Bazhov, where such characters as the Emerald Snake, the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, etc. are mentioned - V. Sh.).

Often the miners could hear the impact of their tools crushing rock, very close, as if just around the corner, or in a nearby tunnel. It was believed that one should not interfere with the work of the gnomes. It was advised to listen to their blows, since the knockers had a wonderful ability to detect the richest deposits of ore. The one who tried to follow the dwarves or steal their prey was expected by a serious illness sent by the Knockers - something like rheumatism, when a person remained lame for the rest of his life.

However, one old man decided to try his luck. His name was Trenwit. He mined ore in the Buckles area. somehow summer night he and his son lay in the grass waiting for the gnomes to appear, patiently peering into the darkness hour after hour, until he noticed a group of little men trying to pull their cargo to the surface. Taking off his hat and apologizing for disturbing the dwarves, Trönwit offered them a deal. Why would the dwarves suffer all night, pulling out the ore, if they and their son could help? In return, the old man asked the Knokers to point out places rich in metals and promised to give them a tenth of the booty every day. The gnomes, having consulted among themselves, agreed.

For a long time, both parties were satisfied with the agreement: the dwarves enjoyed a lot of free time, and the old man gave them their due part every day. Trenwith soon became rich. But he was not eternal, and when he died, the mine passed to his son. The heir, considering himself too burdened by his father's obligation, began to cut the share of the dwarves. But the Knockers were not easily fooled. Angry at the treachery and greed of their son, they, in turn, also ceased to fulfill their obligations. In a short time, ore production at the mine dropped sharply, and the son, who quickly squandered his father's money, was forced to look for work. But everyone knew that he had already once deceived the dwarves, and they did not want to deal with him. Soon, rejected by all, this man died penniless.

Dwarfs of the world unite, defend themselves and announce their bisexuality

The German city of Chemnitz has been declared the birthplace of garden gnomes, where from now on the annual congress "Gnomes of all countries - unite!" At the past congress, first of all, the rights of gardeners were discussed, over which, according to the chairman of the first congress and the chairman of the association for the protection of gnomes, Fritz Friedman, drunken lawnmowers are especially brutally mocked. The chairman put forward a demand - exams for "herbal hairdressers", and he asked nature for more sunny days to brighten up the life of little men.

At present, a real scandal has flared up in Germany and Switzerland in connection with a “gnome” problem that is very important for world civilization. The “bone of contention” between the board of the “International Association for the Protection of Garden Gnomes”, which is located in Basel, and one of the traditional manufacturers of these figurines in red caps for decorating summer cottages, especially in the countries of Northern Europe and Canada, was the release in Thuringia of a gnome women. Fritz Friedmann, mentioned earlier, said that Reinhard Griebel, who, despite the harsh bans from Basel, Switzerland, has been producing a female version of the gnome called “Countess Rhoda” for two years now, “encroached on the honor and dignity of garden gnomes.” Friedman fined the "recalcitrant" German 75 euros. The punished person paid them, without stopping, however, releasing his truly “unique” product. The world of wizards has arrived. From now on, along with the gnomes, little "gnomes" will protect the backyard and garden plots of Europe, joyfully praising the 21st century, which allowed such emancipation.

Oddly enough, there are several problems ... Are there underground inhabitants created by Odin (let's leave Tolkien fairy tales and numerous "mechemash" admirers with their fees, disputes, gossip), but with Odin, everything is not so simple.

One is a god, and the gods came from heaven.

If, according to the author of the book “We are aliens” by Valery Iosifovich Kratokhvil, the ancestors of the main four earthly races came: Caucasians - from the star "Upsilon" of the constellation Bootes, Mongoloids - from the star "Zeta" of the constellation Ursa Major, Negroids - from the star "alpha" constellations Big Dog(“Sirius”), and the Austroloids are from the Mayan star, the Pleiades star cluster, then why not assume that the diversity of both races and visits was much greater, and the distribution areas of the aliens were not limited to the earth’s surface, but among them were inhabitants of the underwater and underground worlds.

Today - my thoughts about the little mysterious creatures - gnomes. The topic of gnomes has attracted me since childhood, so the desire to write an article about them arose a long time ago, but I caught the wave only today. Therefore, I share.

Who are they

Gnomes... not people, but not animals either. Although some believe that the level of their consciousness is just about the level of animals. However, I intuitively feel that this is not entirely true.

At the same time, gnomes are hardly little men resembling smaller copies of people, although we can see them that way, because, as you know, we generally can only see what we can imagine. And they are able to imagine only what they have ever seen, but perhaps in other combinations and combinations.

Therefore, no matter how the gnome looks, we will most likely collect his image in our minds in the form of a little man, a creature that is as similar to us as possible. Actually, this is how gnomes appear in fairy tales, and what they really are - one can only guess.

Have you ever thought about why gnomes are so popular, why people are so interested in them? Perhaps one of the reasons for this is that we subconsciously perceive them as similar to themselves, but at the same time possessing some special, magical abilities. What exactly are the abilities endowed with gnomes in fairy tales?

Dwarf abilities

Many gnomes can disappear with a click. In fairy tales, this moment is usually accompanied by a characteristic ringing, similar to the sound of a metallophone.

I must say right away that I do not exclude the existence of gnomes in real life. Who knows what races live on earth, especially since gnomes most likely live underground. They say that once during the excavations, a whole former settlement was discovered. Its inhabitants were unusually small in stature, while studies of the skeleton and bones showed that they were not children, but adults.

So, if we proceed from the fact that gnomes exist or existed before, then the magical property attributed to them to disappear in an instant may be slightly exaggerated by people who admired the ability of gnomes to quickly retreat from their place due to their small stature.

Gnomes are also endowed with a talent for jewelry and stone mining. In fairy tales, they hide their treasures of precious stones in underground labyrinth caves, the path to which only they themselves know.

Perhaps there were and are races that live very close to the earth or underground, and periodically find sources of precious minerals there. It is also very likely that once these races interacted with people, exchanging the extracted treasures for food.

Who knows, maybe this is happening now, but in this case, these races, of course, interact only with the elite, those who can understand them and are not aggressive. It can be shamans, witches, priests and other "seers".

It is also likely that the gnomes help them not only and not so much with the material fruits of their labor, but also provide certain services that are inaccessible to mere mortals, for example, help in fulfilling desires.

Relationships with people

In some fairy tales, gnomes act as rather evil creatures who seek to harm people in every possible way - they confuse wanderers on the road, deceive them, and so on. For some reason, it seems to me that not a single creature will intentionally harm a person, deliberately creating a situation that is dangerous for itself.

My feeling is that dwarves (at least in the modern world) would be more concerned with avoiding our eyes than with harming us. It is possible, of course, that they can take revenge on people for the inconvenience caused, but for some reason such a hypothesis seems unlikely to me personally.

I don't think that dwarves and humans can be close friends, as well as sworn enemies. Friendship requires a need for emotional warmth, which I don't think dwarves have, at least not to the extent humans do. For enmity, the forces are too unequal.

I repeat once again that, in my opinion, the main goal of the gnomes is a quiet life, and the place where they live is underworld- is able to provide them with this, since a person has so far mastered life underground to a very small extent.

Therefore, the childhood dream-fantasy of some people “to get a gnome”, even if it were possible to “get” this same gnome, is untenable. Exactly as untenable as the dream of acquiring an animal that is not adapted to live in captivity. It will live for a while, but it won't last long.

What can be useful to a person

How can gnomes be useful to people? What could they teach a person if a person had the opportunity to observe them and would like to learn?

Like animals, Gnomes are still a symbol of instinct and lower needs, unlike, for example, the same elves. But since their level of intelligence is still an order of magnitude higher than animals, they have some degree of abstract thinking, which means that their goals in life can significantly coincide with ours.

Those. they are able to plan, calculate deceptions, hold on to property, accumulate resources far in advance. And, probably, to experience some emotions when these goals are achieved, as well as in case they are not achieved.

Thus, they are able to teach us how to approach what we want, guided by instinct, instinct and emotions, which means that by working with the gnome archetype, you can significantly upgrade your intuition.

However, to a greater extent, they are still children of the earth, not air, so their main concern is to ensure their own survival, and for this you need to satisfy the needs of your body for food, rest, healing.

I think that the gnomes are responsible for this particular component, and by joining their archetypal meaning, you can learn to listen to your body, properly care for it and heal it.

Lee Berger and a team from the University of the Witwatersrand ( South Africa) recently claimed to have found skeletons belonging to the dwarf people who inhabited the islands Pacific Ocean approximately 900 years ago.

Meanwhile, something incredible has been happening in Argentina lately. A creepy gnome is terrorizing the town of Guemes in the province of Salta in the north of the country.

Teenager José Alvarez told local newspaper El Tribuno that he and his friends photographed the creature during a recent night out.

"Alvarez said: We were talking about our last fishing trip. It was not even night, but early morning. I took out my mobile phone and started clicking the camera, while the others continued to talk and laugh. Suddenly, there was an incomprehensible noise, as if someone invisible were throwing stones on the ground. We turned towards the sound and saw the grass stirring, as if a small animal, like a dog, was making its way through its thickets. But it was not a dog that came out to meet us, but something incomprehensible, similar to a gnome. It frightened us very much. This is no joke '.'

"Jose added that other locals also saw the gnome. We are still afraid to go out - like everyone else in the area. One of our friends was so scared of what he saw that we had to take him to the hospital," the teenager admitted.

"Police officers, after increasing complaints from the residents of Guemes, even had to increase night patrols. Local newspapers have already nicknamed this ghost the Creepy Dwarf because of his appearance something like a fairy tale character. According to eyewitnesses, he wears a pointed hat and moves with an unusual gait - small steps to the side.

The town voluntarily imposed a curfew. After dark, few people dare to go outside for fear of meeting a creepy gnome...

Hobbit controversy continues

Scientists examined ten burial caves on one of the islands of Palau in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. In one of them, they managed to find the remains of bones belonging to at least 25 people. According to Berger, some characteristics of the found remains suggest that the buried inhabitants of the Palau Islands were dwarfs.

"Scientists explain the dwarfism of the people inhabiting Palau with the so-called island rule," which states that the size of small species inhabiting the islands increases, and the size of large species decreases. This process is associated with the need to save food for large animals and favorable living conditions for small ones.

By measuring the size of the pelvic bones and bones of the limbs, scientists estimated that the men who inhabited the island weighed no more than 43 kilograms, and women - no more than 29. The islanders carried all the features characteristic of the Homo sapiens species, although some features allowed scientists to conclude that the ancients were somewhat primitive inhabitants of Palau.

It is not known how true the researchers' conclusions are, but their work is likely to contribute to the continuation of disputes about the origin of other dwarfs - Indonesian hobbits from the island of Flores. Since their discovery, there has been debate in the scientific community about whether hobbits are a side species of the genus Homo - Homo floresiensis - or whether they were ordinary people suffering from an unknown disease that caused their reduction in height.

In the spring of 2008, Australian experts suggested that the hobbits suffered from a thyroid disease. According to scientists, the inhabitants of the island of Flores were deficient in iodine and selenium.

“The growth retardation suggests that the females, along with other external factors, experienced severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy,” said Dr. Peter Obendorf from the Royal Institute of Technology in Melbourne. “We believe that these remains are not related to unknown race, but belong to people who suffered from a certain disease.

"But other scientists do not share the new theory. I regret that serious scientists are seriously considering this option. This theory has almost no evidence," says bioanthropology professor Colin Groves.

In his opinion, the nature of the remains irrefutably indicates that the hobbits were previously unknown individuals of the human race, which existed approximately 13 thousand years ago. Peter Brown of the University of New England believes that the scientists who put forward the theory of thyroid disease in hobbits did not study the remains directly, but only relied on data received from other researchers.

"White-eyed Chud" from the Ural Mountains

However, while scientists are arguing about whether the race of dwarfs existed in the distant past or not, let's ask ourselves another, more interesting question: do gnomes live on Earth today?
Many adult uncles answer this seemingly childish question unequivocally: they live or, at least, lived quite recently, and as evidence they cite numerous facts of people’s meetings with representatives of this small “fabulous” people.

One of these meetings took place as early as 1698 in the Urals. An old manuscript, now stored in the Bryansk Regional Library, testifies that the creature was no more than 20 centimeters tall. It stood at the entrance to the cave and held a beautiful crystal in its hands. When meeting with a man, the dwarf almost immediately went into the ground, but the stone remained. We have not been able to determine its type.

The Lapps living on the Kola Peninsula and their Saami neighbors have legends about dwarfs who once settled underground. The Lapps call them "saivok". Spreading your light dwelling on convenient location, they could sometimes hear indistinct voices and the tinkle of iron reaching them from under the ground. This served as a signal to immediately move the yurt to a new place - it closed the entrance to the underground dwelling of saiwoks. With the underground inhabitants, who were afraid of daylight, the Lapps were afraid to quarrel.

legends about little ones underground inhabitants who know how to process iron and possess supernatural abilities have been preserved among all the peoples inhabiting the north of Russia. So, the Komi living on the Pechora lowland claim that it was the gnomes who taught people to forge iron. Their witchcraft has terrible power. By their order, the Sun and the Moon grow dim.

The Nenets, who live on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, say that “a long time ago, when our people were not here, “Siirtya” lived here - people of small stature. When there were a lot of people, they went right through the ground.”

The Russian explorers who settled in the Urals also have legends and tales about people living in the mountains of small stature, beautiful, with unusually pleasant voices. Just like the saivok on the Kola Peninsula, they do not like to be in the daylight, but some people hear a ringing coming from the ground. And this call is not accidental. “White-eyed Chud” - under this name dwarfs appear in the Ural tales - was engaged in underground mining of gold, silver, and copper. When the Russians came to the Urals, on the advice of prophetic shamans who knew the future, the white-eyed Chud, who lived on the western slopes of the Urals, dug long underground passages and hid in the depths of the mountains with all her treasures.

Back in the 16th century, European geographers were convinced of the existence in the Northern Arctic Ocean mainland Arctida, inhabited by dwarfs who created a strange, not like ours, civilization. They possessed pronounced psychic, as it is now customary to say, abilities.

Then one of the many earthly cataclysms occurred, as a result of which the Arctic continent almost completely went under water. The surviving inhabitants of Arctida left the freezing and rapidly ice-covered islands and settled in the north of Europe and Asia. They could not restore their civilization, fight with local residents did not want to and gradually left the surface of the Earth in underground catacombs and caves, in their usual habitat. After all, in their homeland they spent six months in them. To protect people from those greedy for precious metals, especially gold, they put psychological barriers at the entrances to their underground shelters. These barriers to this day inspire people with supernatural horror, driving them away from places sacred to dwarfs.

We all come from Lemuria

Not so long ago, a report by Marseille journalist Chris Durieu about his trip to the United States was shown on French television. On the Californian mountain slopes, he discovered a settlement of strange creatures, as far as he could see - remotely similar to people and at the same time reminiscent of well-known exotic animals - lemurs. They live in strange-looking buildings, which are quite difficult to find among the dense green bushes.

The sensational discovery of the journalist caused a lively discussion in the scientific world, and scientists immediately recalled that back in 1932, the American reporter Edward Lanser published an article in a Los Angeles newspaper about the settlement of the so-called Lemurians living in complete isolation on the slopes of Mount Shasta in California.

And even earlier, in the second half of the 19th century, a theory was spread among zoologists that once Africa, Madagascar and India were connected by a piece of land in Indian Ocean, inhabited almost exclusively by lemurs, galagos, pottos and lorises, all together which constituted a class of semi-monkeys. Scientists believed that the land, in the end, having gone under water, spread the distribution areas of the semi-monkeys around the world.

The English zoologist Philip Sclater called this abyssal continent Lemuria, and scientific interest in it was fueled by the suggestion made by the German zoologist Ernst Haeckel that Lemuria was the cradle of mankind. Well-known occult philosophers immediately picked up and developed Haeckel's theory. So, Helena Blavatsky claimed that during sessions with spirits she learned from them true story humanity, from which it follows that it began with Lemuria. According to Blavatsky, the inhabitants of this country were the third of the seven root races of the earth, each of which goes through seven stages of development. Today's people represent the fifth race.