These creatures are not really gnomes, they’re trolls, but as both have their origins in old Norse mythology I thought I’d go with gnomes in the title at least. That’s because (a) it’s catchy, and (b) I didn’t want to use “trolls” in a headline, given its evolution as the name for an online pest.
Now that’s out of the way I can talk freely about trolls. According to the website visitnorway.com, trolls include colossal jotner and small goblins, dwarfs and other underground mythical creatures. They are said to live in inaccessible and untouched natural locations, for example in caves in the mountains, or in forests or the sea.
According to legend, trolls are usually both dangerous and stupid. Replicas of them can be seen all over Norway and I found them to be irresistible photography subjects.
These photos were taken in Bergen, Geiranger, Hammerfest and Honningsvag.
They look like all the Norwegians I’ve met!