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.

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

I have been scared of gnomes as long as I could remember.

And with good reason....



Big picture for maximum terror.

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.