Tradition / Region: Luxembourg Mythology
Alternate Names: Strassen Gnomes, House Gnomes of Kempenhaus
Category: Gnome
The Myth
In Strassen there once lived a man who had fallen into poverty through no fault of his own. In the house where he lived — which is still known today — little gnomes came to help him. Each morning he found that the work in the house, the barn, and the fields had already been done. When winter came, the man placed clothes in the barn so the gnomes might protect themselves from the cold. But when the little beings saw the garments, they believed their service was no longer needed and disappeared from that time on.
In the same region, people also told of a farmer who was plowing his field when he heard voices calling from underground, “I want a cake too! I want a cake too!” Laughing, he called back, “I want a cake too!” The next morning he found a cake on his plow. He could cut from it as much as he wished, yet it was never more than half eaten.
Another tale tells that in Kempenhaus the little gnomes once carried out their helpful work at night. They fed the horses, threshed grain, churned butter, and even made shoes. One day food was placed out for them, and the little men grew sorrowful, believing that this meant they were being paid and that their help was no longer wanted. They left the house and went to Hiènenhaus, where they continued their work just as before.
But there, too, the housewife eventually said that the little gnomes must be given their dinner, and she set food out for them. After that, the gnomes vanished forever.
Gallery
Sources
sagen.at contributors. (n.d.). Die Wichtelcher zu Straßen. In sagen.at, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/luxemburg/Wichtlein_Strassen.html
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive