Barbegazi
This week’s theme takes us back to our heroic gnomes. You all didn’t think I forgot about our gnome challenge, did you? Specifically, I want to discuss Barbegazi. He is a magical creature that delights my heart. He hails from the Alps in Switzerland and France.
This mythical creature is a little man covered in white fur with a white beard caked with icicles. He has unusually large feet to ski down the mountain slopes. They are avid avalanche surfers. They help shepherds find their lost sheep and hoot loudly to alert people of a coming avalanche. They light fires to lure lost travelers out of the snow and back to safety. These cute little beings are exceptional at tunneling through the snow. During the spring and summer months, they dwell in underground tunnels and caves, and legend has it they hibernate in the summertime. They reemerge after the first snowfall.
Though these little gnomes with enormous feet are heroic in their efforts, they abhor being acknowledged. They are fiercely private. Never follow them back to their home. Small but mighty they will throw you off a cliff if you pursue them following their acts of kindness. They are the opposite of a Sour Patch Kid: first, they’re sweet, then they are sour. Do you know anyone in your life that has the similar characteristics as a Barbegazi? I do, but they shall remain nameless…
