Handmade Scandinavian Gnome — Archivist

Behind the black branches of enormous forest oaks hides an ancient stone house of ages past. What lies beyond its threshold? High ceilings haunted by shadows. Branching narrow corridors winding curiously among themselves. A reigning half-darkness, silence. Strangely, this stirs no unease in the heart. On the contrary — a feeling of something familiar, yet long forgotten. And in that sombre manor there was something else besides. Books. They were everywhere, filling the tall shelves that lined the walls. But should a curious visitor pick one up, the silence far away is suddenly shattered by the rustle of wings, and the far end of the corridor is lit by a flickering light. The wingbeats draw closer until from the darkness, eyes gleaming, bursts the feathered silhouette of an old owl. He lands carefully on a stack of books, hooting and grumbling, studying the visitor with a penetrating look like an x-ray. And then, scattering shadows in the gentle glow of a lantern, the master of the house himself appears — the Archivist gnome. He radiates a warm friendliness, as though the guest has been known to him all his life.

The Archivist — one might safely call him a perceptive and witty gnome, extremely industrious. His cheerful and mildly ironic character saves him from ever resembling a stuffy, dull academic. Of course, the vast knowledge of his brilliant mind and command of several ancient languages make him not only a pleasant conversationalist but also deeply respected among scholarly colleagues.

What awaits the curious visitor in the Archivist's dwelling? A wealth of mysteries, riddles, ancient stories. But few have been to the very heart of the house — the gnome's personal library. Those who have been there speak of endless shelves stacked with richly bound books, ancient manuscripts and maps of long-forgotten cities. And although the Archivist's famous library holds the rarest manuscripts, many books still remain scattered across the world as fragments of ancient knowledge. That is why he collects and studies ancient treatises. Over long years of wandering and searching, the gnome has assembled a vast archive of the most precious information. These books hold many secrets and mysteries — as does the Archivist himself.

Take the locked section of the archive in the deep cellars of his stone house. Everything inside is kept under lock and key. And only to his owl Erl has the Archivist entrusted the keeping of the key. Judging by the suspiciously cunning look of that vigilant guardian, many have tried to pry out the forbidden ancient knowledge.

In truth, the gnome is something of an owl himself — by his rhythms. At the hour when the archive walls slowly turn gold with sunset and sink into darkness, he lights the candle in his old brass lantern and begins his diligent work. Amid the chaos of papers, ink bottles and quills, the Archivist is so absorbed in ancient mysteries that he often meets the dawn still at his desk.

Though he cannot quite be called a homebody, of all pursuits he prefers books, coffee and a cosy corner in his library. In dress the Archivist values practicality, and so his cloak has a useful hood, a roomy pocket and a belt on which he hangs the essentials — his favourite coffee cup and the archive keys, naturally. The letter sealed with wax on his hat is an urgent message for a colleague: a sleepless night in the archive was not in vain — the Archivist has discovered something new in the old texts and now hastens to report it.

Dusty library, ancient manuscripts, silence — that is what surrounds the Archivist most of the time. But not always. He is no recluse and appears in the forest quite often. He frequently says that books are wonderful, but one must never forget the life happening beyond his library windows. And though he can be sharp-tongued, sarcastic and ironic, the Archivist always comes to the aid of forest dwellers with genuine joy. Wise counsel, fragments of secret knowledge, an inspiring book or story — that is what every visitor will surely find in the Archivist's ancient house.