House spirits
Hans Rancke-Madsen
There is a small creature in Danish mythology called a 'nisse'. It's looks
like a small man, usually about two feet high, although the exact size can
vary. It inhabits a farm and will help out with farm chores at night as long
as it's treated decently. This usually involves putting out milk and/or food
for it at night. If abused it will play tricks, often very cruel tricks, on
the farmer. It usually dresses in grey clothes, wooden shoes, and a red cap.
I believe the same creature is known in Norway and Sweden, although I don't
know their names for it. But there is a similar, almost identical creature
called a brownie in English mythology. Same looks, same behavioural pattern.
The difference is that it dresses in brown clothes.
Perhaps it is the same creature; England and Scandinavia is close enough
for that, although the different names and different clothes is interesting.
What I would like to ask is if you know of similar creatures in other
mythologies. Are these creatures known in Germany, France, Poland, or
farther afield? What are they called and how do they dress? I'm especially
interested in wether they appear in different cultures than Western
European, but I'd also like to hear from those.
To resume:
a) Small humanoid.
b) Lives hidden in human dwelling.
c) Helps with chores if happy.
d) Plays mean tricks if not.
e) May have to be appeased with offerings of food.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
ran...@diku.dk
------------
"I know there are some people in the world who do not tolerate their
fellow human beings, and I just can't _stand_ people like that!"
(after Tom Lehrer)
Bwaldrop
<some snips>
: To resume:
: a) Small humanoid.
: b) Lives hidden in human dwelling.
: c) Helps with chores if happy.
: d) Plays mean tricks if not.
: e) May have to be appeased with offerings of food.
Well, it sort of sounds like a cousin of the Irish leprechaun, who (I
believe) dress in green. Supposedly, they have a pot of gold hidden and
if you catch one, you can get him to tell you where it is hidden (well. .
. maybe). My family had a tradition of putting a bowl of bread and milk
out on the night before St. Patrick's Day, as an offering for the
leprechauns. My mother said if we didn't do this, the leprechauns would
play tricks on us (I grew up on a farm). She also said that her family
had always done this, and that her grandmother said that her grandmother
had also practicsed the tradition (this would put it back to the pre-Civil
War period of US history). The family immigrated from Ireland in the 1740s.
Hope this helps.
Bob Waldrop
bwal...@xmission.com
Anthony M. Becker
_Tomte_Tummetott_. The title character seems to match your description
except that there is no evidence of mischief on his part. He seems to
be just a benevolent dwarf that lives on the farm and watches over the
inhabitants.
Tony
--
Anthony M. Becker 313/370-2117 | "Rufen Sie meinen Vater an, meine Mutter
Email: bec...@vela.acs.oakland.edu | ist zu beschaeftigt."
| - Chelsea Clinton
Igor L. Berlin
This creature is usually good-spirited, can help the house owners if treated right - food, candy, milk.
It does play little funny harmless tricks. Never heard of them getting mean and cruel if not appeased,
but they would probably be noisy and disturbing if not treated right. There is no standard way to
picture this creature, but it would most likely be a small man, with a grey beard, wearing bum clothes.
Cheers,
Da GarMeister.
Wolfgang Ratzka
the work during the night. Sadly an inquisitive person once put peas
on the floor and the stairs to catch and watch them, and they have
disappeared since then...
--
_
| | )
|/\| \ Wolfgang Ratzka <Rat...@rphs1.physik.uni-regensburg.de>
Bertil Jonell
>There is a small creature in Danish mythology called a 'nisse'.
>I believe the same creature is known in Norway and Sweden, although I don't
>know their names for it.
Tomte
Hustomte
Tomtenisse
-bertil-
--
"It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyond-the-fringe political view or
strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an
exercise for your kill-file."
Zdzislaw Meglicki
|> Hans Rancke-Madsen (ran...@diku.dk) wrote:
|>
|> <some snips>
|>
|> : To resume:
|> : a) Small humanoid.
|> : b) Lives hidden in human dwelling.
|> : c) Helps with chores if happy.
|> : d) Plays mean tricks if not.
|> : e) May have to be appeased with offerings of food.
|>
To me this sounds precisely like Mr Barlow, especially as to (d) and (e).
--
Zdzislaw Meglicki, Zdzislaw...@cisr.anu.edu.au,
Automated Reasoning Program - CISR, and Plasma Theory Group - RSPhysSE,
The Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T., 0200,
Australia, fax: +61-6-249-0747, tel: +61-6-249-0158
Chong Kue
I sure like to meet these creatures. I think they will be very
helpful. Anyone knows where I can get a hold of them?
--
K...@iao.ford.com Thov Txhob
Ford Customer Service Division nov qaab peb
Dearborn, Michigan cov Hmoob !
Robert Winkler
-> Perhaps it is the same creature; England and Scandinavia is close
-> enough for that, although the different names and different clothes
-> is interesting. What I would like to ask is if you know of similar
-> creatures in other mythologies. Are these creatures known in Germany,
-> France, Poland, or farther afield? What are they called and how do
-> they dress? I'm especially interested in wether they appear in
-> different cultures than Western European, but I'd also like to hear
-> from those.
->
-> To resume:
->
-> a) Small humanoid. b) Lives hidden in human dwelling. c) Helps with
-> chores if happy. d) Plays mean tricks if not. e) May have to be
-> appeased with offerings of food.
Hm... well, I do know that it exists in Turkish net-culture. There it's
called `serdar'. It's a) Small [quasi-] humanoid. b) Lives hidden in
human electronic dwelling. c) Helps with computer chores, especially
filling up net-space, although *never* happy. d) Plays mean tricks -
period. e) May have to be appeased with offerings of lies about
Armenians & Turks.
I do know there's another name for him in English, but the print
wouldn't carry THAT...
Sorry, I just couldn't resist...;-)
James Perkins
>>I believe the same creature is known in Norway and Sweden, although I don't
>>know their names for it.
> Tomte
> Hustomte
> Tomtenisse
I think they are also called "nix"...am I right? But the nix lives in
rivers and is like a siren, drowning men who are attracted...
J.P.
Tracy Kukkonen
> I think they are also called "nix"...am I right? But the nix lives in
> rivers and is like a siren, drowning men who are attracted...
That's Lorelei, who sings on the Rhine. Brownies (as I
know them) help with household chores when you are asleep.
Torsten Poulin Nielsen
>d9be...@dtek.chalmers.se (Bertil Jonell) writes:
>> Tomte
>> Hustomte
>> Tomtenisse
>J.P.
Sounds more like the fellow we in Scandinavia call 'Nøkken' or
'Näcken'.
- Torsten
--
"At vide, hvad man ikke ved, er dog en slags Alvidenhed."
- Piet Hein
Matz Bjurstroem
You cannot get hold of them. They get hold of you...
Matz
Zdzislaw Meglicki
|> That's Lorelei, who sings on the Rhine. Brownies (as I
|> know them) help with household chores when you are asleep.
Mine must be exceedingly lazy. I sleep a lot, but I can hardly notice
any household chores moved out of the way in the meantime.