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A tomte (derived from from the Swedish word for garden, tomt) or nisse (brownie) is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore, specifically part of a group of creatures called vetter (elf), common in rural areas. There were two varieties of nisse or tomte, one type that resided in the house (cf. the Russian domovoi) and one that resided in the barn. He would take care of the homestead, crops, house, and people while the human inhabitants slept, unlike the mischievous alver (the typical elves of English folklore).
The tomte was imagined as a man in height of four feet or less with a knitted cap a long beard and grey clothes. He is similar in aspect to a leprechaun, brownie, a gnome or a dwarf. Like the brownie, the tomte or nisse needed gifts, but this gift was a bowl of porridge or rice pudding on Christmas night. If he wasn't given his payment, he would leave the farm or house which couldn't survive without his nightly chores, or engage in mischief, such as tying the cows' tails together in the barn, turning objects upside-down, and breaking things (cf. poltergeist).
In 1881, the Swedish magazine Ny Illustrerad Tidning published Viktor Rydberg's poem Tomten, where the tomte is alone awake in the cold Christmas night pondering the mysteries of life and death. This poem featured the first painting by Jenny Nyström of this traditional Swedish mythical character which she turned into the white-bearded, red-capped friendly figure associated with Christmas ever since.
The close association between the tomte, kindness (his usual attitude) and Christmas made it natural for Haddon Sundblom to use him in his design of the modern Scandinavian-American version of Santa Claus, as marketed by the Coca-Cola Company: a full sized man with all red clothes and white beard. In Scandinavia, Jultomten (Santa) is helped by toy-making tomtar rather than elves, as well.
See also
External link - Tomten (http://runeberg.org/rydbdikt/tomten.html), poem in Swedish by Viktor Rydberg
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