Talk:Gnome/@comment-95.42.23.96-20130516120312

"Trivia: ...A garden gnome's original purpose was to protect ones garden from evil spirits..."

This is incorrect.

Garden gnomes statues are believed to be  descendant from garden statues of a Greek god of fertility (Priapus). Later in Eourope they were believed to attract "real" gnomes who tend the garden during night. So they might be kind of regigious artifact, but not for protection but for increased furtility.

Actually someone could try to put a gnome by their farm and call out the results.