Gnome
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"The Rosicrucians are a people I must bring you acquainted with. The best account I know of them is in a French book called Le Comte de Gabalis, which both in its title and size is so like a novel, that many of the fair sex have read it for one by mistake. According to these gentlemen, the four elements are inhabited by spirits, which they call Sylphs, Gnomes, Nymphs, and Salamanders." -- The Rape of the Lock (1712) Alexander Pope, introduction |
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A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th Century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characteristics have been reinterpreted to suit the needs of various story-tellers, but it is typically said to be a small, humanoid creature that lives underground.
See also
- Dryad
- Elemental
- Erdgeist
- Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)
- Household deity
- Jinn
- Leprechaun
- The Smurfs
- Travelling gnome prank
