Most often thought of as garden ornaments, gnomes are definitely much livelier than that. In written sources they first get mentioned towards the beginning of the 16th century and are portrayed as small, human-like creatures who are subterranean dwellers.  Paracelsus (16th century) describes them as living underground and being able to “move through solid earth”. L. Frank Baum, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling all feature gnomes in their books. JK Rowling specifically mentions their affinity for gardens and remarks on their possessing a wonderful homing instinct.

Gardening is, in truth, a gnome’s delight and most of them are to be found in horticultural surroundings. They rarely interact with humans and have few magic capabilities, apart from the useful ability to telepath.