Hand-Carved Nisse Nutcrackers

These two hand carved nutcrackers were likely bought as souvenirs in the Norwegian towns of Stalheim and Stavanger. Both nutcrackers appear to be in the shape of gnomes from Nordic folklore known as Nisse. The small, human-like creatures are usually depicted as wearing red hats, gray clothing, and sporting beards. Tradition says that nisse live in barns on farmsteads, performing house and stable chores like harvesting, animal husbandry, or carpentry in exchange for an offering of its favorite food, porridge, once a year around the winter solstice. Families who disrespect the nisse or fail to give them a proper offering would face the nisse’s vindictiveness and bad luck would fall upon the farm.