Tomte / Nisse

Origin and tradition

Scandinavian agrarian folklore. The spirit of the first clearing farmer who built the farm's cornerstone log.

Illustration in this atlas

An old man standing no taller than 3 feet, with a long white beard, wearing a gray home-spun woolen tunic and a red pointed cap.

References and further reading

1. en.wikipedia.org — Nisse (folklore)

These references offer further reading. Accounts and depictions vary; the atlas illustration is interpretive artwork, rather than historical or scientific evidence.