{"id":87306,"date":"2020-11-17T14:59:38","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T12:59:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/?p=87306"},"modified":"2020-11-19T10:50:26","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T08:50:26","slug":"dwarfs_gnomes_jews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/en\/dwarfs_gnomes_jews\/","title":{"rendered":"Mythical Dwarfs and Garden Gnomes \u2013 the Jewish Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Once upon a time, there were dwarfs. Their popular image crystallized in the middle of the 13<sup>th<\/sup> century in European, and particularly German folklore. They were described as small creatures that were known to be greedy tricksters and treasure hunters. One of their prominent features was their ability to distort or impair vision: they could vanish and appear as they wished and could temporarily or permanently blind anyone who saw them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some legends added various details which described dwarfs as a people originating from Asia or some unknown distant land. In some of the stories, they sang songs in an unfamiliar language to the hero who chanced upon them. In the folktales, dwarfs traded in costly fabrics, gold and precious stones, which they brought with them from the East. They often had a mystical connection to these valuable treasures, from which they drew magical powers \u2014 a fact that also made them vulnerable. In some legends, the dwarfs told of how they were expelled from their land by humans, or how their treasures were looted or lost.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_84431\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84431\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-12.12.12.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-84431\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-12.12.12-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-12.12.12-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-12.12.12-450x600.jpeg 450w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-12.12.12-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-12.12.12-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-12.12.12.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-84431\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration for the Hebrew children&#8217;s song <em>Utsu Rutsu Gamadim<\/em> (&#8220;Run, Dwarfs, Run\u201d by Miriam Yalan-Shteklis. Illustrator: Tsila Binder. From <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/books\/NNL_ALEPH001346317\/NLI?_gl=1*qgs31*_ga*MTEyNTYwMzY4MS4xNjAwMzM5MTkx*_ga_8P5PPG5E6Z*MTYwNTYxMzU5NS41NDAuMS4xNjA1NjEzNzM4LjYw&amp;_ga=2.162974780.1480070430.1605435377-1125603681.1600339191\">Shir Hagdi \u2013 Shirim Usippurim<\/a><\/em> (&#8220;Song of the Goat \u2013 Songs and Stories&#8221;), Vol. 1, Dvir, 1957<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the 13th and 14th centuries, artists began to depict dwarfs wearing a pointed cap. The pointed hat originated in the East, but over time, it became more closely associated with dwarfs and was believed to be the most dangerous weapon in their possession. They used it to trick the viewer, to disappear from sight or impair the vision of whoever happened to see them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although there were stories that described the dwarfs as creatures who had been maltreated and as close allies of folk legend heroes, the character of the dwarf was often pictured as unreliable, unfaithful, vengeful and deceitful.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_84435\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84435\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MELOT.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-84435\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MELOT-149x300.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"1008\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MELOT-149x300.jpg 149w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MELOT-298x600.jpg 298w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/MELOT.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-84435\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From <em>Tristan and Isolde &#8211;<\/em>\u00a0Melot the dwarf is a scheming figure at the king\u2019s court who attempts to thwart the love affair between Tristan and Isolde; fresco, 1410, Runkelstein Castle, South Tyrol, Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Those familiar with European Jewish history can perhaps draw some similarities between the tales of the dwarfs and the everyday lives of Jews in medieval Germany. The Jews of Ashkenaz were a people with origins in the Levant who had been dispossessed of their land, and they too often appeared as merchants laden with all kind of expensive goods, reputedly brought from distant lands such as the deserts of Arabia or the Caucasus. Due to the occupational restrictions imposed on them in many places, they were forced to earn a living by moneylending at interest and soon their neighbors accused them of \u201choarding treasures,\u201d greed and deception. Some attribute these beliefs to the French King Philip IV, and his decision to expel the Jews from his land in 1306, in the hope that he could seize their abandoned treasures. Indeed, &#8220;Philip the Fair&#8221; greatly enriched his coffers with property left behind by the Jews.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the middle of the 13th century (around the same time the image of the mythical dwarf became prominent in European culture), the first decrees came into force that required Jews to wear a special hat that would distinguish them from the Christian populace. Coincidentally, it was usually a pointed hat\u2014a style of hat identified with the ancient East. In Chen Malul\u2019s article, <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/en\/lbh_jewish_hat\/\">here<\/a>, we examined the incarnations of the hat and how it ended up atop the heads of Europe\u2019s Jews. What was the purpose of the decrees? Why was it important to differentiate Jews from their Christian neighbors?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_84439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84439\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-scaled.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-84439\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-155x300.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"970\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-155x300.jpg 155w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-309x600.jpg 309w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-768x1490.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-792x1536.jpg 792w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-1055x2048.jpg 1055w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/NNL_ALEPH21237028910005171_IE33014979_FL33014984-scaled.jpg 1319w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-84439\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Jew Efraim wearing the infamous Jewish hat, at the foot of the bed of the ailing Saint Basil, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/books\/NNL_ALEPH003442169\/NLI?_gl=1*1nvxudc*_ga*MTEyNTYwMzY4MS4xNjAwMzM5MTkx*_ga_8P5PPG5E6Z*MTYwNTYxNTg1MS41NDEuMS4xNjA1NjE1OTA2LjU.&amp;_ga=2.167019326.1480070430.1605435377-1125603681.1600339191#$FL33014985\">a 15<sup>th<\/sup>-century German text<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like the dwarfs, the Jews were accused of distorting reality because they did not see the truth that was before them. In Gothic cathedrals one can often find the blindfolded figure of <em>Synagoga<\/em>, which represented the Jewish faith. The image represented a Christian claim that Jews were only able to see the physical reality around them, and that they were unable to &#8220;see&#8221; the spiritual world beyond the temporal. This supposedly distorted vision of the Jews threatened to mislead innocent Christian believers, and therefore, to prevent their assimilation into society, Jews were required to wear special clothing, including the infamous hat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_84443\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84443\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/FL5064411.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-84443\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/FL5064411-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/FL5064411-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/FL5064411-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/FL5064411.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-84443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/sheets\/NNL_Ephemera700101614\/NNL_Ephemera?_gl=1*fpkzx3*_ga*MTEyNTYwMzY4MS4xNjAwMzM5MTkx*_ga_8P5PPG5E6Z*MTYwNTYxNTg1MS41NDEuMS4xNjA1NjE1OTI2LjU4&amp;_ga=2.229933852.1480070430.1605435377-1125603681.1600339191\">poster<\/a> promoting the play \u201cGulliver in the Land of Lilliput\u201d (translated into Hebrew as <em>Eretz HaGamadim<\/em> \u2013 &#8220;the Land of the Dwarfs&#8221;) by the Children\u2019s Theater, from the Ephemera Collection at the National Library of Israel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It is possible, of course, that the theoretical connection between the pointed hats and their real and imaginary wearers is just a fluke. It is difficult to trace the exact transmutations of such cultural representations, and pointed hats did not characterize only Jews: as early as the 12<sup>th<\/sup>-century, the pointed hat appeared in works of art as an identifying mark of non-Christians and those opposing Christianity. During the 14<sup>th<\/sup>-century, the pointed hat was also a required article of clothing for non-Jewish moneylenders in some places, or Christian women accused of having relations with Jews. From there the cultural connection between the pointed hat and more general dubious figures spread to include infidels, criminals, sorcerers, and other people accused of \u201cnon-Christian\u201d activities. Thus, the pointed hat came to depict witches and wizards such as the legendary sorcerer Merlin from the stories of King Arthur. Herein too is woven the notion of the deceptive and misleading abilities of the wearers of the pointed hat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_84446\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84446\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/569px-Nuremberg_chronicles_-_Merlin_CXXXVIIIr.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-84446\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/569px-Nuremberg_chronicles_-_Merlin_CXXXVIIIr-285x300.jpg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/569px-Nuremberg_chronicles_-_Merlin_CXXXVIIIr-285x300.jpg 285w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/569px-Nuremberg_chronicles_-_Merlin_CXXXVIIIr.jpg 569w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-84446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The figure of Merlin in a pointed hat. Illustrator: Hartmann Schedel, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Nuremberg_chronicles_-_Merlin_(CXXXVIIIr).jpg\">Nuremberg Chronicles<\/a><\/em>, 1493<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Over the years, legends and folk tales became a means of entertainment for children, and the image of the dwarf was significantly refined. The blatant greed and rudeness disappeared, and in many works they became cute and kind-hearted creatures that helped human beings, or at least maintained friendly relations with them. An example of this can be seen in the little bearded gnomes who adorn many a garden. On the other hand, the pointed hat on their heads &#8211; its Jewish connection all but forgotten\u2014remains the identifying feature of dwarfs and gnomes in collective Western consciousness to this day.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_84450\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-84450\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-09.30.24.jpeg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-84450\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-09.30.24-225x300.jpeg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-09.30.24-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-09.30.24-450x600.jpeg 450w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-09.30.24-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-09.30.24-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/blognli2026.moonsite.co.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-09-15-at-09.30.24.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-84450\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cover of the Hebrew book <em>Tov Tov Hagamad<\/em>, (a translation of &#8220;David the Gnome&#8221;): Shafrira Zakai, Modan, 1988<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This article is based on\u00a0 Naomi Lubrich&#8217;s paper:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Naomi Lubrich, The Wandering Hat: Iterations of the Medieval Jewish Pointed Cap, Jewish History, Vol. 29, No 3\/4 (December 2015), pp. 203-244<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is there a connection between the pointed hat worn by mythical dwarfs and gnomes and the hats once worn by the Jews of Europe?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":84484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[216],"tags":[1688],"tags2":[],"class_list":["post-87306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diaspora","tag-medieval-jewish-culture"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Mythical Dwarfs and Garden Gnomes \u2013 the Jewish Connection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is there a connection between the pointed hat worn by mythical dwarfs and gnomes and the hats once worn by the Jews of Europe?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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