Tonttu
From Free net encyclopedia
Tonttu or haltija is a Finnish version of the Swedish Tomte. The word is derived from Gothic *haltijar, and referred to the original settler of a homestead. When written as haltia, the term usually refers to the elves in Tolkien's mythology or other such fantasy works. Both tonttu and tomte are related to words tontti (Finnish) and tomt (Swedish). They mean a piece of land, on which a house is built, and later protected by a local spirit, a tonttu.
Kotihaltia (home elf, home gnome) is the word for a tonttu that lives in every home. He takes care of the house, ut it is also important to treat him with respect. Saunatonttu lives in the sauna and protects it, but also makes sure that people will not behave improperly in it. Joulutonttu is Finnish for Christmas elf.
See also
- brownie (Scotland and England)
- Domovoi/Domowoj (Slavic)
- Tomte or Nisse (Scandinavia)
- Elf
- Gnome
- Dwarf
- Kobold (German)
- Sprite
- Vetter
- Legendary creature
- Household deity