is that the chase in the middle?

those gnomes suck.

Those would rock if you could resculpt the hand so he's throwing up the horns!

My last name is apparently a German term for a magical gnome that lives in a forest. It was a sad day when I found that out.

Oh, and these sieg heiling gnomes suck.

I like anything that tries to take the meaning out of symbolism. Allowing a gesture or design to not be diluted over time means it will always hold that power which people once gave it, which it truly never had and only perpetuates what was instilled into it at one time for years to come. It's the same reason I like bootlegs, they are a funny and sometimes meaningless grin to something familiar while not honoring or being an homage to the original.

Why is that sad? Sounds pretty cool (in a nerdy way) to me!

the symbolism here is slightly more subtle than the "heil" pose suggests. hitler's political power grew by manipulating the then popular "Volk" (folk) movement which emphasized germany's diversity and ethnic heritage. people dressed in leiderhosen and had large gatherings devoted to the group heritage of the germanic people and their rich history of titled nobility.

gnomes are mythical creatures that belong to many european cultures and cannot be said to have originated from any of them. however, garden gnomes as statues were a creation of Germany and first came into existence in the mid-1800s.

the "volk" movement can be seen as a pop culture trend of nostalgia. the gnome can be considered a pop culture icon from german history. In this gnome figure the artist is combining these two elements of germanic culture and emphasizing that Hitler's power as a cultural force (even pop culture) is stronger than either of the other influences. So by juxtaposing a "cute" image of a gnome with the nazi arm gesture, many ideas of german history and self-representation are posited.

that name has a great meaning! be proud.

I think these gnomes are interesting, some of my friends said they would never own one but I think I could... of course I dont support any beliefs presented by such radical groups,, but I find myself attracted to out-of-the ordanary items like this.

btw, my last name just means 'son of tavar' ... so you got me beat!

It was disappointing in the sense that my name sounds very Germanic and evil. The meaning is about the least menacing thing ever. It is definitely cool in a funny way.

um...i have always hated all gnomes, hence my screen name.

Although people at times misread it thinking i am trying to be urban using "down" as "cool".

Those Nazi gnomes are only SLIGHTY more creepy than regular gnomes. I have been scared of gnomes as long as I could remember.

i don't really like gnomes. and i don't like nazis.
but i like these.

actually, i kind of like the gnomes in the dragonlance books, but that's a little bit too much nerdformation there...

And with good reason....



Big picture for maximum terror.

awww dude. that is soooooo awesome!

well put!

as for german names, my wife's last is landesfeind which literally translates into enemy of the country. whenever we travel back to the fatherland we get the worse looks from the people stamping the passports and then feeling it necessary to tell us how it's not a nice name. it never gets old