Magical Beasts by Bre Geier

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

GNOMES
Gnomes are elemental beings who are closely tied to the earth; the
word gnome may come from the Greek genumus, which means "earth
dweller", or gnoma, which means "the knowing ones". The term gnome
has come to include many species of earth elementals besides the
creatures we know by this name.
The Germans call these little beings Erdmanleins, while in
the German Alpine areas are known as Heinzemannchens. The Swedes
know them as the Nissen, a name similar to Nisse, which used by the
Danes and Norwegians. The Balkan countries have several names: Gnom,
Djude, and Mano.
Gnomes themselves, as a species, are of a wide variety of
types and forms. Most of them range from four to twelve inches in
height. They take on the physical appearance of people of the county
and culture in which they live, and have been seen all around the
world. The older males grow beards, while it is traditional for the
married females to wear a scarf.
Most gnomes weave cloth for clothing, sewing it into peasant
costumes. Some of them wear clothing made from the plants near where
they live, while others appear to "grow" their garments like the fur
of animals. The males usually wear pointed red hats, multicolored
stockings or tight leg coverings, and a jerkin or tunic. The females
wear head scarves, blouses, long skirts, aprons, and multicolored
stockings.
Gnomes can live for several hundred years. They marry and
have families. Small children of quiet disposition often see and
communicate with gnomes, while this is more difficultly for adults,
who question everything.
Most gnomes are prepared to earn their food by diligent work.
Their usual foods are cereals and root vegetables, but for special
festive occasion they do brew ale. Originally, they are good-humored
beings, helpful and benign to humans and all other creatures.
However, if humans destroy tier habitat in reckless regard, they have
been known to sabotage projects and cause great damage. Gnomes prefer
to build underground colonies in dim forests or the root system of
large trees. They are adaptable, though, and will build homes in rock
gardens, empty bird houses, thick shrubbery, or the out-of-the-way
places in civilization. They often have several secret hiding places
where they can store things.
Gnomes are not fond of technology, preferring to work at
their weaving and woodworking or helping the plants and animals the
share their environment. Since they have great insight into actions
of universal energy, they can influence animate and inanimate
creatures and objects. To raise magical energy, the gnomes like to
dance.
Gnomes have an innate ability to learn from the past and
predict the future. They also have great understanding of the energy
patterns around all things, making it possible for them to influence
and heal. Seldom are gnomes malicious or troublesome.
A very similar being in Denmark and Sweden is called the
Nisse god-dreng (Nisse good lad), and in Sweden the Tomtgubbe (Old
Man of the House). They say the Nisse is about the size of a year-old
child, but looks like an old man dressed in gray with a pointed red
cap. They say nothing goes well unless a nisse lives in the house or
on the farm. The Norwegian Nisse love the moonlight and, during the
winter, often frolic in the snow at night; they are highly skilled in
fiddling, music, and dance. Nisse who live in churches are called the
Kirkegrim.

Psychological Attributes: A happy person who likes to aid animals.
One close to the earth and the Old Gods, especially the Goddess.

Magical Attributes: Good luck, fiddle-playing, music, dance,
divination, rising magical energy, help for plants or animals.

GOBLINS
Tradition says that goblins entered France through the Pyreness
Mountains. They later spread throughout Europe. By stowing away on
the Viking dragon ships, they entered Britain, where they were given
the name Robin Goblin, which was later shortened to Hobgoblin. The
Germans call these troublesome beings goblins; to the Scots they are
Brags.
Like many other earth spirits, the goblins have a human-like
form, but there is only a slight family connection between them and
gnomes, pixies, gremlins, elves, leprechauns, and faeries. The other
earth spirits will not allow them in their company because of the
goblin tendency for malicious mischief and evil cunning. Tradition
says that originally goblins were not the troublesome, hateful beings
they are now, but were a more shaggy from of brownie. Then the
goblins began to associate closely with some of the more
underisirable humans and learned their devious ways.
Some of the goblins can change their size, ranging from very
dark blob, or they can suddenly materialize with mean looks on tier
faces. Instead of the appealing smiles of gnomes, goblins have wide
grins that can raise the hair on your neck. Their coloring is in all
shades of browns, and some of them are quite hairy. They have stubby
ears and eyes that glitter with malice. The are extremely strong and
most active at night.
Their abilities in mischief-making are in the areas of luck-
spoiling and weaving nightmares. That is not the extent of their
mischief-making, though. They love to tip over pails, hide things,
blow soot down the chimney or dirt in you face, alter sign posts, and
blow out candles in scary places. Fortunally, goblins are not
interested in tools and machinery. Folk tales say that the smile of a
goblin will curdle the blood, with his laugh will sour milk and make
fruit fall from trees. Even magicians will not allow a goblin to stay
around, because it is such a nuisance.
Goblins can easily communicate with such noxious creatures as
flies, wasps, mosquitoes, and hornets. During the summer they like
nothing better the send these troublesome insects in hordes toward
warm-blooded creatures, then laugh at the results.
Goblins have no homes as we think of homes, mainly because
they do not tend to settle in one place for long. They will
temporally take shelter in mossy clefts in rocks and the twisting
surface roots of old trees. The sequels and shrill tittering of a
goblin gang is a warning that they are in the neighborhood.
In Scotland, a malicious, ill-tempered close relative of the
goblins is known as a boggart. In areas of northern England, this
hateful creature is called a padfoot or hobgoblin. This solitary male
being appears as short and ugly with distorted features. He only
comes into a house to create trouble and destroy things. Most active
at night, the boggart enjoys tormenting and terrifying children, but
will not hesitate to play his favorite trick of wrapping the blankets
about the head of a sleeping adult and then laughing uproariously
then the person awakens half-smothered. If they have been exorcised
from the house, they will take up residence along a road and frighten
passerby.

Psychological Attributes: A malicious type of person who enjoys
frightening and/or terrorizing others.

Magical Attributes: Not recommended. Once inside you home or ritual
circle, goblins are difficult to get rid of.

GREMLINS
Although distantly related to the craftsman gnome and the mischievous
goblins, gremlins are primarily earth spirits who love tinker with
tools and machinery. At one time they were bought to be friendly with
humans, showing them how to make better and more efficient tools,
sharing new inventions, and inspiring better craftsmanship. The
friendship soured when humans took credit for the gremlins' work.
Some people think that gremlins only came to life during World War II
when reports coupled them with airplane problems. However, these
little beings have been around since humans first began to use any
implement, other than a branch or rock, to help them with their work.
Now the gremlins try to make life as miserable from human as
they can. They like nothing better to make paint run down you arm,
get you to saw through a knot in a plank, or hit your thumb with a
hammer. Holding down the lever on the toaster so the toast burns
sends them into howls of laughter. So does letting the air out of the
tires when you are late for work. They are experts at choking the
fuel line on the lawn mower or playing with the hot and cold water
while you are taking a shower. Gremlins prefer living in homes or
buildings where there is lots of machinery in one form or another.
Tradition says that there is at least one gremlin in every household
or business.

Psychological Attributes: One with an inventive mind or the ability
to work with and repair machinery. Rather unsociable.

Magical attributes: Not recommended. Gremlins tend to cause enough
trouble without deliberately inviting them into magical workings.

PIXIES
These small creatures at one time inhabited the far western sections
of England, especially Cornwall. Where they originated, no one knows.
Tradition says there has always been enmity between pixies and
fairies, which sometimes erupts in battles. Another name for pixies
is piskies. Their mischievous behavior had given us the word pesky.
Pixies are about the size of a human hand, but have the
ability to increase or decrease their size whenever they wish. Their
most noticeable characteristics are their bright red hair, green
eyes, pointed ears, and turned up noses. Both males and females wear
close-fitting outfits which act as camouflage when they are you in
the fields and forests. Often they wear a hat made of a foxglove
blossom or a toadstool, two plants they dearly love. They love
flowering gardens and herb beds. They, like many similar beings, are
active at Beltane when they gatherer at pixie fairs to sing, dance,
play, and make music.
Although these beings do not directly harm humans they are
malicious tricksters who like nothing better than to lead humans
astray when out hiking or traveling. They can confuse some humans so
much that they never recover, but to take to wandering aimlessly,
singing and talking in unknown languages. In sections of English
Pixie-country, this is known as "pixie led". Tradition says the only
method known to work against the glamour of pixies is to wear you
coat inside-out.
It is not unknown for a pixie, especially the males, to take
on a full-grown human appearance in a attempt to cause trouble. If
you see a man with squinting green eyes, bright red hair, and a
mischievous smile, you should take care not to get involved in any of
his schemes.
English farmers in pixie-county try to avoid getting on the
wrong side of pixies. They do this by leaving out water for the pixie
mothers to wash their babies and keeping the hearth swept for pixie
dancing.

Psychological Attributes: One with a sense of humor that sometimes
borders on the kind of humor that isn't funny.

Magical Attributes: Very tricky to work with. Singing, dancing, music.