Tomte Part 1 Tomte also called Nisse are a kind of House Spirit from Nordic lore. They are commonly depicted in rural farmer clothes, having a long white beard, and wearing boots and a red cap (either pointed or woven). They are usually depicted as small befitting their gnome like appearance. (Tomte does effectively mean the same thing as Gnome creature wise) though their name means “Homestead Man”. Like many household spirits they are often viewed as the spirits of the first resident of the farm (ancestor spirit), effectively being examples of ancestors becoming Tutelary deities. Tomte are shown helping the farm by doing chores and at times even stealing things, they were often mischievous and were incredibly strong for their size. On Christmas Eve it was customary to leave out a bowl of porridge for the Tomte (they especially liked having a piece of butter on top and many would grow enraged if this is neglected and would harm or kill those who ate their porridge.)