[Woodcarver] Nisse(Tomte) chat

[Mike Bloomquist]

One of the first inspirations for me to carve something outside of fishing
lures was Harley Refsal through his articles in BH&G Wood magazine (during
the better years) and his book "Woodcarving in Scandinavian Style".  Yes, I
know he's of Norwegian decent, and decorated by the King of Norway, but he
still refers to these characters as nisse AND tomte.  One of the features I
liked best about his book was the background/history.

As a typically mongrel American with a large dose of Swede i enjoy exporing
my Svenska roots, but I would never claim that the Swedish discovered the
tomte/nisse first... only that we carve them better <BMG>. (Big Mischievous
Grin)

Now excuse me while I duck the flames...

Keep on Carvin'
-Mike B.->



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "sally nye" <sarolyn at accn.org>
To: "[Woodcarver]" <woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 10:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Woodcarver] Nisse(Tomte) chat


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> Hi Mike,
> I don't know if this applies to the Nisse/Tomte but the same legendary
> figure can have different names due to the region in discussion.  In
> some cases, each region claims it is inherent to them first and
> foremost.  Others have adopted it as their own but you must not believe
> them ;)  This scenario applies to fan birds, chip carved patterns,
> treen ware and even Santa Claus.  To do research on these topics with
> the people who carry the traditions, it is a very passionate part of
> them.  They will tell you most emphatically and without hesitation that
> they are the ONLY ones that are correct.
>
> Don't you love it?
> Sally
> http://www.geocities.com/fancarving/home.html
>
> On Jun 4, 2004, at 9:28 PM, Mike Bloomquist wrote:
>
> We carvers are of the Swedish or part Swedish persuation call them
> tomte.
> Cool little folk aren't they ;-).
>
> Keep on Carvin'
> -Mike B.->
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Loren Woodard" <woodcarver at midmo.com>
> To: "[Woodcarver]" <woodcarver at six.pairlist.net>
> Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2004 5:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [Woodcarver] Nisse chat
>
> > Mike:
> >
> > My apologies.  I mistook the carving for a small Santa.  Not knowing
> > what
> a
> > Nisse really was - I always thought it was a Scandinavian Santa :o) - I
> > looked it up on the Internet. For those interested, I found this
> explanation
> > of a Nisse.
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> > ---
> --
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> > ---
> --
> > --------------------------------------------
> > Nisse
> > by Jason Clarke
> >
> >       In Scandinavian folklore, a "household spirit" responsible for
> > the
> > care and prosperity of a farm. A nisse was usually described as a short
> man
> > (under four feet tall) wearing a red cap with a tassel.
> >
> >
> >
> >       While belief in guardian spirits is a very old tradition in
> > Scandinavia, belief in nisser was prominent in the late eighteenth and
> > nineteenth centuries in Denmark, southern Norway and southern Sweden.
> > Many
> > farms claimed to have their own nisse. The nisse took an active
> > interest
> in
> > the farm by performing chores such as grooming horses, carrying bales
> > of
> > hay, and other farm-related tasks. These chores were usually done much
> more
> > efficiently and effectively than by their human counterparts.
> >
> >       However, nisser were very temperamental, to say the least. If the
> > household was not careful to keep its nisse satisfied (usually in the
> > form
> > of a single bowl of porridge with butter in it left out on Christmas
> > eve)
> > the spirit could turn against its masters. In one story, a girl is
> > instructed by her family to give the nisse his porridge, but decides to
> eat
> > it herself. The nisse responds by forcing her to dance until she nearly
> > dies. Sometimes the offering themselves could backfire: in another
> > tale, a
> > grateful farmer gives his nisse a pair of nice white boots, and
> > afterward
> > the nisse refuses to go out into the rain to stable the horses for
> > fear of
> > getting his new boots dirty.
> >
> >       The folklore roots of the nisser extend to Germany, where they
> > grew
> > out of the legends of St. Nicholas. Thus the nisser are related to the
> > modern conception of Santa Claus.
> >
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> > ---
> --
> > --------------------------------------------------
> >
> >       I hope others find this as interesting as I did.
> >
> >
> >
> >       Loren
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > My carvings can be seen at http://www.woodcarvers-gallery.com
> > http://www.carvingmagazine.com  Carving Magazine's web site - Check out
> the
> > reader's forum.
>
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