A Tomte is a figure from Swedish folklore and children's books, a dwarf who takes care of the cattle when the farmer and farmer's wife are away from the farm. Unlike a troll, he is a good-natured character. Lotte van Lieshout has given them a pointed head and depicts them next to a mouse or rat to indicate how small they are.
Van Lieshout's Tomtes usually carry an attribute such as the vegetable stem in this work.