The history of garden gnomes is much more recent and well documented than the history of gnome lore itself, but gnomish folklore and the word "gnome" itself seems to have originated in the 1500's. In the 16th century, the Swiss alchemist Paracelsus (whose real name was Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus Von Hohenheim) used the Renaissance Latin word gnomus in his written works, and he classified theses creatures as earth elementals who "just as fish move through water, or we through air, so gnomes can move through solid earth."

From then onward, European mythologies and folklore represented the gnome as being much smaller than an average human (Paracelsus claimed they were a foot tall). Gnomes were seen as inextricably tied to the earth, and the long white beard was an early trademark of the gnome. They were often depicted as guardians of mines or earthen treasures, and they were almost always seen as old and deformed in addition to being tiny. They were also varyingly envisioned as helpers of animals and humans, mischievous pranksters, reclusive under-groundlings or forest-dwelling creatures. As early as the 1700's, the English word "gnome" was being used in fairytales and folklore. Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock popularized the word "gnome" in the English language, and this written work significantly added to the then small repertoire of the gnomish folklore.

Then, the image of the garden gnome took over, if you will, when the first garden gnomes were produced in early 19th century Germany. Again, they were believed to be guardians of the earth, and, hence, made perfect statues for the symbolic protection of a garden. Primarily, they were made out of a terracotta clay, and the most popular makers were Philipp Griebel and August Heissner who eventually became known worldwide for his whimsical garden gnomes. Unfortunately, this new and burgeoning market was diminished severely by the world wars. In the 1950's however, makers sprung up again using traditional methods of making gnomes with clay.

Not until the 1960's were the plastic gnomes we are most familiar with marketed and sold en masse. Eventually, in certain circles, the gnome became a target for elaborate and extensive pranks wherein the prankster sends the gnome to remote locations (this prank is known as "The Traveling Gnome"), or sometimes the gnomes were even sent to Italy's MALAG (Garden Gnome Liberation Front). Even more interestingly, gnomes have earned themselves a place in popular fantasy role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy card games like Magic: The Gathering, or even in computer or video games like World of Warcraft. Gnomes even worked their way into popular advertising with Travelocity thanks to the ongoing pranks involving these creatures.

Written by: Rachel Padding

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