Gnomes are secretive characters whose stories are bound by myth and legends handed down from generation to generation.  But until Wil Huygen, a Dutch scientist, and his friend Rien Poortvliet, Holland's most popular illustrator,  decided to study gnome life for twenty years, very little about Gnome life had been studied and documented.

Gnomes are very small characters, full grown they stand only about 15cm. or about six inches high or 8 inches to the top of their hats. They live to be about 400 years old.  A gnome is distinctly different from  dwarfs or elves, but are often confused by humans. One of the distinctive characteristics of gnomes versus these other small counterparts is that they have a unique headpiece that sets them apart. A gnome always has a pointed hat, whereas a dwarf has a bent over hat, never pointed. The Gnomes hat also serve the purpose of distinguishing between male and female and married and unmarried status. For instance, male gnomes always have a red hat, while females have either a purple or green one. Single female Gnomes wear a green hat then switch to a darker hat after marriage. A large assortment of Rein Poortvliet Gnomes can be seen on www.krupps.com they have a large assortment of real size gnomes ( 8 Inches to top of hat) as well as 15 inch gnomes, 24 inch gnomes and even 32 inch gnomes.

The character of a dwarf while more outstanding than most humans is not up to the standard of a Gnome. We all know about snow white and the seven dwarfs and know they were very kind characters. However, gnomes devote their lives to doing kind deeds and taking care of the the animals of the forest as well as the environment. I think of dwarfs as Gnome wantabes.  Elves on the other hand are Santa’s helpers as everyone knows and they reside primarily at the North Pole making toys for children.

Rien Poortvliet and Will Huygen shared their findings about Gnomes through many books filled with facts and illustrations based on their years of observing these mythological characters. Together they wrote and illustrated several books. While all of their books are out of print at this time, it would be worth your time to find some of them at used book stores for their knowledge and insight into the lives of these wonderful characters will enrich your life forever.  

The more I find out about these delightful characters the Gnomes, the more I love them and everything they stand for. They are what most humans want to be, the conservators of nature, the caretakers of the animals, the free spirits who know right from wrong and always instinctively do the right thing. From generation to generation they teach their young the same values and ethics, it’s as if the innocence of Gnomes is untainted by the human occupation of the earth. We have so much to learn from them.

As people come to know about the secrets of the Gnomes they often want to include them in their home or garden decorating. The Rein Poorvliet family has released many of the illustrations from the book to be made into home and garden decorations. These are strictly overseen by the Rein Poorvleit family for quality and are released only to a few distributors in each country. Krupps.com is fortunate to been chosen by the US distributor to bring the Rein Poortvliet Gnomes to their customers for their home and garden decor.

Gnomes are fun to decorate with because of their small size and bright colors.  They are easily hidden among flowers and plants and  it is delightful for visitors to your home to sight a Gnome.  It can be such fun for friends and neighbors to move the Gnomes around to new places where they peek out and catch you on unawares.

I would like to share a quote from the book of Gnomes with you. "To my amazement I have heard that there are people who have never seen a gnome. I can't help pitying these people. I am certain there must be something wrong with their eyesight." Axel Munthe

I hope that your encounters with the Gnomes will enrich you life. I wish you many happy times in your discovery of the Gnomes.