This is for all people who are not aware of the fabulous Tomte and his legend…….

Tomte (Swedish) or Tonttu (Finnish, also called Nisse in Norway) are solitary, mischievous domestic spirits, responsible for the protection and welfare of homes, and stables, farms and their buildings.

Tomte are folklore creatures, originally believed to stem from the soul of the first farm owner of each farm, then becoming a spirit figure, ensuring the farm’s continuous care. Tomte have a love for tradition, they don’t like change. They sleep underneath the floorboards during spring and summer and appear during night time when the weather gets colder and are especially around and active during December leading up to Christmas. They are ancestral figures who demand respect, attention, care and a lot of love, and in return they help keep the house and outhouses in good condition, especially helping to prepare the house and stables for the Christmas festivities.

Farms in previous centuries were often isolated and inhabitants lived through long, dark winters; the Tomte figures sprang from the imagination and became companions to keep solitude at bay.

Tomte literally means ‘homestead man’ and is derived from the word ‘tomt’ which means homestead or plot of land. Nisse, as he is called in Norway, sprung from the name Nils, which is the Scandinavian form of St. Nicholas.

A Tomte is described as a little elderly man, three feet high, with a long, white beard, wearing grey, brown or navy clothes with traditional boots and sporting a bright red cap. There are different dress codes for the different types of Tomte. The ones living in the stables with the animals wear mostly grey clothes while the ones in the main house are dressed more neatly, combining some colour such a yellow, green and blue with the grey and a red hat.

There are Tomte residing in the pantry and the barn, watching over the household and farm. They are responsible for the care of the house and farm animals, especially the much valued horses. The Tomte have an enormous capacity for work but will not tolerate anyone’s interference. A sure way to offend a Tomte is rudeness. Maids or farm workers swearing, dirty outhouses and stables, or not treating animals well, are all things that would incur Tomtes’ disapproval, so it was paramount to keep all premises neat and orderly for not getting nasty surprises played out by the little creatures watching over the stables and outhouses.

The same would apply to the main house and if anyone spilled anything on the floor of the house, it was advised to shout a warning to the Tomte so that he wouldn’t fall into the puddle.  Again, if he would be offended in any way, he could play all kinds of pranks, such as binding all cows’ tails together, hiding objects or breaking favourite things.

There are Tomte residing in the pantry and the barn, watching over the household and farm. They are responsible for the care of the house and farm animals, especially the much valued horses. The Tomte have an enormous capacity for work but will not tolerate anyone’s interference. A sure way to offend a Tomte is rudeness. Maids or farm workers swearing, dirty outhouses and stables, or not treating animals well, are all things that would incur Tomtes’ disapproval, so it was paramount to keep all premises neat and orderly for not getting nasty surprises played out by the little creatures watching over the stables and outhouses.

The same would apply to the main house and if anyone spilled anything on the floor of the house, it was advised to shout a warning to the Tomte so that he wouldn’t fall into the puddle.  Again, if he would be offended in any way, he could play all kinds of pranks, such as binding all cows’ tails together, hiding objects or breaking favourite things.

There are Tomte residing in the pantry and the barn, watching over the household and farm. They are responsible for the care of the house and farm animals, especially the much valued horses. The Tomte have an enormous capacity for work but will not tolerate anyone’s interference. A sure way to offend a Tomte is rudeness. Maids or farm workers swearing, dirty outhouses and stables, or not treating animals well, are all things that would incur Tomtes’ disapproval, so it was paramount to keep all premises neat and orderly for not getting nasty surprises played out by the little creatures watching over the stables and outhouses.

The same would apply to the main house and if anyone spilled anything on the floor of the house, it was advised to shout a warning to the Tomte so that he wouldn’t fall into the puddle.  Again, if he would be offended in any way, he could play all kinds of pranks, such as binding all cows’ tails together, hiding objects or breaking favourite things.

Only tomten is awake......

Midwinter night's cold is hard, stars glimmer and gleam. All sleep in quiet yard, deep in a midnight dream. Snow shines white on fence and spruce, moon beams bright on snow-capped roofs. Hush fills a forest near a frozen lake, only Tomten is awake.

Short  poem version by Victor Rydberg

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas!