Editing Nisse (folklore) (section)

===Etymology===
It has repeatedly been conjectured that ''nisse'' might be a variant of "[[neck (water spirit)|nixie]]" or {{lang|de|nix}}<ref name="andersen1890"/><ref name="sayers1997"/><ref name=falk&torp-nisse/> but detractors including [[Jacob Grimm]] note that a nixie is a [[water sprite]] and its proper Dano-Norwegian cognate would be ''[[nøkk]]'', not ''nisse''.<ref name="Grimm-DM-nisse"/><ref name=binding-apud-briggs/> 

According to Grimm ''nisse'' was a form of [[Niels]] (or German: {{lang|de|Niklas}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The name related to the etymology of ''nisse'' has several German forms besides Niklas, namely {{lang|de|Nickel, Klaus}}, and in Austria {{lang|de|Niklo}}.<ref name="falk&torp-nisse"/>}}), like various house sprites{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Chim (Joachim) and Has (Hans), German sprite names derived from human names, are given as synonymous to ''nisse'' by Falk&Torp.<ref name="falk&torp-nisse"/>}} that adopted human [[Given name|given names]],<ref name="Grimm-DM-nisse"/><ref name="falk&torp-nisse"/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|With the period of "Nisse/Niels" type spirit name being introduced into Scandinavia falling in either c. 13/14th century,<ref name="knutsen-century"/> or the 16th,<ref name="falk&torp-nisse"/> 17th century,{{sfnp|Christiansen|2016|pp=141, lc}} as discussed above.}} and was therefore cognate to [[St. Nicholas]], and related to the Christmas gift-giver.<ref name="anichkof1894"/><ref name="eichberg2018"/><ref name="falk&torp-nisse"/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|Compare also English "Old Nick" for the name of the devil.<ref name="falk&torp-nisse"/> The name Nickel is of course related to the etymology of the metal or element [[nickel]].}} Indeed, the common explanation in Denmark is that ''nisse'' is the diminutive form of Niels, as Danes in 19th century used to refer to a ''nisse'' as "{{lang|da|Lille Niels}}" or {{lang|da|Niels Gårdbo}} ({{lang|da|gårdbo}}, literally "yard/farmstead dweller" is also name for a sprite).{{sfnp|Olrik|Ellekilde|1926|p=294}}{{sfnp|Kvideland|Sehmsdorf|1988|p=238}}<ref name="norske-allkunnebok"/>

An alternate etymology derives ''nisse'' from [[Old Norse]] {{lang|non|niðsi}}, meaning "dear little relative".<ref>{{harvp|Grønvik, Ottar|1997|pp=129, 144–145}}:"{{langx|no|den lille/kjære slektningen}}".</ref>

The {{lang|sv|tomte}} ("homestead man"), {{lang|no|gardvord}} ("farm guardian"), and {{lang|no|tunkall}} ("yard fellow") bear names that associated them with the [[farmstead]].{{sfnp|Kvideland|Sehmsdorf|1988|p=238}} The [[Finnish language|Finnish]] {{lang|fi|tonttu}} is also borrowed from Swedish ''tomte'', but "later tradition no longer consider these identical".<ref name="mansikka1916"/>