Our app’s name comes from a very old Scandinavian idea: a little household spirit who quietly looks after the home.
You’ve probably seen the modern version in a Christmas display: a round body, a long grey beard, a pointy hat pulled down over his eyes, and no visible face at all. The older story is a bit more interesting.
A small guardian of the home
In Scandinavian folklore, the tomte (called a nisse in Norway and Denmark) is a household spirit who belongs to a farm. The stories vary from region to region, but he’s usually described as a small old man, about the height of a child, in plain grey clothes and a cap.
He looks after the farm and the people on it, the animals most of all, and mostly at night, while the family sleeps. You rarely see him. You just notice that things are in order.
Treat him well (or else)
The tomte is helpful, but he’s also famously particular. In a lot of the old stories, if the family treats him with respect, the farm prospers. If they’re rude, lazy or forget him, he might play tricks: tying the cows’ tails together, hiding tools, or simply packing up and leaving.
And the one thing you must never forget: a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve, with a pat of butter on top. Stories tell of what happens when the butter goes missing, and it isn’t pretty.
From farm guardian to Christmas icon
In the 1800s, the tomte moved into Christmas. In Denmark the julenisse started bringing presents, and in Sweden the jultomte (Christmas tomte) took over the job from the Yule goat. Jenny Nyström’s Christmas cards gave him the red cap and friendly white beard most people picture now, and tomte figures have turned up on mantelpieces every December since.
Why we named our app after one
When my wife Rowena and I were building an app to help run our busy household (two jobs, a wild toddler and a lot of dinners), we wanted a name that captured what it was for.
A tomte felt exactly right. He’s small, he’s quiet, and he doesn’t make a fuss. He just helps the household run: the meals planned, the shopping sorted, the chores done, everyone where they should be. And I’ve always loved stories, fables and mystical creatures of every kind, so it simply fit.
Our tomte can’t eat porridge. But he does know what’s for dinner.
Quick answers
Is a tomte the same as a gnome?
Not quite. The tomte and nisse come from Scandinavian farm folklore; the garden gnome comes from a different, mostly German, tradition. Modern Christmas decorations borrow from both, which is why they look so alike.
How do you pronounce tomte?
Roughly TOM-teh.
Why do tomtes have no faces?
In most modern decorations, the hat covers the eyes, leaving just a nose peeking out above the beard. It’s part of their mysterious charm.
