Editing Nisse (folklore) (section)

==Modern Julenisse==
{{see also|Santa Claus}}
[[File:Glædelig Jul, 1885.jpg|thumb|Nisse on Christmas Card (1885)]]
[[File:Swedish Christmas card.jpg|thumb|Swedish Christmas card featuring tomte]]

The household nisse/tomte later evolved into the Christmas {{lang|sv|Jultomte}} of Sweden and ''Julenisse'' of Denmark/Norway ({{langx|da|Julenisserne}}, {{langx|no|Julenissen}}).<ref name="perry2020"/> Likewise in Finland, where the {{lang|fi|joulutonttu}} of Christmas-tide developed rather late, based on the ''tonttu'' which had been introduced much earlier from Scandinavian (Swedish etc.) myth, and already attested in Finland in the writings of [[Mikael Agricola]] (16 cent.).<ref name="kulonen1994"/>

While the original "household spirit" was no "guest" and rather a house-haunter, the modern itinerant ''jultomte'' was a reinvention of the spirit as an annual visitor bearing gifts.{{sfnp|Celander|1928|pp=211–212}} He has also been transformed from a diminutive creature into an adult-size being.<ref name="swedishpress"/> In Denmark, it was during the 1840s the farm's {{lang|da|nisse}} became {{lang|da|julenisser}}, the multiple-numbered bearers of [[Yule|Yuletide]] presents, through the artistic depictions of [[Lorenz Frølich]] (1840), [[Johan Thomas Lundbye]] (1845), and H. C. Ley<!--Hans Christian Ley (1828–1875)--> (1849).{{sfnp|Eichberg|2018|pp=293–294}} Lundbye was one artist who frequently inserted his own [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] portraiture into his depictions of the ''nisse'' over the years (cf. fig. [[#lundbye_stable|above]]).<ref name="laurin&hannover&thiis1922"/>

[[File:Julemotiv tegnet av Jenny Nystrøm (24207693358).jpg|left|thumb|Swedish Christmas card by [[Jenny Nyström]], circa 1899]]
The image shift in Sweden (to the white-bearded<ref name="berg1947"/> and red-capped<!--röd mössa--><ref name="törnroos2016"/>) is generally credited to illustrator [[Jenny Nyström]]'s 1881 depiction of the ''tomte'' accompanying Viktor Rydberg's poem "[[Tomten (poem)|Tomten]]",{{efn|In the poem, the tomte is alone awake in the cold Christmas night, pondering the mysteries of life and death.}} first published in the {{lang|sv|Ny Illustrerad Tidning}} magazine<ref name="swedishpress"/><ref name="hulan1989"/> She crafted the (facial) appearance of her tomte using her own father as her model, though she also extracted features from elderly Lappish men.<ref name="törnroos2016"/><ref name="henrikson&törngren&Hansson1981"/>

[[Carl Wilhelm von Sydow]] (1935?) charged that the make-over of the tomte came about through a misconception or confusion with English Christmas cards featuring a red-capped and bearded Santa Claus ([[Father Christmas]]) wearing a fur coat.{{sfnp|Berglund|1957|p=159}} Nyström squarely denied her depiction of the tomte had introduced adulterated foreign material, but she or others could have emulated Danish precursors like the aforementioned Hans Christian Ley in the 1850s,<ref name="svensson1942"/> and it is said she did construct her image based on Swedish and Danish illustrations.<ref name="bergman1984"/>

{{illm|Herman Hofberg|sv}}'s anthology of Swedish folklore (1882), illustrated by Nyström and other artists, writes in the text that the ''tomte'' wears a "pointy red hat" ("{{lang|sv|spetsig röd mössa}}").<ref name="hofberg1882"/> Nyström in 1884 began illustrating the ''tomte'' handing out Christmas presents.<ref name="bergman1984"/>

Gradually, the commercialized version has made the Norwegian {{lang|no|julenisse}} look more and more like the "{{linktext|roly-poly}}" American Santa Claus, compared with the thin and gaunt traditional version which has not entirely disappeared.{{sfnp|Stokker|2000|pp=54–57}} The Danish {{lang|da|julemand}} impersonated by the fake-bearded father of the family wearing gray {{lang|da|kofte}} (glossed as a {{illm|cardigan (sweater)|no|kofte|preserve=1|cardigan}} or peasant's [[frock]]), red hat, black belt, and wooden shoes full of straw was relatively a new affair as of the early 20th century,<ref>{{harvp|Olrik|Ellekilde|1926|p=292}}; as to date, Ellekilde cited by {{harvp|Nilsson|1927|p=173}} states it is relatively recent.</ref> and deviates from the traditional ''nisse'' in many ways, for instance, the ''nisse'' of old lore is beardless like a youth or child.{{sfnp|Olrik|Ellekilde|1926|p=292}}

===Julebock===
{{main|Yule goat|Julebukking}}
[[File:John Bauer Julbock.jpg|thumb|Julbocken by John Bauer (1912)]]
Also in Sweden, the forerunner Christmas gift-giver was the mythical [[Yule goat]] ({{lang|sv|Julbocken}}, cf. [[Julebukking]]) starting around the early 19th century,{{efn|It is pointed out by Nilsson that there was no such Christmas gift giving custom in Sweden until the 18th century (or 19th century in many parts), and it had till then always been the New Year's Day gift-giving.}}{{sfnp|Nilsson|1927|p=173}} before the advent of the {{lang|sv|Jultomte}}.{{sfnp|Nilsson|1927|pp=172–173}} The ''julbock'' was either a prop (straw figure) or a person dressed as goat, equipped with horns, beard, etc.<ref>{{harvp|Nilsson|1927|p=175}}: "Han förekom icke blott som halmfigur, utan man klädde också ut sig till julbock (It not only appeared as a straw figure, but people also dressed up as a Yule buck)"., cf. pp. 173–175 for childhood testimonies, etc.</ref>{{Refn|It had once gone out of style but the straw Yule goat made a revival around ca. 1920s.{{sfnp|Nilsson|1927|loc=p. 177, n21}}}} The modern version of ''juletomte'' is a mixture of the traditional ''tomte'' combined with this Yule goat and Santa Claus.<ref name="swedishpress"/>

In later celebrations of Christmas (cf. {{section link||Present-day}}), the julbock no longer took on the role as thus described, but as a sumpter beast, or rather, the animal or animals drawing the gift-loaded sleigh of the ''jultomte''.{{sfnp|Patterson|1970|p=32}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|name="no_reindeer"|Authentically in Sweden the ''juletomten''{{'}}s "sleigh loaded with gifts to reward all the good little children [was drawn by] no reindeer [but] hitched to it is a prancing team of goats".<ref name="AmerSwedMo1961"/>}} Meanwhile some commentators have tried to link this Christmas goat with the [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr|pair of goats]] hitched to the god [[Þórr]]'s chariot, which flies over the sky. 

As for other animals, period Christmas cards also depict the ''julenisse'' in the company of a cat ({{lang|da|{{linktext|mis}}}})<!--this glossed as "kitty, pussycat" but translator converts to "pig"-->{{sfnp|Olrik|Ellekilde|1926|p=292}} The ''juletomte'' of <!--Jenny Nyström's--> the Christmas card artist's imagination, is often paired with a horse or cat, or riding on a goat or in a sled pulled by a goat.{{cn|date=December 2024}} The ''jultomte'' is also commonly depicted with a pig on Christmas cards.{{cn|date=December 2024}}{{void|<!--fakesource. It's only on a carol given in Swedish vs. Eng. tr. by student and teachers in Taiwan--><ref name="swedish_carol">Tin-Tin; Nick; Nicole (2013) [http://www.enspyre-academy.com/en/about-us/news/106--tomtar- A Swedish Christmas song about Tomtar (gnomes)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203202657/http://www.enspyre-academy.com/en/about-us/news/106--tomtar- |date=2013-12-03 }} Retrieved 2 December 2013</ref>}}<!---Although sources in writing are not easily found, depictions on vintage Xmas cards are easily verifiable with image search, a museum/auctionhouse catalog or antique book may eventually turn up.-->

===Present-day===
[[File:Little Swedish tomte made of cork and wool with a Christmas wish, Leiden, December 2023 - 2.jpg|thumb|Little Swedish tomte homemade of cork and wool with a Christmas wish, December 2023]]
In the modern conception, the ''jultomte'', ''Julenisse'' or Santa Claus, enacted by the father or uncle, etc., in disguise, will show up and deliver as [[Christmas gift-bringer]].{{sfnp|Ross|1977|p=56}}{{sfnp|Patterson|1970|p=14}} In Finland too, the Suomi version of Father Christmas will show up at the door bringing gifts to the children.{{sfnp|Ross|1977|p=56}} After dinner, the children await the ''Jultomten'' or ''Julenisse'' to arrive (on a julbok-drawn [[sleigh]]), then ask them "Are there any good children here?" before passing out his gifts.{{sfnp|Patterson|1970|p=32}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|name="no_reindeer"}}

There are still a number of differences from the American Santa Claus myth. The Scandinavian Christmas ''nisse'' does not live at the North Pole, but perhaps in a forest nearby; the Danish {{lang|da|julemand}} lives on [[Greenland]], and the Finnish {{lang|fi|[[joulupukki]]}} (in Finland he is still called the ''Yule Goat'', although his animal features have disappeared) lives in [[Lapland (Finland)|Lapland]]; he does not come down the chimney at night, but through the front door, delivering the presents directly to the children, just like the Yule Goat did.