Return of the Tomte

Tomte is a charming character from Swedish folklore who rules over their household with an iron thumb. 

Traditionally, tomten are known to wear grey robes and a woolly red hat. They may look like gnomes, but don’t let that fool you, tomten have many more duties than their holiday creature lookalikes. 

Tomten work overtime to ensure their space is spotless. These creatures are described as having an active hand in the caretaking of their homes and farms. They’re hard to spot on account of their tiny size and overnight work schedule as they help take care of their home properly. Their salary? Rice porridge, of course—and you better not forget the butter! 

The iconic Swedish house elf is known to be very loyal, mischievous, have a good sense of humor, and unusually omnipotent—the original Elf on the Shelf, one could argue. If a tomtebelieves its owner hasn’t completed their job up to a tomte standard, their grumpiness and creative punishments will become quite apparent very quickly. Legend has it that farmers have woken up to find all their animals disappearing overnight! However, when properly taken care of, they can be quite helpful—and even lucky—to have around. 
~asimn.org

The Elves and Tomten are making their appearance at Dogcorner this week. The Trollwife is excited to see old friends and has been heard bragging about her upcoming trip to their homeland.


For the Record,
This day came in very cold and sunny. The birds needed lots of seeds and peanuts today to fight the cold.


All hands busy