Nisse (folklore)

The word nisse (plural nisser) is a pan-Scandinavian term. In Scania, Halland and Blekinge within Sweden, the tomte or nisse is also known as '''''' (i.e 'good nisse'). Reidar Thoralf Christiansen remarked that the "belief in the is confined to the south and east" of Norway, and theorized the nisse was introduced to Norway (from Denmark) in the 17th century, but there is already mention of "Nisse pugen" in a Norwegian legal tract c. 1600 or earlier, The Norsk Allkunnebok encyclopedia states less precisely that nisse was introduced from Denmark relatively late, whereas native names found in Norway such as tomte, , tufte, tuftekall, , etc., date much earlier. Etymology It has repeatedly been conjectured that nisse might be a variant of "nixie" or The ("homestead man"), ("farm guardian"), and ("yard fellow") bear names that associated them with the farmstead. The Finnish is also borrowed from Swedish tomte, but "later tradition no longer consider these identical". These are echoed by the Swedish , Norwegian Nynorsk . Norwegian (cf. ) is a synonym for nisse, Other synonyms are Norwegian ("good farmer"), Danish ("good lad"). Also Danish ("farm buck") and ("housebuck") where buck could mean billygoat or ram. Regionally in Uppland Sweden is ("yard-spirit"), which being a rå often takes on a female form, which might relate to Western Norwegian (gardvord). In the confines of Klepsland in Evje, Setesdal, Norway they spoke of ("barn gnome"). Near synonyms Some commentators have equated or closely connected the tomte/nisse to the (< "mound dweller"). However there is caution expressed by linguist Oddrun Grønvik against completely equating the tomte/nissse with the mound dwellers of lore, called the or (from the Old Norse 'mound'), although the latter has become indistinguishable with ', as evident from the form '. The haugbonde is said to be the ghost of the first inhabitant of the farmstead, he who cleared the (house lot), who subsequently becomes its guardian. This haugbonde has also connected with the Danish/Norwegian (modern spelling: , "farm tree") or in Swedish ("ward tree") cult (Cf. ). Another near synonym is the , where dukke denotes a "dragger" or "drawer, puller" (of luck or goods delivered to the beneficiary human), which is distinguishable from a nisse since it is considered not to haunt a specific household. ==Origin theories==

The story of propitiating a household deity for boons in Iceland occurs in the "Story of Þorvaldr Koðránsson the Far-Travelled" () and the Kristni saga where the 10th century figure attended to his father Koðrán giving up worship of the heathen idol (called or 'year-man' in the saga: or 'prophet' in the Þáttr) embodied in stone; this has been suggested as a precursor to the nisse in the monograph study by Henning Frederik Feilberg, though there are different opinions on what label or category should be applied to this spirit (e.g., alternatively as Old Norse landvættr "land spirit"). The nature spirits―i.e., tomtevætte ("site wights"), ("howe/mound dwellers"), "underground wights" (), or dwarves, or vætte of the forests―originally freely moved around Nature, occasionally staying for short or long periods at people's homes, and these transitioned into house-wights () that took up permanent residence at homes. In one tale, the sprite is called nisse but is encountered but by a tree stump (not in the house like a bona fide nisse), and this is given as an example of the folk-belief at its transitional stage. But there is also the aspect of the ghost of the pioneer who first cleared the land, generally abiding in the woods or heaths he cleared, or seeking a place at the family hearth, eventually thought to outright dwelling in the home, taking interest in the welfare of the homestead, its crops, and the family members. There are two 14th century Old Swedish attestations to the "the gods of the building site". In the "Själinna thröst" ("Comfort of the Soul"), a woman sets the table after her meal for the deities, and if the offering is consumed, she is certain her livestock will be taken care of. In the Revelations of Saint Birgitta (Birgittas uppenbarelser), it is recorded that the priests forbade their congregation from providing offerings to the or "tomte gods", apparently perceiving this to be competition to their entitlement to the tithe (, book VI, ch. 78). There is not enough here to precisely narrow down the nature of the deity, whether it was land spirit () or a household spirit (). Several helper-demons were illustrated in the Swedish writer Olaus Magnus's 1555 work, including the center figure of a spiritual being laboring at a stable by night (cf. fig. right). It reprints the same stable-worker picture found on the map Carta Marina, B, k. The prose annotation to the map, Ain kurze Auslegung und Verklerung (1539) writes that these unnamed beings in the stables and mine-works were more prevalent in the pre-Christian period than the current time. The sector "B" of this map where the drawing occurs spanned Finnmark (under Norway) and West Lappland (under Sweden). While Olaus does not explicitly give the local vernacular (Scandinavian) names, the woodcuts probably represent the tomte or nisse according to modern commentators. Later folklore says that a tomte is the soul of a slave during heathen times, placed in charge of the maintenance of the household's farmland and fields while the master was away on viking raids, and was duty-bound to continue until doomsday. ==Appearance==

The Norwegian nisse was no bigger than a child, dressed in gray, wearing a red, pointy hat ( pikkelhue; In Denmark also, nisser are often seen as long bearded, wearing gray and a red brimless cap (). ==Offerings==

For the various benefits the nisse provided for his host family (which will be elaborated below under ), the family was expected to reward the sprite usually with porridge (subsection below). Even in the mid-19th century, there were still Christian men who made offerings to the tomtar spirit on Christmas day. The offering (called or "give them a reward") used to be pieces of wadmal (coarse wool), tobacco, and a shovelful of dirt. In a Norwegian tale, a maid decided to eat the porridge herself, and ended up severely beaten by the nisse. It sang the words: "Since you have eaten up the porridge for the tomte (nisse), you shall with the tomte have to dance!" The farmer found her nearly lifeless the morning after. In a Northern Danish variant, the girl behaves more appallingly, not only devouring the beer and porridge, but peeing in the mug and doing her business (i.e., defecating) in the bowl. The nisse leaves her lying on a slab above the well. The motif occurs in Swedish-speaking Finland with certain twists. In one version, the servant eats the tomtes porridge and milk to bring his master to grief, who winds up having to sell the homestead when the sprite leaves. A similar tale about a nisse grinding grain at the mill is localized at the farmstead of in Ringerike, Norway. It is widespread and has been assigned Migratory Legend index ML 7015. ==As helpers==

According to tradition, the Norwegian and Danish nisse lives in the barns of the farmstead; in Denmark, it is said the spirit starts out living in the church at first, but can be coaxed into moving to one's barn. A house-tomte dwelled in every home according to Swedish tradition, or even kill the cow. Harvesting In one anecdote, two Swedish neighboring farmers owned similar plots of land, the same quality of meadow and woodland, but one living in a red-colored, tarred house with well-kept walls and sturdy turf roof grew richer by the year, while the other living in a moss-covered house, whose bare walls rotted, and the roof leaked, grew poorer each year. Many would give opinion that the successful man had a tomte in his house. The tomte may be seen heaving just a single straw or ear of corn with great effort, but a man who scoffed at the modest gain lost his tomte and his fortune foundered; a poor novice farmer valued each ear tomte brought, and prospered. A tusse in a Norwegian tale also reverses all the goods (both fodder and food) he had carried from elsewhere after being laughed at for huffing and heaving just a ear of barley. Animal husbandry The Norwegian nisse will gather hay, even stealing from neighbors to benefit the farmer he favors, often causing quarrels. He will also take the hay from the manger () of other horses to feed his favorite. One of his pranks played on the milkmaid is to hold down the hay so firmly the girl is not able to extract it, and abruptly let go so she falls flat on her back; the pleased nisse then explodes into laughter. Another prank is to set the cows loose. As the protector of the farm and caretaker of livestock, the tomtes retributions for bad practices range from small pranks like a hard strike to the ear Belief has it that one could see which horse was the tomtes favourite as it will be especially healthy and well taken care of. The phenomenon of various "elves" (by various names) braiding "elflocks" on the manes of horses is widespread across Europe, but is also attributed to the Norwegian nisse, where it is called the "nisse-plaits" () or "tusse-plaits" (), and taken as a good sign of the sprite's presence. Similar superstition regarding tomte (or nisse) is known to have been held in the Swedish-American community, with the taboo that the braid must be unraveled with fingers and never cut with scissors. Carpentry The tomte is also closely associated with carpentry. It is said that when the carpenters have taken their break from their work for a meal, the tomte could be seen working on the house with their little axes. It was also customary in Swedish weddings to have not just the priest but also a carpenter present, and he will work on the newlyweds' abode. Everyone then listens for the noises that the tomtegubbe helping out with the construction, which is a sign that the new household has been blessed with its presence. ==Wrath and retribution==

The nisses irritability and vindictiveness especially at being insulted has already been discussed. And its wrath cannot be taken lightly due to the nissens immense strength despite their size. If displeased, the nisse may resort to mischiefs such as overturning buckets of milk, causing cream to sour, or causing the harness straps on horses to break. If he is angered, he may leave the home, and take the good luck and fortune of the family with him, or be more vindictive, even as to kill someone. Observance of traditions is thought to be important to the nisse, as they do not like changes in the way things are done at their farms. They are also easily offended by rudeness; farm workers swearing, urinating in the barns, or not treating the creatures well can frequently lead to a sound thrashing by the tomte/nisse. If anyone spills something on the floor in the nisse's house, it is considered proper to shout a warning to the tomte below. Exorcism Although the tomte (def. pl. ) were generally regarded as benevolent (compared to the rå or troll), some of the tales show church influence in likening the tomte to devils. Consequently, the stories about their expulsions are recounted as "exorcisms". ==Parallels==

Any of the various household spirits across the world can be brought to comparison as a comparison to the nisse (cf. ). In English folklore, there are several beings similar to the nisse, such as the Scots and English brownie, Robin Goodfellow, and Northumbrian hob. Also related is the Nis Puk, which is widespread in the area of Southern Jutland/Schleswig, in the Danish-German border area. In Finland, the sauna has a ''''. ==Modern Julenisse==

The household nisse/tomte later evolved into the Christmas of Sweden and Julenisse of Denmark/Norway (, ). and deviates from the traditional nisse in many ways, for instance, the nisse of old lore is beardless like a youth or child. Julebock Also in Sweden, the forerunner Christmas gift-giver was the mythical Yule goat (, cf. Julebukking) starting around the early 19th century, before the advent of the . The julbock was either a prop (straw figure) or a person dressed as goat, equipped with horns, beard, etc. The modern version of juletomte is a mixture of the traditional tomte combined with this Yule goat and Santa Claus. In later celebrations of Christmas (cf. ), the julbock no longer took on the role as thus described, but as a sumpter beast, or rather, the animal or animals drawing the gift-loaded sleigh of the jultomte. Meanwhile some commentators have tried to link this Christmas goat with the pair of goats hitched to the god Þórr's chariot, which flies over the sky. As for other animals, period Christmas cards also depict the julenisse in the company of a cat () The juletomte of the Christmas card artist's imagination, is often paired with a horse or cat, or riding on a goat or in a sled pulled by a goat. The jultomte is also commonly depicted with a pig on Christmas cards. Present-day In the modern conception, the jultomte, Julenisse or Santa Claus, enacted by the father or uncle, etc., in disguise, will show up and deliver as Christmas gift-bringer. In Finland too, the Suomi version of Father Christmas will show up at the door bringing gifts to the children. After dinner, the children await the Jultomten or Julenisse to arrive (on a julbok-drawn sleigh), then ask them "Are there any good children here?" before passing out his gifts. There are still a number of differences from the American Santa Claus myth. The Scandinavian Christmas nisse does not live at the North Pole, but perhaps in a forest nearby; the Danish lives on Greenland, and the Finnish (in Finland he is still called the Yule Goat, although his animal features have disappeared) lives in Lapland; he does not come down the chimney at night, but through the front door, delivering the presents directly to the children, just like the Yule Goat did. == Modern adaptations ==

In Hans Christian Andersen's collection of fairy tales, the nisse appears in "The Goblin at the Grocer's" as aforementioned, as well as "The Goblin and the Woman" () and "Ole Lukøje"; the church nisse also appears in his short fantasy The Travelling Companion. When adapting the mainly English-language concept of having helpers (sometimes in a workshop), can also correspond to the Christmas elf, either replacing it completely, or simply lending its name to the elf-like depictions in the case of translations. Nisser/tomte often appear in Christmas calendar TV series and other modern fiction. In some versions the tomte are portrayed as very small; in others they are human-sized. The nisse usually exist hidden from humans and are often able to use magic. The 2018 animated series Hilda, as well as the graphic novel series it is based on, features nisse as a species. One nisse named Tontu is a recurring character, portrayed as a small, hairy humanoid who lives unseen in the main character's home. ==Garden gnome==

The appearance traditionally ascribed to a nisse or tomte resembles that of the garden gnome figurine for outdoors, in Danish, in Norwegian and in Finnish. ==See also==