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71 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 16, 2004 Since You Asked Gnomes thrive in places of mischief We got a cute, new garden gnome, and that got us wondering. Where does "gnome" come from anyway? — Sally T., Medford Why, gnomes come from the bowels of the Earth, Sally, where they guard precious metals and other subterranean treasure. In fairy tales, gnomes are so much at home under the ground that they move about with the ease of birds in the air or fish in water. As to the word, it probably comes from the Greek gnome (intelligence, thought). Or maybe it’s mixed up with genomos (earth dweller). Both "Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" (Harper and Row) and "A History of English in its Own Words" (HarperCollins) say the word seems to have been used first by the alchemist Paracelsus in the 16th century. But it doesn’t seem to have taken hold until Alexander Pope used it in 1712 in his satirical poem, "The Rape of the Lock." The migration of gnomes from their underground homes to the gardens of the world seems to have been accompanied by a change in their disposition. According to Pope, far from being benign garden spirits, gnomes "delight in mischief." Maybe that’s what’s ailing our begonias. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities