Why are they called Tommyknockers? The name comes from the knocking on the mine walls that happens just before cave-ins – actually the creaking of earth and timbers before giving way. To some miners, knockers were malevolent spirits and the knocking was the sound of them hammering at walls and supports to cause the cave-in.
Who are The Tommyknockers and why do they exist?
The legend of the Tommyknockers has been around for thousands of years, beginning in the tin mines in the days of the Roman Empire when these creatures of the underworld took pity on the slaves who were forced to work the mines and warned them of danger and often helped them with their mining chores.
Why did The Tommyknockers close the mines?
In some mines, where the Tommyknockers’ presence was known to be overwhelmingly malevolent, the mines were forced to close because of the mens’ fear of the spirits. When the mines played out, the legend continued, as many said the Tommyknockers found “work” in the homes surrounding the old mineshafts.
Why did Stephen King not like Tommyknockers?
King has stated that he "didn’t like it", commenting that "it felt kind of cheap and thrown together". NBC announced in July 2013 that they would be producing a new miniseries based on The Tommyknockers.
What is the setting of the tommyknockers?
The Tommyknockers is the 26th book published by Stephen King; it was his 22nd novel, and the 17th novel written under his own name. The book was released by Putnam on 10 November 1987 . The story is set in the small town of Haven, Maine . The Tommyknockers takes its title from an obscure children's rhyme.
Where does the name Tommyknockers come from?
The Knocker, Knacker, or Tommyknocker (US) is a mythical, subterranean, gnome-like creature in Cornish and Devon folklore. Its Welsh counterpart is the coblynau. It is closely related to the Irish leprechaun, Kentish kloker and the English and Scottish brownie.
What is Tommyknocker slang for?
Filters. (folklore) A mythical creature, like a brownie or leprechaun, believed to live in underground tunnels; later associated with dead miners. noun.
Are Tommyknockers evil?
The Stephen King novel's use of “Tommyknocker” has nothing to do with the ancient mythic gnome that was widely known by miners. Depending on the cultural context, Tommyknockers could be beneficial spirits or evil spirits.
Who were Tommyknockers?
Cornish miners believed that benevolent Tommyknockers beckoned them toward finding fortunes. They believed that Tommyknockers warned them of impending disasters, especially cave-ins. Tommyknockers were the diminutive creatures knocking on tunnel walls, signaling immediate danger.
What is the Tommyknockers rhyme?
The Tommyknockers takes its title from an obscure children's rhyme. It goes: "Late last night and the night before,Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers, knocking at the door. I want to go out, don't know if I can, 'Cause I'm so afraid of the Tommyknocker man."
Is there a Tommyknockers movie?
The Tommyknockers is a 1993 television miniseries based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Stephen King. Broadcast on ABC, it was directed by John Power, adapted by Lawrence D....The Tommyknockers (miniseries)The TommyknockersDirected byJohn PowerStarringJimmy Smits Marg HelgenbergerMusic byChristopher FrankeOriginal languageEnglish12 more rows
What are Cornish knockers?
In Cornish Folklore, Knockers were known to live deep in the dark of mines, away from human interaction, some believe they were the spirits of unfortunate minors who lost their lives, who, it was thought, would knock on mine walls to warn miners of impending cave-ins.
What did the name "Knocker's Tommies" mean?
by way of Cornish immigrant miners, American miners most likely called the "Knocker's Tommies" meaning that they were British.
What is a Knocker?
The Knocker, Knacker, Bwca (Welsh), Bucca (Cornish) or Tommyknocker (US) is a mythical creature in Welsh, Cornish and Devon folklore.
What is Tommy Atkins?
From the entry: [...] a familiar name for the typical private soldier in the British Army; arising out of the casual use of this name in the specimen forms given in the official regulations from 1815 onward. [...] Now more popularly Tommy Atkins or Tommy [...].
Where did Tommy come from?
Grew up in the coal mining region of W. PA. It was thought the Tommy part came simply from ascribing a generic name to who was doing the knocking. What's that knocking? Oh, just Tommy. Made it easier to lessen fear. The knocks themselves some miners thought were from seams shifting differently if a desired vein could be found there. / Gene Stewart
Who quoted Hooson in British Mining?
Hooson, quoted by R. Hunt in British Mining.
Where did the Tommyknockers come from?
The Tommyknockers were first heard of in the United States when Cornish miners worked in the western Pennsylvania coal mines in the 1820’s. When the California Gold Rush began, these experienced Cornish miners were welcomed and often sought after by the mine owners.
What is the legend of the Tommyknockers?
The Legend Of Tommyknockers Of The Western Mines. Mining is an ancient profession and along with the back breaking work and dangers of working in the dark underground, comes century-old superstitions, the most notable being that of the Tommyknockers. These impish, gnome-like men are the Cornish equivalent of Irish leprechauns and English brownies.
Why did the miners leave food offerings?
In praise of these kind gestures, the miners would leave offerings of food and other items in order to secure their good graces and protection.
How tall are the Tommyknockers?
This belief was so strong that the Tommyknockers were allegedly never heard on Saturdays, nor at times of Jewish festivals. About two feet tall, and often described as greenish in color, they look like men and are most often spied wearing a traditional miner’s outfit.
Why do mines make hammering sounds?
Actually caused by the creaking of earth and timbers , some thought these sounds of “hammering” were malevolent, indicating certain death or injury, while others saw their “knocking” as well-meaning, warning the miners that a life-threatening collapse was imminent.
Who was the cousin Jack?
Soon, these many immigrant miners took on the nickname Cousin Jacks, who formed the core of America’s early western mining workforce.
Who saved the lives of the miners?
If a hammer was missing, it was the Tommyknockers who had taken it, but if a miner escaped a collapse, the Tommyknockers were given credit.
What is a tommyknocker?
Tommyknockers are similar to the leprechauns and other earth spirits in Celtic and English lore in appearance as well as in their defining characteristics. Just like traditional Celtic earth spirits, Tommyknockers are mysterious, dwarfy/leprechaun-type looking wily creatures that can either help or harm the miners in the tunnels of the mines. Not surprisingly, most of the miners in the mining town are of Irish decent, which makes sense why there Tommyknockers are in such close similarity with Irish sí and Celtic earth spirits.
Why are Tommyknockers important?
These little creatures are of particular importance because of their interesting relationship with the miners of the town . Mining is a very laborious and dangerous job often held by less educated working-class citizens. With these two aspects compounded, it makes sense that the belief in and acceptance of these sprites is so widespread, because Tommyknockers can either lead a miner to a wealth of gold, or to their death, but the miner has no way of knowing one way or another. In this way, Tommyknockers mirror the way the miners live every day down in the mines: they might leave the mines a rich man, or not leave them at all.
Who tells the story of the Tommyknockers?
The informant tells the story of the Tommyknockers in his town
What is the plot of Tommyknocker Man?
The writer and critic Kim Newman said of the novel that King had "more or less rewritten Quatermass and the Pit ", a television serial from the late 1950s in which an alien spacecraft excavated in London evokes latent psychic abilities in some of the people who come near it.
Who is the producer of Tommyknockers?
THR reported on March 29, 2018 that The Conjuring filmmaker James Wan and the 2017 It producer Roy Lee will join up with producer Larry Sanitsky to create a feature film version of The Tommyknockers.
What is the name of the boy who disappeared from Altair 4?
The spacecraft also prevents those affected by it from leaving town, provokes psychotic violence in some people, and causes the disappearance of a young boy, David Brown, whose older brother Hilly teleports him to the planet referred to as Altair 4 by the Havenites.
What is the ISBN number for Tommyknockers?
ISBN. 978-0-399-13314-5. The Tommyknockers is a 1987 science fiction novel by Stephen King. While maintaining a horror style, the novel is an excursion into the realm of science fiction for King, as the residents of the Maine town of Haven gradually fall under the influence of a mysterious object buried in the woods.
Is Tommyknockers a book?
In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, King acknowledged that the quality of his writing suffered during his period of drug use, saying " The Tommyknockers is an awful book.
What is the nursery rhyme for Tommyknockers?
Nursery Rhyme. The Tommyknockers takes its title from an obscure children's rhyme. It goes: "Late last night and the night before,Tommyknockers, Tommyknockers, knocking at the door. I want to go out, don't know if I can, 'Cause I'm so afraid of the Tommyknocker man.".
Where is Tommyknockers set?
The book was released by Putnam on 10 November 1987 . The story is set in the small town of Haven, Maine .
Where can you hear the Tommyknockers?
Sometimes at night if you sit quietly and listen near the entrance of this old abandoned mine you can still hear the Tommyknockers at work. You can hear the tapping of their picks as they mine the gold that was left behind. Sometimes you can hear the faint echo of their voices beneath the hills of Smokeshire and if you are lucky, if you believe you may just find a small nugget or two, maybe some placer gold in the brook that runs down the hill below the mine that the Tommyknockers dropped and left behind.
How tall are gnomes?
They say these little gnome-like creatures are about two feet tall with human like features, slightly greenish in color. Miners have seen them but more often felt their presence or heard them, tapping, knocking on the walls of the mines, warning the miners of danger, telling them to get out.
Do gnomes eat lunch?
They will eat your lunch, hide your tools, knock your hardhat off your head, tweak your ear and may even appear as the ghost of some miner who died in the mine years ago or maybe it is a ghost that the gnomes can call out of the darkness, the beyond.
