If you’ve ever set foot in a Home Depot, Lowes or Walmart and stopped to admire the garden displays contained therein, then you have no doubt come across that most iconic of all yard ornaments: The Garden Gnome. These little statues often depicting old men with long white beards and red hats can be seen perched atop almost every garden in the world; and we all know that they are meant to keep watch over our lawns and trees to protect them from harm.
What you may not know is how many myths and misconceptions about them still persist.
1: Garden Gnomes Are All The Same Style:
While it’s true that the older and rarer antique garden gnomes were often fanciful depictions of little old men, modern garden gnomes depict a much wider variety of characters. From leprechauns to aliens to fairies to vampires to mythological creatures such as dragons and unicorns, there is a garden gnome for almost every taste.
2: Garden Gnomes Are Made Of Concrete:
This common misconception can be blamed on the garden gnomes manufactured by one of the largest producers of concrete lawn ornaments in America, Reutter Porcelain. For many years, they were the only company producing garden gnomes, and their high quality but rather plain concrete figures became synonymous with the term itself.
3: Garden Gnomes Were Always Described As “Sentient” or “Evolving”:
While it is true that many early legends of gnome sightings told of them being able to speak with the plants and trees, modern garden gnomes are no more sentient or evolved than your average lawn ornament. To claim otherwise is nothing but sensationalism.
4: Garden Gnomes Are Sincerely Obsessed With Human Beings:
While it’s true that garden gnomes love nothing more than staying close to human civilization, they do not share our same obsessive fascination with ourselves.
5: Garden Gnomes Cannot Stand Next To Other Types Of Lawn Ornaments Or They Might Fight:
While it’s true that garden gnomes are territorial and will fight to the death against other lawn ornaments, they have no qualms about living in close proximity to them… so long as they’re in a garden, of course.
6: Garden Gnomes Have An Internal Compass That Points Toward The North Pole:
Despite what so many have claimed, modern garden gnomes no longer possess this mysterious object or ability given to them by their creator. In fact, the only way you can be sure which direction they are facing is to check their hats, which are always tilted to the side.
7: Garden Gnomes Are Not Crepuscular Creeps:
It’s true that garden gnomes are most active during the dawn and dusk hours of the day, but they certainly do not spend this time skulking about with nefarious intent. There is no truth to this urban legend whatsoever.
Garden gnomes are a long-standing part of our culture and folklore, but there is still much we don’t know about them. We hope this article has cleared up some misconceptions you may have had about these little creatures. Next time you see one in your neighborhood, give him a wave!
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