Nisse
Nisse is the Danish household spirit (husnisse, god dreng, gårdbuk): small, bearded, grey-clad, red-capped, living in barns, lofts, stables. Begins in church but coaxed to farm. Protects animals and property; demands Christmas porridge — especially sweet buckwheat boghvedegrød with butter. Fastidious: missing butter causes cow-killing rage. Danish variant of pan-Scandinavian nisse/tomte.