Wizard Gnomes vs Muggle Gnomes, what’s the difference?

Gnomes feature throughout the Harry Potter books but even our own garden gnomes have an extraordinary past.

Gnomes in the Harry Potter universe are pretty incredible and we’re taking a look at the wizarding ones and those that simply exist in the muggle world. They decorate your garden or, if you’re in the Harry Potter world, they can be quite the pest!

So we’ll take a look at the best and worst kind to have in your garden!

Muggles Gnomes

In Harry Potter, Muggle garden gnomes are defined by their decorative nature. Yet the real history of them is fascinating. One Victorian aristocrat Sir Charles Isham even created a  “huge rock garden for his gnome population”. While they may be common to us today, they were luxury goods in the first half of the twentieth century. In fact there was somewhat of an obsession with these little garden delights in New Zealand in the 1930’s amongst the affluent and privileged.

New Zealand’s obsession

This lead to a crime spate of gnome thefts, even wanted notices went out into newspapers. In the journal article The cultural history of the garden gnome in New Zealand  Dr Ian C. Duggan highlights that “A ‘Lost and Found’ notice in the Wellington newspaper Evening Post in 1935, offered a ‘good reward’ for ‘information leading to the recovery of Two Garden Ornaments, one Gnome and Toadstool, removed from the Garden of 186 The Terrace’. This advertisement provides further evidence that gnomes were primarily for the wealthy in New Zealand”. As Dr Duggan notes “It has been quite a tradition to steal gnomes in New Zealand, as it has internationally, over the years”.

The rewards offered for the gnomes could be considerable. £5 was offered to return one garden gnome in 1939 which would be over £100 today.  Post Second World War gnomes became a mass owned item and solidified their place in the popular mindset. While Dr Ian C. Duggan comments in the journal article that gnomes are often dismissed “as being kitsch or in bad taste”, they have enjoyed a revival in recent decades with the “first international gnome convention” being held in 1995 and attracting “8,000 visitors” in one day. The oldest gnome there the “Lampton Hall Gnome” which was “150 years old” and so valued that “it was insured for £1 million”.

Wizard Gnomes

If gnomes in the Muggle world are decorative and sought after then Wizard gnomes are anything but. Known as Gernumbli gardensi  they are considered a household pest. They are classified as XX by the Ministry of Magic. Attempts to remove them are known as de-gnoming. This includes swinging the gnome “in circles until dizzy and then dropping it over the garden wall” according to the book Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. An other method used includes hunting the gnome with a ferret like Jarvey though it is widely considered that this “method of gnome-control” is “too brutal”.

In terms of the presentations of these gnomes within the Harry Potter universe, gnomes play a role in the second Harry Potter book the Chamber of Secrets.  Perhaps unfortunately they did not make the cut into the film version and there are no scenes indeed that feature these gnomes in an of the Harry Potter film franchise. Never fear however though as they are indeed in the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets game, making for an interesting diversion for all gnome enthusiasts.

Next: James Potter and Sirius Black: What could have been

While garden gnomes may not be fictional unlike their wizard counterparts, they are no less interesting. The history of garden gnomes shows their incredible knack for survival. From the origins of the garden gnomes in 19^th century to the gnome theft escapades of the 1930’s and then becoming an icon post Second World War. Surely it must be that even garden gnomes have a bit of magic in them.