This time last year, we were in Sweden. It was in Sweden that we learned all about the tomte. Little people who look after farms, protecting crops and livestock. Small figures with floppy hats pulled down over their eyes and resting on bulbous noses, long, white beards flowing from their chins.
The tomte is generally helpful around the place until he’s upset. He can become upset when he’s not treated with the right respect. He is not good with insults. Then, rather than a helpful and friendly guardian, he will become mischievous and annoying, sometimes ruining crops and/or tying the cows’ tails together.
While pre-Christian tomte believers thought him valuable and deserving of gifts of porridge at Christmas, once the Bible arrived, the tomte became the work of the devil and treated as such. Presumably this made him very mad and lots of farms went under.
These days, the tomte has come to symbolize Christmas. Homes all over Scandinavia have them scattered around the house come the festive season. We managed a small collection while we were there, which we bought back to Farnham.
Mirinda walked into Farnham today and discovered a tomte on one of the painted windows. It would appear that Sweden has followed us.
I don’t know why one of them is holding a sign which reads ‘The world’s gone mad’. Is it a political statement? I can only hope the tomte isn’t upset.
Fiona also found a tomte in Queensland. He’s pushing a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins. Maybe the world has finally discovered the benevolence of the tomte and is embracing it. Or maybe they were always there and we’re only just seeing them since returning from their home.
But, away from the snowy winter scenes, the park is looking very Autumnal now. The trees are particularly beautiful when the sky is blue, like it was this morning.
