ABSTRACT
Chapter 11 presents the nisser, dwarfs who with fun and cheerfulness crowd in Denmark during the month of December. By their play, songs, and dances, they color the specific atmosphere of Jul, Danish Christmas. Though this folk mythology and practice has roots in older traditions, the history of the jolly nisse is modern and furthermore boosted by media culture. With their ironical understatement, the small playful nisse people tell a story of Danish identity. Smallness reveals as chance – and greatness as problem? When comparing the Danish nisse with the puk dwarfs in Frisian Germany and the ta’ai dwarfs in Taiwan, cultural differences become visible. Folk mythology is related to different patterns of identity building, of laughter and play, and of the modern practice of folklore. Furthermore, the nisser raise questions about the striking phenomenon that Danes in international surveys are unrivalled in their satisfaction with life. Play, laughter, cultural imaginations, and quality of life seem to be connected – but how?
