After my last post on the Huldra, the forest-dwelling spirit, I got the idea to write about the Tomte (Swedish name) or Nisse (most commonly used in Norway) or Tonttu (Finnish name).

The Winter season is right around the corner and Christmas Eve is a little over two months away. Why do I bring this up, you ask? In Norway we are raised up and are taught through school textbooks, on stories about these different beings, like the Tomte and Huldra, among some of them, but also through commercials and oral stories, associations during that time of year, Christmas songs, and traditions or rituals (most of these are now archaic and no longer done, but you still hear about and see them on Christmas TV commercials).

One of these are the Fjosnisse which usually lives in farm buildings or barns, and protects the livestock. If the farmer and his or her family treats the Nisse with respect, the Nisse will bring them blessings. However, if they don't the Nisse might pull a small prank on them or bring them a great disaster, like releasing the livestock, or even worse.

So you often learn to have great respect for these supernatural/mythological beings in the Nordic folkore, even if they seem cute and uncapable of doing harm or bring the person bad luck, like the Tomte, or beings like the Huldra.

Back to the topic about the Nisse and the Christmas season. Creepy Hollows do have an Encyclopedia entry on the Tomte, and one of the offerings listed for the Tomte is... porridge. It was often common back in old days to leave an offering to the Tomte in the farm building or barn, in the form of a bowl of rice porridge.

This I suspect as a thanks offering, but also as a way to avoid the wrath of the Tomte, and as to stay on his good side. Rice porridge is an essential part of Norwegian culture and are often associated with Christmas, but can also be enjoy all year 'round.

Another Nisse or Tomte is the House Nisse or Tomte, although this one is less commonly known than the Barn Nisse or Tomte, but I suspect from its name that it helps the people in the house with things, and also enjoys the occasional offering of a bowl of rice porridge.

Thank you for your time!

In Finland it is very much the same, and we also had a Saunatonttu whose domain was the sauna.

I was a bit in the dark regarding the Finnish Tonttu and if they shared the same attributes and living conditions, as the Swedish Tomte and Norwegian Nisse. But thank you for clearing that up! =)

This is the first time I have heard of the Saunatonttu. What are they like? Are they anything like Fjosnisse or Tomte (i.e. pranking a person or dealing out revenge to a disrespectful person)?

Sanatonttus were generally benevolent beings, sauna was their domain and taking care of it was their job. Sauna was considered a sacred place back in the day and it was important to act respectfully there, no speaking loudly, no swearing, not being drunk and all that. As long as you were respectful things were fine but if Saunatonttu was angered they might let the sauna burn down and bring misfortune to the house.

Thank you for your explanation on Saunatonttus, Aurum! It is always interesting and exciting to learn about new mythological beings of the folklore, that is native of a respective country.

The Saunatonttus really sounds Fjosnisse, whom lived in the outhouses of people's farms. They cared for the domesticated cattle, sheeps, and other farm animals, if the farmer didn't treat his animals or angered or disrespected the Nisse or Tomte, whom sort of acted like a farmhand and helped the farmer under dire circumstances.

Like forgetting to put the piece of butter on top of the rice porridge, some had put it first at the bottom of the bowl and then put the rice porridge over it. It was usually enough for the Fjosnisse to get angry and kill a prized milkcow, but when the Fjosnisse made it to the bottom of the bowl and discovered the butter there. He regretted his deed and went to get the farmer a just as good cow as the prized cow that he had killed.

I had no idea that the different Nisser (plural form of the word "Nisse"), Tonttus and Tomter (plural form of the word "Tomte"), where this similar despite having their different areas, responsibilities and/or duties, or buildings that they looked over, and the way they doled out the punishment for disrespectful actions acted out by humans. I guess they do have more in common than I thought to begin with.

It really is cool. They seem to like the same offering as well, rice porridge.

That is pretty to neat and good to know. I guess all the Northern European countries had the same tradition of serving them a bowl of rice porridge, as to stay on their good side.

The house Nisse was featured on the animated t.v. series, Hilda on Netflix, which is where I first heard about them.

Shadow Stitches wrote:The house Nisse was featured on the animated t.v. series, Hilda on Netflix, which is where I first heard about them.

I didn't know that, but thank you for making me aware of it - as a Norwegian it is fun to hear that one of the supernatural spirits from the Norwegian folklore made an appearance in an animated t.v. series.

On Christmas Eve (December 24th in Norway. In some countries it's on December 25th, so hence me putting this down just for clarification) a family member and I was travelling by car, when the radio station host come around to the topic of the fjosnisse (or Tomte), and it was indeed a topical and very relevant given that it was Christmas Eve. Porrigde is an important tradition and aspect linked closely to Christmas Eve, and it was a tradition for our ancestors to leave out a bowl of porrigde for the Tomte on Christmas Eve back in the old days.

Source: https://forskning.no/historie-jul-landb ... en/1274544 Retrieved January 24 2020

"The fjosnisse wore gray/gray knikkers and were dressed in the typical garments that the men wore back in those days. The fjonisse did pranks and mischief, and do or bring harm to humans and animals."

Source: Radio Station P5 Fosen. Heard on December 24 2019.

So that really makes me catious when it comes to living fjosnisse or Tomte entities, to put it mildly. And if I am ever to encounter one I will be sure to treat it with the utmost respect and be sure to not do anything that will anger or annoy it.