Gnome King Kyrië is, according to local folklore, the leader of the legendary gnome

Gnome

A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...

s (kabouter

Kabouter

Kabouter is the Dutch/Afrikaans word for gnome or leprechaun. In folklore, the Dutch Kabouters are akin to the Irish Leprechaun, Scandinavian Tomte, the English Hob or Brownie and the German Klabauter or kobold. The term kabouter was also adopted by a 1970s hippie movement in Amsterdam that sprang...

s) which lived in the Campine region of the province of North Brabant, the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. These gnomes had their base in the village of Hoogeloon

Hoogeloon

Hoogeloon is a Dutch village in the commune of Bladel, in North Brabant. Hoogeloon is situated 4 km north of Hapert and is around 40 km west of Eindhoven....

. From Hoogeloon the gnomes often made journeys in the neighbourhood. According to tradition the Gnome King Kyrië lived on the Kerkakkers in the Kabouterberg (Gnome Mountain), a tumulus

Tumulus

A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...

 located in the heathland

Heath (habitat)

A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...

 of Hoogeloon.

The gnomes of the Campine were helpful creatures who help mostly the farmers and the households in the neighborhood. The came by night and did not want to be seen by people. If people did see them, they were punished by the gnomes. One story tells of an inquisitive farmer who spied on the gnomes and later became blind in one eye.

The death of Kyrië

One day, Gnome King Kyrië was shot by a hunter in the heathlands of Riethoven

Riethoven

Riethoven is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Bergeijk, about 15 km southwest of Eindhoven.Riethoven was a separate municipality until 1997, when it became part of Bergeijk....

. He had just enough strength to reach the Duivelsberg (Devil's Mountain) where the gnomes lived. The hunter looked for what he shot at when he heard the shocked gnomes say: "Kyrië is dead". The sad message that their king had died spread quickly among all gnome settlements in the region. Gnome King Kyrië was buried somewhere in Hoogeloon. After the death of their king, all the gnomes left the area to an unknown destination. Nobody has ever since heard or seen these Campine gnomes.

Statue

In Hoogeloon, a village pump with a statue of Gnome King Kyrië on it was erected on the Valensplein in 1985. It is designed by Gubbels. On 9 April 2001 the pump and statue were moved to another place on the same square after a reconstruction of the Valensplein. At the same time a special 'Koning Kyrië Kruidenbitter', a bitters

Bitters

A bitters is an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor. There are numerous brands of bitters that were formerly marketed as patent medicines but are now considered to be digestifs, rather than medicines...

, was introduced.