Gnome

Gnome
Species information
Skin colour	Brown
Native to	Europe North America
Alternative names	Garden gnome Gernumbli gardensi Gernumblies (plural)
Height of average adult	1 ft. (max.)
Mortality	Mortal
Distinction	Potato-like heads Sharp biting teeth Harmless nature Tended to infest gardens Feasted on vegetation and worms Quick breeders
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XX
Status	Extant

"The gnome is a common garden pest found throughout northern Europe and North America."

— Description

A gnome, or garden gnome, was a small magical beast commonly known to infest the gardens of wizarding households. The correct taxonomic name for gnomes was, purportedly, Gernumbli gardensi; they were sometimes referred to as Gernumblies. They were found throughout northern Europe and North America.

Nature

Gnomes could reach a size of approximately one foot, making them smaller than Erklings. They were usually brown in colour and had disproportionately large heads, making them look like potatoes with legs. Although not dangerous creatures, they possessed razor sharp teeth and tended to bite if provoked.

Their feet were hard and bony, and they did not look anything like the garden gnome lawn decorations used by Muggles (which, according to Ronald Weasley, looked like little Father Christmases with fishing rods).

Ecology

The gnome infestation living in the Weasley garden

Gnomes lived in burrows underground, known as gnomeholes, where they dug up and ate the roots of plants, creating little heaps of earth around gardens similarly to moles (and as such causing considerable damage to them). Gnomes preferred to live in wizarding gardens over Muggle gardens, and may have ran out and attempted to trip the unwary travellers near the garden they claimed.

Gnomes also seemed to like worms and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans. The natural predator of the gnome was the Jarvey, a magical beast resembling an overgrown ferret.

Crookshanks was fond of chasing gnomes around the garden of The Burrow, and the gnomes seemed just as fond of being chased. According to Muriel, gnomes were quick breeders.

Gnomes in the wizarding world

Polarised reputation

The gnome

According to Xenophilius Lovegood, having an infestation of these creatures in one's garden was a sort of blessing. When his daughter Luna was bitten by a gnome, he exclaimed that gnome saliva had many unusual and beneficial properties, such as the ability to suddenly increase one's creativity (in particular, he said it might make one have the urge to sing opera, or give speeches in Mermish). Luna then told Harry that her father had done a lot of research of Gernumbli magic, so at least in the Lovegood's view of things (which always had to be taken with a grain of salt) gnomes may have possessed unique magical abilities, distinct from wizarding magic.

However, Rubeus Hagrid considered gnomes "a nasty piece o' work" and instructed students to defeat gnomes in his Care of Magical Creatures classes.

Interaction with humans

"The gnome can be expelled from the garden by swinging it in circles until dizzy and then dropping it over the garden wall. Alternatively a Jarvey may be used, though many wizards nowadays find this method of gnome-control too brutal."

— Instructions on how to de-gnome a garden

A gnome on top of the Weasleys' Christmas tree

Because of the havoc they wreacked upon gardens and the fact that they were somewhat of a giveaway of wizarding homes, gnomes were deemed pests by the wizarding community. De-gnoming typically consisted of taking hold of the gnomes, swinging them around until they are dizzy, and then throwing them beyond the yard's perimeter fence or wall. Gnomes had the ability to speak, or at least make noises, squealing "Gerroff me!" when caught, and could even be taught swear words. They were also able to scream when thrown away and mumble angrily when they walked away. However they often laughed when a de-gnoming was not done properly.

Interestingly, the species had such a low level of intelligence that when a de-gnoming was being carried out, they would hurry out of their burrows to see what's causing the commotion, which only rendered them easier to catch. Alternatively, one could use a Jarvey to de-gnome a garden, but this method was considered much too violent and thus was seldom used (Jarveys preyed upon gnomes).

The Weasleys had to regularly de-gnome the garden by throwing them over the hedge. However, the gnomes always sneaked back in since Arthur Weasley was soft on them and thought they were funny. This may suggest that they had a bit of intelligence, or a more clever sub-species of the gnomes existed.

History

During the 1990–1991 school year, Bill Weasley taught seventh-year Defence Against the Dark Arts students about how to handle gnomes in one of his nightly extracurricular classes, claiming them to be quite dangerous beasts.

In the summer of 1992, the Weasley family taught Harry Potter about de-gnoming, as their garden at their house The Burrow had become infested with gnomes.

In the summer of 1994 at The Burrow, Crookshanks, Hermione Granger's pet half-Kneazle cat, enjoyed chasing gnomes around the garden, as he had never seen them before.

In December 1996, at Christmas, the Weasley family stunned, painted gold and stuffed into a minature tutu a garden gnome in order to use it as a Christmas tree topper, that had previously bit Fred Weasley on the ankle as he was pulling up carrots from the garden for dinner. That same holiday, whilst Harry Potter was talking with Rufus Scrimgeour outside, he spotted a gnome poking its head from underneath a frozen rhododendron, and later saw it trying to dig worms out of the frozen ground to eat.

During the 2008–2009 school year, one of Rubeus Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons was to defeat gnomes in order to protect the pumpkins in his garden. Also that year, there were gnomes in flowerpots that were delivered to the Herbology Classroom. When a first-year student tried to get Bowtruckle feed, they had to drive the gnomes away using the Water-Making Spell.

In April 2020, The Burrow was mentioned as an important historical site in a travel guide titled One Hundred Historical Sites from the Second Wizarding War, leading to a massive influx of tourists visiting the house and a resulting Calamity surge focused on it and its residents. As a result, The Burrow's gnomes temporarily vacated the garden, with Molly Weasley claiming that it was nice to take de-gnoming off of her chore list during the chaos.

Behind the scenes

A gnome as seen in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

• The gnome was originally created by Paracelsus in his alchemical works as a diminutive earth elemental. The creature was later picked up by other writers.
• In the GBA version of the first video game, blue gnomes appear along with brown ones.
• It is possible gnomes possess some degree of magical resistance, which would explain why de-gnoming is achieved through physical means (be it throwing them out or a Jarvey) rather than with some sort of spells. This is also supported in the GBA version of the first video game, in which blue gnomes are more resistant to the Knockback Jinx than brown ones.
• Several video games depict gnomes as being taught in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, which seems canonically strange, considering how gnomes are not dangerous or dark creatures, but are in fact relatively harmless garden pests, only capable of biting if provoked.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Mentioned only in Disc 2)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Appears on a Famous Wizard Card)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• The Art of Harry Potter: Mini Book of Graphic Design
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy (Mentioned only)
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac