Tommyknockers Demanded Miners Leave Cake

Generations of Cornish and American miners believed in Tommyknockers, small gnome-like men who lived inside mines. Their knocking could warn of a cave-in, lead miners to rich ore, or signal danger, while their bad side brought missing tools, injuries, and death. Miners considered it very bad luck not to leave them food, often saffron cake, at the end of the day.

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