“’Muggles have garden gnomes, too, you know,’ Harry told Ron as they crossed the lawn. ‘Yeah, I’ve seen those things they think they are gnomes,’ said Ron, bent double with his head in a peony bush, ‘like fat little Santa Clauses with fishing rods . . .’” J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Gnomes, Gartenzwerg, first appeared long, long ago in European folklore as benevolent creatures who lived underground as guardians of treasure, mines and the like. They were believed to reward the good behaviour of farmers (Bauer), merchants and housewives (Hausfrau) with assistance in fields, shops and gardens (Garten) at night.
