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?ere comes some conclusions I’ve done while reading up on house sprits, gnomes and goblins.

First of all I think it’s worth pointing out that it’s a difference between ‘religion’ ‘mythology’ ‘folklore’ and ‘fairytales’. In a culture the lines can be very blurred and not necessarily clear and a culture after all is the total sum of a peoples shared customs, way of life and various expressions. All of the things previously mentioned it part of it to various degrees.

To me it doesn’t seem like the ‘Tomte’ (the Swedish name for the Scandinavian household spirits that looks like gnomes) necessarily is an ancestral spirit as is often claimed. Yet they might be or simply is that by default. Let me explain..

Tomt meaning; a ‘plot’ (of land), ‘site’, or (building) ‘lot’. So a ‘Tomte’ means (of) the ‘lot/plot’ = ‘Lot-creature’ simply we could say. It’s became they’re generally tied to the house of homestead they inhabit. But it gets more complicated; they can live at ships, mills and even in churches. Not just that also in other places such as mounds, inside boulders or simply under ground.
If we compare very similar entities in Baltic, Slavic and German (and amongst other) cultures we find out that many of them believed that you could get spirits inhabiting buildings due to the material they were build from. For example German Kobold that is essentially having the same function, and same said behaviour and oftentimes the same appearance, could get obtained by coming inside the house with the building materials. Or you simply took a piece of wood from a tree they lived in and made a figure of and you’d have it coming along (so sort of the same thing). This isn’t unique for the Germans but something similar we also hear in Scandinavian folklore and Slavic etc.. even if it would be called something else there.

The Scandinavian vätte/vette/vættir is a very similar looking gnome creature that lives under ground although not solitary and have their own families and communities. The main difference is that they’re not part of a human building or a ship.

The line between gnomes and goblins can be very blurred when we look at it across time and cultures. A lot of them also seem to likewise be inhabiting subterranean places like a mines, caves or simply under ground.
The one who coined the name ‘gnome’ was a Swiss alchemist named Paracelsus. And he used it as a catch all phrase for earth elementals (spirits connected to the earth or underground). In his mind it was apparently good to have a name for all of it to clear up things. Yet he just ended up making it more confusing with just an other name that may or may not be used and mostly not at all as he intended.

Much more could be said and I think it’s not at all wrong to do the argument that it’s an ancestral spirit (in the case of the Tomte). Yet I do not think it’s necessary the case at all times. What is clear however is that they’re part of the house and land to a specific place and hence household spirits. And if they’ve inhabited a house and lived with the same family for generations they’re by default part of the family in one way or another other.

Personally I would do the argument that Paracelsus does and probably put them in the category of earth-elementals.

?andelion honey

Ingredients
• 4 cups dandelion petals
• 4 cups water
• 3 lemon slices (1/4-inch)
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split in half
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Steps:

1. Gather the ingredients. (Use only the yellow petals of the dandelions as any of the green parts of the plant can give your “honey” a bitter taste.)

2. Soak petals in cold water for five minutes to allow time for any insects to exit, then drain.

3. Place petals in a heavy saucepan along with water, lemon slices, and vanilla bean.

4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Remove pan from heat and let steep for 6 hours.

6. Strain dandelion tea you’ve made through a cheesecloth and discard solids.

7. Place the dandelion tea in a heavy saucepan and bring to a low boil.

8. Gradually add sugar to boiling liquid while stirring until sugar is dissolved.

9. Lower heat and let simmer uncovered until it reaches desired syrupy thickness. This may take about 1 hour, or more. It will thicken more as it cools.

Store dandelion honey covered in the refrigerator. It should keep for about six months, and it also freezes for longer storage.

?t one point sooner or later you will eventually get to the point where you realise that the best way you can spend your time is not to argue with strangers on the internet that you have the right idea or answers and they will automatically be convinced you’re right. That’s at least what I’ve done. (There can be a time and place for it but it’s usually a drain on your time and energy that can be more creatively used). I am however willing and find it’s useful to communicate to people who want to listen and show an interest. I’m not thinking of an echo chamber where we all agree with one another about things we already figured out, that’s not super useful either more than you get confirmation that you are not alone. Spreading news about everything shitty isn’t useful either, cause we should already understand we are in a dire situation in many regards. However everything isn’t doom and gloom and even in the shittiest eras in time and under the worst regimes people found happy moments and meaningful interactions. It’s important to remember.

Really valuable things is as far as I’m concerned when you can swap ideas and knowledge with likeminded people. Teach and learn or at the very least get inspired.

Things that I would advice people to do is to learn useful skills; learn to craft, plant, learn languages, cook, defend yourself, repair things and find new uses for stuff instead of throwing it away if possible etc..

This is things that you can choose to not do now, and perhaps in the future as well, but if you do you will have various advantages and it could be a lifesaver. Just as a safety belt or an insurance you do not really need it until the shit hits the fan.
Beyond the pure practicality of said things I’m convinced that giving creative practices meaning its giving meaning to yourself in the form of gratification of accomplishment. We’re humans after all, not insects.

Today we also have more available information than ever before, and for free more or less, but we can easily drown in it that we do not know what to look for or where to start.
My advice is what is useful and what feels meaningful for you.