The word‚ “gnome‚” comes from the same root word as the verb‚“to know.” It is thought that gnomes were named by Paracelsus, a 16th century physician and alchemist. Paracelsus authored a theory of the elements that included the belief that gnomes had occult knowledge of the earth.
From that theory sprang folklore tales that established a mythical society for gnomes.People said that gnomes expressed greetings, farewells and goodnights by rubbing noses. They developed stories that the creatures lived to 400 years, with the male gnomes greying very early in life and indulging in pipe-smoking.
Gnomes were divided by folklore into different types, with the house gnome and the garden gnome being the most represented. People believed that gnomes were a good luck charm, a symbol that the forces of nature were on their side. In parts of Europe, statues of garden gnomes have been, and still are, considered status symbols of success.
Gnomes where once considered beings, characters of the element earth, as guards of the earth and the mineral kingdom. While their smallness made it difficult to see or capture them, their power and cleverness are often described as superhuman. The were said to have knowledge of hidden treasures, undiscovered ores and also foresight of the future.
