10 Garden Gnome Facts and Fun Information



Gnomes are fascinating creatures whether you believe them to be mythical or not. They are loved and loathed by gardeners in rather equal measures.

Here, you'll enjoy plenty of fun garden gnome facts and some interesting snippets of information about these funny little creatures. Here's ten really fun based facts on this magical little gnome being.

Apart from being just slightly magical, gnomes are also good luck charms and are very lucky for you to own. Every garden should definitely have at least one of these characters in it.

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Fun and Interesting Garden Gnome Facts for You to Enjoy


Garden gnome facts fun page for kids and adults

1. Like many people, I'm a Harry Potter fan. In the books, gnomes (also known as Gernumblies) are depicted as really irritating little pests who don't just live in but rather infest the gardens of wizards and witches.

The author, J.K. Rowling, made these magical gnomes a little bit different to the general human or Muggle garden variety.


For a start, the magical varieties are thought to look rather like rather muddy and ugly potatoes that also happen to move. They are not portrayed as dangerous in the wizarding world, however their main delight is to play annoying tricks and be an all-out general nuisance.

Unfortunately, the Harry Potter gnomes have the breeding capacity of rabbits so there are a lot of them who dig up and make a mess of gardens in order to eat plant roots. They are extremely difficult to catch.

In fact, the only characters in Harry Potter that actually like gnomes are the very wacky Lovegood family. Everyone else considers these gnomes or gernumblies to be such pests that there is an official method for gnome-control and de-gnoming.

garden gnome sat on grass

Image Credit: Original image shared by Alexas_Fotos on Pixabay with a CC License


2. It seems that J. K. Rowling, was perhaps just a little bit mean to gnomes in her books because legend actually tells us that they are not in fact mischievous but are wonderfully helpful little human-like creatures that love doing good deeds for everyone that they come into contact with.

Some old stories and tales say that gnomes turn to stone in daylight and only come to life again when evening falls. Perhaps that is why we never see them when they are moving around.


3. So these creatures are extremely friendly and have no real enemies except for trolls. And, let's face it, trolls don't particularly like anyone - just try crossing a troll bridge and you will see what I mean. Trolls like to hunt gnomes but never manage to catch any because they're not really clever enough.

4. The typical figurine or garden statue of a gnome, which many of us are so familiar with today, originated first in Germany. There they were called Gartenzwerg which translates as garden dwarf.

5. According to the legends of Sweden, this magical being can live on average for 400 years. There are female gnomes, just as the garden varieties depict, and whole families of them live in underground houses and speak a strange and rather undecipherable language.

This race of supernatural creatures do not like cities, but prefer to stay in rural locations where they can be of help to farmers. Sounds like they'd get on very well with Hobbits.

magical gnome dwarf creatures toadstools mushrooms forest wood

Image Credit: Original image shared by Jo-B on Pixabay with a CC License


6. The way that they are depicted has changed a lot over the centuries. The original theory was that they were ugly looking and more of an animal than a human being.

Their modern image shows them to be small but highly intelligent versions of us humans. The males have long white beards just like Father Christmas and they love to dress up in bright colors. Their personalities are very human-like and they are often shown to indulge in pipes and naturally enjoy a spot of fishing too.

7. Even though their physical appearance has changed over the years, their abilities have remained much the same. They are believed to be incredibly strong and as quick as lightning, and are also passionate little guardians of all natural elements. 

You could probably say that gnomes were the very first environmentalists. In British politics, they would have voted for the Green Party.

swinging gnome figure garden ornament

Image Credit: Original image shared by GnomeGal on Pixabay with a CC License


8. Some humans have a rather worrying obsession or fixation with gnomes, and as such, you can often see statues of them in gardens where they are busy doing activities such as fishing, gardening and taking a nap of course.

There is an actual Garden Gnome Liberation Front who think that keeping these creatures in captivity is terribly cruel and they are devoted to taking them before setting them free in the wild. If you're lucky, you might get a postcard or two from your previous little pal.

9. So what's the difference between a Gnome and a Goblin? Goblins are rather the opposite in personality and temperament and are depicted in mythology as particularly evil and untrustworthy creatures, who are intelligent and have a strange obsession with gold and treasure.

Goblins also appear in folk culture from Europe to South America but are believed to live in caves and the deepest and darkest parts of forests where you will rarely spot one.

10. The next time that you happen to pass by a garden at night and spot a gnome, stop and watch for a minute or two and, who knows, you might just see him or her move. Should you be so lucky, do not expect to be granted three wishes as these are only granted by leprechauns and that is quite another story.

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Articles are accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.