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CONTENTS

move to sidebar hide
 * (Top)
 * 1Origin
 * 2Traditions
   * 2.1Activities
   * 2.2Appearance
   * 2.3Leaving the house
   * 2.4Gifts of clothing
   * 2.5Brownie sway
 * 3Regional variants
   * 3.1Bwbach
   * 3.2Fenodyree
   * 3.3Hobs and hearth spirits
   * 3.4Silkie
   * 3.5Ùruisg
   * 3.6Other variants
 * 4Analysis
   * 4.1Classification
   * 4.2Functionalist analysis
 * 5Outside of folklore
   * 5.1Early literary appearances
   * 5.2Mass marketing
   * 5.3Modern fantasy
 * 6See also
 * 7Notes
 * 8References
   * 8.1Bibliography

Toggle the table of contents



BROWNIE (FOLKLORE)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Household spirit in Scottish folklore
For the seaweed called gruagach, see Desmarestia.



Brownie

Illustration of a brownie sweeping with a handmade broom by Alice B. Woodward.
GroupingLegendary creatureSub grouping
 * Fairy
 * Goblin
 * Household spirit

Other name(s)
 * Brounie
 * Urisk
 * Brùnaidh
 * Ùruisg
 * Gruagach

CountryScotland and Ireland

A brownie or broonie (Scots),[1] also known as a brùnaidh or gruagach (Scottish
Gaelic), is a household spirit or Hobgoblin from Scottish folklore that is said
to come out at night while the owners of the house are asleep and perform
various chores and farming tasks. The human owners of the house must leave a
bowl of milk or cream or some other offering for the brownie, usually by the
hearth. Brownies are described as easily offended and will leave their homes
forever if they feel they have been insulted or in any way taken advantage of.
Brownies are characteristically mischievous and are often said to punish or pull
pranks on lazy servants. If angered, they are sometimes said to turn malicious,
like boggarts.

Brownies originated as domestic tutelary spirits, very similar to the Lares of
ancient Roman tradition. Descriptions of brownies vary regionally, but they are
usually described as ugly, brown-skinned, and covered in hair. In the oldest
stories, they are usually human-sized or larger. In more recent times, they have
come to be seen as small and wizened. They are often capable of turning
invisible and they sometimes appear in the shapes of animals. They are always
either naked or dressed in rags. If a person attempts to present a brownie with
clothing or if a person attempts to baptize him, he will leave forever.

Although the name brownie originated as a dialectal word used only in the UK, it
has since become the standard term for all such creatures throughout the UK and
Ireland. Regional variants in England and Scotland include hobs, silkies, and
ùruisgs. Variants outside England and Scotland are the Welsh Bwbach and the Manx
Fenodyree. Brownies have also appeared outside of folklore, including in John
Milton's poem L'Allegro. They became popular in works of children's literature
in the late nineteenth century and continue to appear in works of modern
fantasy. The Brownies in the Girl Guides are named after a short story by
Juliana Horatia Ewing based on brownie folklore.


ORIGIN[EDIT]


Roman Lararium, or household shrine to the Lares, from the House of the Vettii
in Pompeii. Brownies bear many similarities to the Roman Lares.[2][3][4]

Brownies originated as domestic tutelary spirits, very similar to the Lares of
ancient Roman tradition, who were envisioned as the protective spirits of
deceased ancestors.[2][3][4][5] Brownies and Lares are both regarded as solitary
and devoted to serving the members of the house.[6] Both are said to be hairy
and dress in rags[6] and both are said to demand offerings of food or dairy.[6]
Like Lares, brownies were associated with the dead[7][6] and a brownie is
sometimes described as the ghost of a deceased servant who once worked in the
home.[6] The Cauld Lad of Hilton, for instance, was reputed to be the ghost of a
stable boy who was murdered by one of the Lords of Hilton Castle in a fit of
passion.[8] Those who saw him described him as a naked boy.[9] He was said to
clean up anything that was untidy and make messes of things that were tidy.[9]
The Menehune of Hawaiian folklore have been compared to brownies as well, seeing
they are portrayed as a race of dwarf people who carry out work during night
time.[10]

The family cult of deceased ancestors in ancient times centred around the
hearth,[2] which later became the place where offerings would be left for the
brownie.[3] The most significant difference between brownies and Lares is that,
while Lares were permanently bound to the house in which they lived,[3][6]
brownies are seen as more mobile, capable of leaving or moving to another house
if they became dissatisfied.[3][6] One story describes a brownie who left the
house after the stingy housewife fired all the servants because the brownie was
doing all the work and refused to return until all the servants had been
re-hired.[3]


TRADITIONS[EDIT]


ACTIVITIES[EDIT]

Traditions about brownies are generally similar across different parts of Great
Britain.[11] They are said to inhabit homes and farms.[11][12] They only work at
night, performing necessary housework and farm tasks while the human residents
of the home are asleep.[6][11][12] The presence of the brownie is believed to
ensure household prosperity[11][12] and the human residents of the home are
expected to leave offerings for the brownie, such as a bowl of cream or
porridge, or a small cake.[6][11][12] These are usually left on the hearth.[11]
The brownie will punish household servants who are lazy or slovenly by pinching
them while they sleep, breaking or upsetting objects around them, or causing
other mischief.[5][6][11] Sometimes they are said to create noise at night or
leave messes simply for their own amusement.[11] In some early stories, brownies
are described as guarding treasure, a non-domestic task outside of their usual
repertoire.[3]

Brownies are almost always described as solitary creatures who work alone and
avoid being seen.[11][13][14] There is rarely said to be more than one brownie
living in the same house.[11][15][a] Usually, the brownie associated with a
house is said to live in a specific place, such as a particular nearby cave,
stream, rock, or pond.[17] Some individual brownies are occasionally given
names.[11] Around 1650, a brownie at Overthwaite in Westmorland was known as
"Tawny Boy"[11] and a brownie from Hilton in County Durham was known as "Cauld
Lad".[11] Brownies are said to be motivated by "personal friendships and
fancies" and may sometimes be moved to perform extra work outside of their
normal duties, such as, in one story of a brownie from Balquam, fetching a
midwife when the lady of the house went into labour.[18]

In 1703, John Brand wrote in his description of Shetland that:[citation needed]

> Not above forty or fifty years ago, every family had a brownie, or evil
> spirit, so called, which served them, to which they gave a sacrifice for his
> service; as when they churned their milk, they took a part thereof, and
> sprinkled every corner of the house with it, for Brownie’s use; likewise, when
> they brewed, they had a stone which they called "Brownie’s stane", wherein
> there was a little hole into which they poured some wort for a sacrifice to
> Brownie. They also had some stacks of corn, which they called Brownie's
> Stacks, which, though they were not bound with straw ropes, or in any way
> fenced as other stacks used to be, yet the greatest storm of wind was not able
> to blow away straw off them.


APPEARANCE[EDIT]


Pencil illustration of a brownie by a twenty-first-century artist, based in part
on nineteenth century descriptions

Brownies are virtually always male,[12] but female brownies, such as Meg Mullach
(or "Hairy Meg"), have occasionally been described as well.[19][20] They are
usually envisioned as ugly[13][17][21] and their appearances are sometimes
described as frightening or unsettling to members of the houses in which they
reside.[13] They received their name from the fact that they are usually
described as brown-skinned and completely covered in hair.[13] In the earliest
traditions, brownies are either the same size as humans or sometimes larger,[17]
but, in later accounts, they are described as "small, wizened, and shaggy".[17]
They are often characterized as short and rotund,[12][22] a description that may
be related to mid-seventeenth-century Scottish descriptions of the Devil.[22]
Two Scottish witchcraft confessions, one by Thomas Shanks in 1649 and another by
Margaret Comb in 1680, both describe meetings with a "thick little man".[22] The
man in these descriptions may have been conceived as a brownie.[22]

In the late nineteenth century, the Irish folklorist Thomas Keightley described
the brownie as "a personage of small stature, wrinkled visage, covered with
short curly brown hair, and wearing a brown mantle and hood".[23] Brownies are
usually described as either naked or clothed in rags.[12][13][24] Brownies of
the Scottish Lowlands were said not to have noses, but instead had merely a
single hole in the centre of their face.[13][17] In Aberdeenshire, brownies are
sometimes described as having no fingers or toes.[17] Sometimes brownies are
stated to appear like children, either naked or dressed in white tunics.[17]

Like the Phooka in Irish folklore, brownies are sometimes described as taking
the forms of animals.[17] As a rule, they can turn invisible,[17] but they are
supposed to rarely need this ability because they are already experts at
sneaking and hiding.[17] A story from Peeblesshire tells of two maids who stole
a bowl of milk and a bannock that had been left out for the brownie.[25] They
sat down together to eat them, but the brownie sat between them invisibly and
whenever either of them tried to eat the bannock or drink the milk, the brownie
would steal it from them.[25] The two maids began arguing, each accusing the
other of stealing her milk and bannock.[25] Finally, the brownie laughed and
cried out: "Ha, ha, ha! Brownie has't a'!"[26][27]


LEAVING THE HOUSE[EDIT]

If the brownie feels he has been slighted or taken advantage of, he will vanish
forever, taking the prosperity of the house with him.[13][11][28] Sometimes the
brownie is said to fly into a rage and wreck all his work before leaving.[13] In
extreme cases, brownies are even sometimes said to turn into malicious boggarts
if angered or treated improperly.[11] A brownie is said to take offence if a
human observes him working, if a human criticizes him, or if a human laughs at
him.[11][28] Brownies are supposedly especially angered by anything they regard
as contempt or condescension.[13][28] The brownie at Cranshaws in Berwickshire
is said to have mown and thrashed the grain for years.[25] Then someone
commented that the grain had been poorly mown and stacked,[25] so, that night,
the brownie carried all the grain to Raven Crag two miles away and hurled it off
the cliff, all the while muttering:[25]

> It's no' weel mow'd! It's no' weel mow'd!—
> Then it's ne'er be mow'd by me again;
> I'll scatter it owre the Raven Stane
> And they'll hae some wark ere it's mow'd again![25]

A brownie can also be driven away if someone attempts to baptize him.[28] In
some stories, even the manner in which their bowls of cream are given is enough
to drive the brownie away.[29] The brownie of Bodsbeck, near the town of Moffat
in Scotland, left for the nearby farm of Leithenhall after the owner of Bodsbeck
called for him after pouring his cream, instead of letting him find the cream
himself.[29]

Sometimes giving the brownie a name was enough to drive him away.[15] A brownie
who haunted Almor Burn near Pitlochry in Perthshire was often heard splashing
and paddling in the water.[15] He was said to go up to the nearby farm every
night with wet feet and, if anything was untidy, he would put it in order, but,
if anything was tidy, he would hurl it around and make a mess.[15] The people of
the area feared him and did not go near the road leading up from the water at
night.[15] A man returning from the market one night heard him splashing in the
water and called out to him, addressing him by the nickname "Puddlefoot".[15]
Puddlefoot exclaimed in horror, "I've gotten a name! 'Tis Puddlefoot they call
me!"[15] Then he vanished forever and was never heard again.[15]


GIFTS OF CLOTHING[EDIT]


A recurring folkloric motif holds that, if presented with clothing, a brownie
will leave his family forever and never work for them again,[13][30][31] similar
to the Wichtelmänner in the German story of "The Elves and the Shoemaker".

If the family gives the brownie a gift of clothing, he will leave forever and
refuse to work for the family.[6][13][30][31] The first mention in English of a
brownie disappearing after being presented with clothes comes from Book Four,
Chapter Ten of Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft, published in
1584.[30] Sometimes brownies are reported to recite couplets before
disappearing.[32] One brownie from Scotland is said to have angrily declared:

> Red breeks and a ruffled sark!
> Ye'll no get me to do your wark![13][28]

Another brownie from Berwickshire is said to have declared:

> Gie Brownie a coat, gie Brownie a sark,
> Ye'se get nae mair o' Brownie's wark.[33]

Explanations differ regarding why brownies disappear when presented with
clothes,[34] but the most common explanation is that the brownie regards the
gift of clothing as an insult.[6][13][35] One story from Lincolnshire, first
recorded in 1891, attempts to rationalize the motif by making a brownie who is
accustomed to being presented with linen shirts become enraged upon being
presented with a shirt made of sackcloth.[34][36] The brownie in the story sings
before disappearing:

> Harden, harden, harden hamp,
> I will neither grind nor stamp;
> Had you given me linen gear,
> I have served you many a year.
> Thrift may go, bad luck may stay,
> I shall travel far away.[34][36]

The Cauld Lad of Hilton seems to have wanted clothes and to have been grateful
for the gift of them, yet still refused to stay after receiving them.[9][34] At
night, people were supposed to have heard him working and somberly singing:[9]

> Wae's me! Wae's me!
> The acorn is not yet
> Fallen from the tree,
> That's to grow to the wood,
> That's to make the cradle,
> That's to rock the bairn,
> That's to grow a man,
> That's to lay to me.[9]

After the servants presented him with a green mantle and hood, he is supposed to
have joyfully sung before disappearing:[9][34]

> Here's a cloak, and here's a hood!
> The Cauld Lad of Hilton will do no more good![9][34]

It is possible that the Cauld Lad may have simply thought himself "too grand for
work", a motif attested to in other folk tales,[34] or that the gift of clothing
may have been seen as a means of freeing him from a curse.[9] A brownie from
Jedburgh is also said to have desired clothing.[9] The servants are reported to
have heard him one night saying, "Wae's me for a green sark!"[9] The laird
ordered for a green shirt to be made for the brownie.[9] It was left out for him
and he disappeared forever.[9] People assumed he had gone to Fairyland.[9]


BROWNIE SWAY[EDIT]

In the nineteenth century, the pothook used to hang pots over the fire was made
with a crook in it, which was known in Herefordshire as the "brownie's seat" or
"brownie's sway".[37] If the hook did not have crook on it, people would hang a
horseshoe on it upside-down so the brownie would have a place to sit.[37] The
brownie at the Portway Inn in Staunton on Wye reportedly had a habit of stealing
the family keys[37] and the only way to retrieve them was for the whole family
sit around the hearth and to set a piece of cake on the hob as an offering to
the brownie.[38] Then they would all sit with their eyes closed, absolutely
silent, and the missing keys would be hurled at them from behind.[38]


REGIONAL VARIANTS[EDIT]

Although the name brownie originated in the early 16th century as a dialect word
used only in the Scottish Lowlands and along the English border,[39] it has
become the standard name for a variety of similar creatures appearing in the
folklores of various cultures across Britain.[39] Stories about brownies are
generally more common in England and the Lowlands of Scotland than in Celtic
areas.[16] Nonetheless, stories of Celtic brownies are recorded.[40]


BWBACH[EDIT]

The Welsh name for a brownie is Bwbach[33][41] (pronounced [ˈbuːbaχ]). Like
brownies, Bwbachod are said to have violent tempers if angered.[33] The
twelfth-century Welsh historian Gerald of Wales records how a Bwbach inflicted
havoc and mischief upon a certain household that had angered him.[33] The
19th-century folklorist Wirt Sikes describes the Bwbach as a "good-natured
goblin" who performs chores for Welsh maids.[41] He states that, right before
she goes to bed, the maid must sweep the kitchen and make a fire in the
fireplace and set a churn filled with cream by the fire with a fresh bowl of
cream next to it.[41] The next morning, "if she is in luck", she will find the
bowl of cream had been drunk and the cream in the churn has been dashed.[41]
Sikes goes on to explain that, in addition to being a household spirit, the
Bwbach is also the name for a terrifying phantom believed to sweep people away
on gusts of air.[42] The Bwbach is said to do this on the behalf of spirits of
the restless dead, who cannot sleep because of the presence of hidden
treasure.[36] When these spirits fail to succeed in persuading a living mortal
to remove the treasure, they have the Bwbach whisk the person away instead.[36]
Briggs notes that this other aspect of the Bwbach's activities make it much more
closely resemble the Irish Phooka.[36]

John Rhys, a Welsh scholar of Celtic culture and folklore, records a story from
Monmouthshire in his 1901 book Celtic Folklore about a young maid suspected of
having fairy blood, who left a bowl of cream at the bottom of the stairs every
night for a Bwbach.[43] One night, as a prank, she filled the bowl with stale
urine.[43] The Bwbach attacked her, but she screamed and the Bwbach was forced
to flee to the neighboring farm of Hafod y Ynys.[43] A girl there fed him well
and he did her spinning for her,[43] but she wanted to know his name, which he
refused to tell.[43] Then, one day when she pretended to be out, she heard him
singing his name, Gwarwyn-a-throt,[44] so he left and went to another farm,
where he became close friends with the manservant, whose name was Moses.[44]
After Moses was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, Gwarwyn-a-throt began
behaving like a boggart, wreaking havoc across the whole town.[41] An old wise
man, however, managed to summon him and banish him to the Red Sea.[41] Elements
of this story recur throughout other brownie stories.[41]


FENODYREE[EDIT]

The Manx name for a brownie is Fenodyree[36] (pronounced [fəˈnɑðəɾi]). The
Fenodyree is envisioned as a "hairy spirit of great strength", who is capable of
threshing an entire barn full of corn in a single night.[36] The Fenodyree is
regarded as generally unintelligent.[36] One Manx folktale tells of how the
Fenodyree once tried to round up a flock of sheep and had more trouble with a
small, hornless, grey one than any of the others;[36] the "sheep" he had so much
difficulty with turned out to be a hare.[36] The exact same mistake is also
attributed to a brownie from Lancashire[36] and the story is also told in
western North America.[27] Like other brownies, the Fenodyree is believed to
leave forever if he is presented with clothing.[36] In one story, a farmer of
Ballochrink gave the Fenodyree a gift of clothes in gratitude for all his
work.[36] The Fenodyree was offended and lifted up each item of clothing,
reciting the various illnesses each one would bring him.[36] The Fenodyree then
left to hide away in Glen Rushen alone.[36]


HOBS AND HEARTH SPIRITS[EDIT]

Especially in Yorkshire and Lancashire, brownies are known as "Hobs" due to
their association with the hearth.[45] Like brownies, Hobs would leave forever
if presented with clothing.[45] A Hob in Runswick Bay in North Yorkshire was
said to live in a natural cave known as the "Hob-Hole", where parents would
bring their children for the Hob to cure them of whooping cough.[45] The Holman
Clavel Inn in Somerset is also said to be inhabited by a mischievous Hob named
Charlie.[46] The story was recorded by the folklorist R. L. Tongue in 1964
immediately after he heard it from a woman who lived next door to the inn.[46]
Everyone in the locality knew about Charlie[46] and he was believed to sit on
the beam of holly wood over the fire, which was known as the "clavvy" or
"clavey".[46] Once, when the woman was having dinner with a local farmer, the
servants set the table at the inn with "silver and linen",[46] but, as soon as
they left the room and came back, Charlie had put all the table settings back
where they had come from because he did not like the farmer she was meeting
with.[46]

Hobs are sometimes also known as "Lobs".[47] Lob-Lie-by-the-Fire is the name of
a large brownie who was said to perform farm labour.[47] In Scotland, a similar
hearth spirit was known as the Wag-at-the-Wa.[37][48] The Wag-at-the-Wa was
believed to sit on the pothook[37] and it was believed that swinging the pothook
served as an invitation for him to come visit.[37] He was believed to pester
idle servants, but he was said to enjoy the company of children.[37] He is
described as a hideous, short-legged old man with a long tail who always dressed
in a red coat and blue breeches with an old nightcap atop his head and a bandage
around his face, since he was constantly plagued by toothache.[37] He also
sometimes wore a grey cloak. He was often reported to laugh alongside the rest
of the family if they were laughing,[37] but he was strongly opposed to the
family drinking any beverages with more alcohol content than home-brewed
ale.[37] He is said to have fled before the sign of the cross.[37]


SILKIE[EDIT]

A female spirit known as the Silkie or Selkie, who received her name from the
fact that she was always dressed in grey silk, appears in English and Scottish
folklore.[16][49] Like a ghost, the Silkie is associated with the house rather
than the family who lives there,[16] but, like a brownie, she is said to perform
chores for the family.[16][49][48] A famous Silkie was reported to haunt Denton
Hall in Northumberland.[16] Briggs gives the report of a woman named Marjory
Sowerby, who, as a little girl, had spoken with the last remaining Hoyles of
Denten Hall, two old ladies, about the Silkie and its kindness to them.[16] They
told her that the Silkie would clean the hearth and kindle fires for them.[16]
They also mentioned "something about bunches of flowers left on the
staircase".[16] Sowerby left the area in around 1902 and, when she returned over
half a century later after World War II, the Hoyles were both long dead and the
house was owned by a man who did not believe in fairies.[16] The stories about
the Silkie were no longer told and instead the house was reputed to be haunted
by a vicious poltergeist, who made banging noise and other strange noises and
pulled pranks on the man.[16] The man eventually moved out.[16] Briggs calls
this an example of a brownie turning into a boggart.[16]

Silkies were also sometimes believed to appear suddenly on roads at night to
lonely travellers and frighten them.[48] Another Silkie is said to haunt the
grounds of Fardel Hall in Devonshire.[50] This one is said to manifest in the
form of a "beautiful young woman with long, golden hair, wearing a long silken
gown" and supposedly guards a hoard of treasure buried on the grounds.[50] Few
people have seen the spirit, but many claim to have heard the rustling of her
silk dress.[50] She is believed to quietly strangle anyone who comes near
finding the treasure.[50]


ÙRUISG[EDIT]

The folklorist John Gregorson Campbell distinguishes between the English
brownie, which lived in houses, and the Scottish ùruisg (pronounced [ˈuːɾɯsk]
also ùraisg or urisk), which lived outside in streams and waterfalls and was
less likely to offer domestic help.[51] Although brownies and ùruisgs are very
similar in character, they have different origins.[52] Ùruisgs are sometimes
described as half-man and half-goat.[53][54] They are said to have "long hair,
long teeth, and long claws".[54] According to M. L. West, they may be Celtic
survivals of goat-like nature spirits from Proto-Indo-European mythology,
analogous to the Roman fauns and Greek satyrs.[55] Passersby often reported
seeing an ùruisg sitting atop a rock at dusk, watching them go by.[54] During
the summer, the ùruisg was supposed to remain in the solitude of the
wilderness,[54] but, during the winter, he would come down and visit the local
farms at night or take up residence in a local mill.[54]

Wild ùruisgs were troublemakers and vandals who perpetrated acts of butchery,
arson, and ravaging,[56] but, once domesticated, they were fiercely loyal.[56]
Wealthy and prominent families were said to have ùruisgs as household
servants.[56] One chieftain of the MacFarlane clan was said to have been nursed
and raised by the wife of an ùruisg.[56] The Graham clan of Angus told stories
of an ùruisg that had once worked for one of their ancestors as a drudge.[56]
The Maclachlan clan in Strathlachlan had an ùruisg servant named "Harry",
possibly shortened from "the hairy one".[56] The MacNeils of Taynish and the
Frazers of Abertarff also claimed to have ùruisg servants.[56] Ùruisg were also
known as ciuthachs or kewachs.[52] A story on the island of Eigg told of a
ciuthach that lived in a cave.[52] In some parts of Scotland, similar domestic
spirits were called Shellycoats, a name whose origin is uncertain.[23]


OTHER VARIANTS[EDIT]


"O Waken, Waken, Burd Isbel", illustration by Arthur Rackham to Young Bekie,
showing Billy Blind waking Burd Isobel

A figure named "Billy Blind" or "Billy Blin", who bears close resemblances to
both the brownie and the Irish banshee, appears in ballads of the Anglo-Scottish
border.[57][58][59] Unlike brownies, who usually provide practical domestic aid,
Billy Blind usually only provides advice.[58] He appears in the ballad of "Young
Bekie", in which he warns Burd Isbel, the woman Bekie is pledged to marry, that
Bekie is about to marry another woman.[60] He also appears in the ballad of
"Willie's Lady" in which he also provides advice, but offers no practical
aid.[58]

Briggs notes stories of other household spirits from British folklore who are
reputed to haunt specific locations.[45] The "cellar ghost" is a spirit who
guards wine in cellars from would-be thieves;[45] Lazy Lawrence is said to
protect orchards;[45] Awd Goggie scares children away from eating unripe
gooseberries;[45] and Melch Dick guards nut thickets.[45] The Kilmoulis is a
brownie-like creature from the Scottish Lowlands that is often said to inhabit
mills.[17] He is said to have no mouth, but an enormous nose that covers most of
his face.[17] He is fond of pranks and only the miller himself is able to
control him.[17]

In Texas in 1895, brownies told Arthur Stillwell to build a Kansas City,
Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad terminal and the town of Port Arthur. Stillwell
spoke to brownies since he was the age of four and always took their advice
regarding anything from where to build to who he would marry. The brownies had
warned him not to build his terminal in Galveston as it was going to be
destroyed in a tidal wave.[61]


ANALYSIS[EDIT]


CLASSIFICATION[EDIT]

Brownies have traditionally been regarded as distinct and different from
fairies.[39] In 1777, a vicar of Beetham wrote in his notes on local folklore,
"A Browny is not a fairey, but a tawny color'd Being which will do a great deal
of work for a Family, if used well."[39] The writer Walter Scott agreed in his
Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, in which he states, "The Brownie formed a
class of beings distinct in habit and disposition from the freakish and
mischievous elves."[39] Modern scholars, however, categorize brownies as
household spirits, which is usually treated as a subcategorization of fairy.[62]
Brownies and other household spirits differ significantly from other fairies in
folklore, however.[11] Brownies are usually said to dwell alongside humans in
houses, barns, and on farms;[11] whereas other fairies are usually said to
reside in places of remote wilderness.[11] Brownies are usually regarded as
harmless, unless they are angered;[11] other types of folkloric fairies,
however, are typically seen as dark and dangerous.[11] Finally, brownies are
unusual for their solitary nature, since most other types of fairies are often
thought to live in large groups.[11]

Briggs notes that brownies are frequently associated with the dead[14] and
states that, like the banshee in Irish folklore, "a good case" could be made for
brownies to be classified as ghosts.[3] Nonetheless, she rejects this idea,
commenting that the Brownie has "an adaptability, individuality and a homely
tang which forbids one to think of him as merely a lingering and reminiscent
image."[3]

In seventeenth-century Scotland, brownies were sometimes regarded as a kind of
demon.[63] King James VI and I describes the brownie as a demon in his 1597
treatise Daemonologie:[13][39][63]

> ... among the first kinde of spirites that I speak of, appeared in the time of
> Papistrie and blindness, and haunted divers houses, without doing any evill,
> but as it were necessarie turnes up and down the house: and this spirit they
> called Brownie in our language, who appeared like a rough-man: yea, some were
> so blinded, as to believe that their house was all the sonsier, as they called
> it, that such spirites resorted there.[64]


FUNCTIONALIST ANALYSIS[EDIT]

The folklorist L. F. Newman states that the image of the brownie fits well into
a Functionalist analysis of the "old, generous rural economy" of pre-Industrial
Britain,[34] describing him as the epitome of what a good household servant of
the era was supposed to be.[34] Belief in brownies could be exploited by both
masters and servants.[65] The servants could blame the brownie for messes,
breakages, and strange noises heard at night.[66] Meanwhile, the masters of the
house who employed them could use stories of the brownie to convince their
servants to behave by telling them that the brownie would punish servants who
were idle and reward those who performed their duties vigilantly.[66] According
to Susan Stewart, brownies also resolved the problem that human storytellers
faced of the unending repetition and futility of labour.[6] As immortal spirits,
brownies could not be worn out nor revitalized by working, so their work became
seen as simply part of "a perpetual cycle that is akin to the activities of
Nature herself."[6]


OUTSIDE OF FOLKLORE[EDIT]


EARLY LITERARY APPEARANCES[EDIT]


In James Hogg's 1818 novel The Brownie of Bodsbeck, the eponymous "brownie"
turns out to be John Brown, the leader of the Covenanters, a persecuted Scottish
Presbyterian movement.[67] An illegal meeting of Covenanters is shown in this
painting, Covenanters in a Glen by Alexander Carse.

An entity referred to as a "drudging goblin" or the "Lubbar Fend" is described
in lines 105 to 114 of John Milton's 1645 pastoral poem L'Allegro.[6][48] The
"goblin" churns butter, brews drinks, makes dough rise, sweeps the floor, washes
the dishes, and lays by the fire.[6] According to Briggs, like most other early
brownies, Milton's Lubbar Fend was probably envisioned as human-sized or
larger.[17] In many early literary appearances, the brownie turns out to be an
ordinary person.[68] The Scottish novelist James Hogg incorporated brownie
folklore into his novel The Brownie of Bodsbeck (1818).[69][67] The novel is set
in 1685, when the Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian movement, were being
persecuted.[67] Food goes missing from the farm of Walter of Chaplehope, leading
villagers to suspect it is the "brownie of Bodsbeck".[67][69] In the end, it
turns out that the "brownie" was actually John Brown, the leader of the
Covenanters.[67]

Hogg later wrote about brownies in his short story "The Brownie of Black Haggs"
(1828).[68][70] In this story, the evil Lady Wheelhope orders that any of her
male servants who openly practises any form of religion must be given over to
the military and shot.[67] Female servants who practised religion are discreetly
poisoned.[67] A single mysterious servant named Merodach stands up to her.[67]
Merodach is described as having "the form of a boy, but the features of one a
hundred years old" and his eyes "bear a strong resemblance to the eyes of a
well-known species of monkey."[67] Characters in the novel believe Merodach to
be a brownie, although others claim that he is a "mongrel, between a Jew and an
ape... a wizard... a kelpie, or a fairy".[71] Like folkloric brownies,
Merodach's religion is overtly pagan and he detests the sight of the Bible.[71]
He also refuses to accept any form of payment.[71] Lady Wheelhope hates him and
attempts to kill him,[71] but all her efforts mysteriously backfire, instead
resulting in the deaths of those she loves.[71] The novel never reveals whether
Merodach is actually of supernatural origin or if he is merely a
peculiar-looking servant.[70] Charlotte and Emily Brontë were both familiar with
Hogg's stories[71] and his portrayal of Merodach may have greatly influenced
Emily's portrayal of her character Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights (1847).[71]
Brownies are also briefly referenced in Charlotte's novel Villette (1853).[72]

The late nineteenth century saw the growth and profusion of children's
literature, which often incorporated fantasy.[73] Brownies in particular were
often thought of as especially appealing to children.[68] Juliana Horatia Ewing
incorporated brownie folklore remembered from her childhood into her short story
"The Brownies", first published in 1865 in The Monthly Packet[68] and later
incorporated into her 1871 collection of short stories The Brownies and Other
Tales.[73][69] In the story, a selfish boy seeks a brownie to do his chores for
him because he is too lazy to do them himself.[69] A wise old owl tells him that
brownies do not really exist and the only real brownies are good little children
who do chores without being asked.[69][74] The boy goes home and convinces his
younger brother to join him in becoming the new household "brownies".[69]
Ewing's short story inspired the idea of calling helpful children
"brownies".[68][69][74]


MASS MARKETING[EDIT]

Main article: The Brownies

Illustration of a brownie by Palmer Cox from his Brownies Around the World
(1894).

The Canadian American children's writer Palmer Cox helped promote brownies in
North America through his illustrated poems about them published in St. Nicholas
Magazine.[68][75] Cox portrayed brownies as "tiny elf-like figures who often
took on tasks en masse".[76] These poems and illustrations were later collected
and published in his book The Brownies: Their Book in 1887, which became the
first of several such collections.[68][76] In the 1890s, so-called
"brownie-mania" swept across the United States.[75] Cox effectively licensed out
his brownie characters rather than selling them, something which he was among
the first to do.[75][77] He and his many business collaborators were able to
market brownie-themed tie-in merchandise, including boots, cigars, stoves,
dolls, and silverware.[75][77]

The popularity of Cox's poems, illustrations, and tie-in products cemented
brownies as an element of North American children's literature and
culture.[68][75][76] Meanwhile, Cox could not copyright the name "brownie"
because it was a creature from folklore, so unauthorized "brownie" products
began to flood the market as well.[78] The widespread "brownie" merchandise
inspired George Eastman to name his low-cost camera "Brownie".[78] In 1919,
Juliette Gordon Low adopted "Brownies" as the name for the lowest age group in
her organization of "Girl Guides" on account of Ewing's short story.[68][79]


A brownie serves as the mascot of the Cleveland Browns and previously for the
defunct St. Louis Browns baseball team.

A brownie character named "Big Ears" appears in Enid Blyton's Noddy series of
children's books,[74] in which he is portrayed as living in a mushroom house
just outside the village of Toytown.[74] In Blyton's Book of Brownies (1926), a
mischievous trio of brownies named Hop, Skip, and Jump attempt to sneak into a
party hosted by the King of Fairyland by pretending to be Twirly-Whirly, the
Great Conjuror from the Land of Tiddlywinks, and his two assistants.[74]


MODERN FANTASY[EDIT]

The Fablehaven book series, written by Brandon Mull, describes the brownies
living near the residence on the Fablehaven Sanctuary. These are human-like,
save for their minuscule stature and leafy ears. They love to make desserts and
will repair and improve (to their abilities) anything broken throughout the
house overnight if given any ingredients, which they will use to make a dessert
of their choosing. It is said that chocolate brownies were named after them due
to being invented by the fairy brownies.[80]

George MacDonald incorporated features of Scottish brownie lore in his
nineteenth-century works The Princess and the Goblin and Sir Gibbie—his brownies
have no fingers on their hands.[73] Warrior brownies appear in the 1988 fantasy
film Willow, directed by Ron Howard.[81] These brownies are portrayed as only a
couple inches tall and are armed with bows and arrows.[81] Though they are
initially introduced as the kidnappers of a human infant, they turn out to be
benevolent.[81] Creatures known as "house elves" appear in the Harry Potter
series of books by J. K. Rowling, published between 1997 and 2007.[74] Similar
to the traditional brownies of folklore, house elves are loyal to their masters
and wear ragged garments. They are released by a gift of clothing, but house
elves cannot leave on their own accord regardless of how they are treated.[74]
House elves also resemble brownies in appearance, being small, but they have
larger heads and large, bat-like ears.[74] Rowling's books also include
boggarts, which are sometimes traditionally described as brownies turned
malevolent.[82]

A brownie named Thimbletack plays an important role in the children's fantasy
book series The Spiderwick Chronicles,[83][81] written by Holly Black and Tony
DiTerlizzi and published in five volumes from May 2003 to September 2004 by
Simon & Schuster.[84] He lives inside the walls of the Spiderwick estate[83] and
is only visible when he wishes to be seen.[83] He is described as "a little man
about the size of a pencil" with eyes "black and beetles" and a nose that is
"large and red".[81] When angered, Thimbletack transforms into a malicious
boggart.[81][83] The series became an international bestseller and was
translated into thirty languages.[84] A film adaptation of the same name was
released in 2008.[85]


SEE ALSO[EDIT]

 * Changeling
 * Domovoi (Slavic)
 * Haltija/Tonttu (Finnish)
 * Heinzelmännchen (German)
 * Household deity
   * Lithuanian household gods (list)
 * Hungry ghost
 * Jack o' the bowl (Swiss)
 * Koro-pok-guru (Ainu)
 * Meg Mullach
 * Tomte (Scandinavian)
 * Wirry-cow


NOTES[EDIT]

 1. ^ Sometimes, however, pixies or other trooping fairies do the work of a
    brownie,[14] especially in the West Country.[16]


REFERENCES[EDIT]

 1.  ^ "Broonie n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language.
 2.  ^ Jump up to: a b c McNeill 1977, p. 123.
 3.  ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Briggs 1967, p. 47.
 4.  ^ Jump up to: a b Stewart 2007, pp. 110–111.
 5.  ^ Jump up to: a b Silver 2005, p. 205.
 6.  ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Stewart 2007, p. 111.
 7.  ^ Briggs 1967, pp. 47–48.
 8.  ^ Briggs 1967, pp. 39–40.
 9.  ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Briggs 1967, p. 40.
 10. ^ Thrum, Thomas (1907). Hawaiian Folk Tales. A. C. McClurg. pp. 33–34.
 11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Simpson & Roud
     2000, p. 110.
 12. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Monaghan 2004, p. 62.
 13. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Alexander 2013, p. 64.
 14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Briggs 1967, pp. 46–47.
 15. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Briggs 1967, p. 35.
 16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Briggs 1967, p. 33.
 17. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Briggs 1967, p. 46.
 18. ^ Briggs 1967, pp. 35, 46.
 19. ^ Henderson & Cowan 2001, p. 16.
 20. ^ Monaghan 2004, p. 322.
 21. ^ Silver 2005, pp. 205–206.
 22. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Miller 2008, p. 151.
 23. ^ Jump up to: a b Keightley, Thomas (1870). "The Brownie". The Fairy
     Mythology. London: H. G. Bohn.
 24. ^ Silver 2005, p. 206.
 25. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Briggs 1967, p. 42.
 26. ^ Briggs 1967, pp. 42–43.
 27. ^ Jump up to: a b Dorson 2001, p. 180.
 28. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Briggs 1967, p. 41.
 29. ^ Jump up to: a b Briggs 1967, pp. 41–42.
 30. ^ Jump up to: a b c Simpson & Roud 2000, pp. 110–111.
 31. ^ Jump up to: a b Briggs 1967, pp. 38–41.
 32. ^ Alexander 2013, pp. 64–65.
 33. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Alexander 2013, p. 65.
 34. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Simpson & Roud 2000, p. 111.
 35. ^ Briggs 1967, pp. 37, 40–41.
 36. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Briggs 1967, p. 38.
 37. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Briggs 1967, p. 43.
 38. ^ Jump up to: a b Briggs 1967, pp. 43–44.
 39. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Simpson & Roud 2000, p. 109.
 40. ^ Briggs 1967, pp. 33–39.
 41. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Briggs 1967, p. 37.
 42. ^ Briggs 1967, pp. 37–38.
 43. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Briggs 1967, p. 36.
 44. ^ Jump up to: a b Briggs 1967, pp. 36–37.
 45. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Briggs 1967, p. 45.
 46. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Briggs 1967, p. 44.
 47. ^ Jump up to: a b Monaghan 2004, p. 292.
 48. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Germanà 2014, p. 61.
 49. ^ Jump up to: a b Monaghan 2004, p. 420.
 50. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Dacre 2011, p. 105.
 51. ^ Campbell, John Gregorson (1900), Superstitions Of The Highlands And
     Islands Of Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland: James MacLehose and Sons, p. 194
 52. ^ Jump up to: a b c McNeill 1977, p. 128.
 53. ^ West 2007, p. 294.
 54. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e McNeill 1977, p. 126.
 55. ^ West 2007, pp. 292–294.
 56. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g McNeill 1977, p. 127.
 57. ^ Briggs, Katharine (1977) [1976]. An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Hobgoblins,
     Brownies, Bogies, and Other Supernatural Creatures. Middlesex, United
     Kingdom: Penguin. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-14-004753-0.
 58. ^ Jump up to: a b c Briggs 1967, pp. 32–33.
 59. ^ Dorson 2001, pp. 120–121.
 60. ^ Briggs 1967, p. 32.
 61. ^ Tiefenbrun, Susan (2012). "PORT ARTHUR (Texas)". Tax Free Trade Zones of
     the World and in the United States. doi:10.4337/9781849809061.00115.
     ISBN 9781849809061.
 62. ^ Simpson & Roud 2000, pp. 109–110.
 63. ^ Jump up to: a b Miller 2008, p. 148.
 64. ^ King James VI and I, Daemonology
 65. ^ Simpson & Roud 2000, pp. 111–112.
 66. ^ Jump up to: a b Simpson & Roud 2000, p. 112.
 67. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Germanà 2014, p. 62.
 68. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Ashley 1999, p. 316.
 69. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Margerum 2005, p. 92.
 70. ^ Jump up to: a b Germanà 2014, pp. 62–63.
 71. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Germanà 2014, p. 63.
 72. ^ Germanà 2014, pp. 63–64.
 73. ^ Jump up to: a b c Briggs, Katharine M. (1972). "Folklore in
     Nineteenth-Century English Literature". Folklore. 83 (3): 194–209.
     doi:10.1080/0015587x.1972.9716469. JSTOR 1259545.
 74. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Germanà 2014, p. 64.
 75. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Margerum 2005, pp. 92–93.
 76. ^ Jump up to: a b c Nelson & Chasar 2012, p. 143.
 77. ^ Jump up to: a b Nelson & Chasar 2012, pp. 143–144.
 78. ^ Jump up to: a b Margerum 2005, p. 93.
 79. ^ Monaghan 2004, pp. 61–62.
 80. ^ Mull, Brandon. (2013). Fablehaven. Deseret Book Company.
     ISBN 9781609089856. OCLC 1002080187.
 81. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Germanà 2014, p. 65.
 82. ^ Germanà 2014, pp. 64–65.
 83. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Heller 2014, p. 190.
 84. ^ Jump up to: a b Heller 2014, p. 188.
 85. ^ Heller 2014, pp. 188–190.


BIBLIOGRAPHY[EDIT]

 * Alexander, Marc (2013) [2002], Sutton Companion to British Folklore, Myths &
   Legends, Stroud, England: The History Press, ISBN 978-0-7509-5427-3
 * Ashley, Mike (1999) [1997], "Elves", The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, New York
   City, New York: St. Martin's Griffin, p. 316, ISBN 978-0-312-19869-5
 * Briggs, Katharine Mary (1967), The Fairies in Tradition and Literature, New
   York City, New York and London, England: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-28601-5
 * Dacre, Michael (2011), Devonshire Folk Tales, Stroud, England: The History
   Press, ISBN 978-0-7524-7033-7
 * Dorson, Richard Mercer (2001) [1968], History of British Folklore, vol. I,
   New York City, New York and London, England: Routledge,
   ISBN 978-0-415-20476-7
 * Germanà, Monica (2014), "Brownie", in Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew (ed.), The
   Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters, New York City, New
   York and London, England: Ashgate Publishing, pp. 61–65,
   ISBN 978-1-4094-2563-2
 * Heller, Erga (2014), "When Fantasy Becomes a Real Issue: On Local and Global
   Aspects of Literary Translation/Adaptation, Subtitling and Dubbing Films for
   the Young", in Abend-David, Dror (ed.), Media and Translation: An
   Interdisciplinary Approach, New York City, New York and London, England:
   Bloomsbury Academic, ISBN 978-1-6235-6101-7
 * Henderson, Lizanne; Cowan, Edward J. (2001), Scottish Fairy Belief: A
   History, East Linton, East Lothian, Scotland: Tuckwell Press, p. 16,
   ISBN 978-1-8623-2190-8
 * Margerum, Eileen (2005). "Palmer Cox: Telling Stories". In Anderson, Mark
   Cronland; Blayer, Irene Maria F. (eds.). Interdisciplinary and Cross-Cultural
   Narratives in North America. Studies on Themes and Motifs in Literature. New
   York City, New York: Peter Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-7409-0. ISSN 1056-3970.
 * McNeill, Florence Marian (1977) [1957], The Silver Bough: Scottish Folk-lore
   and Folk-belief, vol. 1, Glasgow, Scotland: William Maclellan, Ltd.,
   ISBN 9780853351610
 * Miller, Joyce (2008), "Men in Black: Appearances of the Devil in Early Modern
   Witchcraft Discourse", in Goodare, Julian; Martin, Lauren; Miller, Joyce
   (eds.), Witchcraft and Belief in Early Modern Scotland, New York City, New
   York: Palgrave MacMillan, doi:10.1057/9780230591400, ISBN 978-0-230-59140-0
 * Monaghan, Patricia (2004), The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore,
   Facts On File, New York City, New York: InfoBase Publishing,
   ISBN 978-0-8160-4524-2
 * Nelson, Cary; Chasar, Mike (2012), "American Advertising", in Bold, Christine
   (ed.), The Oxford History of Popular Print Culture: Volume Six: US Popular
   Print Culture 1860–1920, Oxford, England: Oxford University Press,
   ISBN 978-0-19-923406-6
 * Silver, Carole G. (2005), "Fairies and Elves: Motifs F200-F399", in Garry,
   Jane; El-Shamy, Hasan (eds.), Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and
   Literature: A Handbook, New York City, New York and London, England:
   Routledge, pp. 203–210, ISBN 978-0-7656-1260-1
 * Simpson, Jacqueline; Roud, Steve (2000), A Dictionary of English Folklore: An
   Engrossing Guide to English Folklore and Traditions, Oxford, England: Oxford
   University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-210019-1
 * Stewart, Susan (2007), "Reading a Drawer", in Caicco, Gregory (ed.),
   Architecture, Ethics, and the Personhood of Place, Hanover, Germany and
   London, England: University Press of New England, ISBN 978-1-58465-653-1
 * West, Martin Litchfield (2007), Indo-European Poetry and Myth, Oxford,
   England: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-928075-9

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show
 * v
 * t
 * e

Fairies in folklore
Classifications of fairies
Related articles
 * Changeling
 * Fairy-locks
 * Fairy painting
 * Fairy riding
 * Fairy tale
   * List
 * Familiar
 * Genius loci
 * Household deity
 * Hungry grass
 * Nature spirit
 * Tutelary deity

Abodes and structures
 * Fairy fort
 * Fairyland
 * Fairy path
 * Fairy ring

Notable royal fairies
 * Aibell
 * Clíodhna
 * Erlking
 * Fairy Queen
 * Finvarra
 * Gwyn ap Nudd
 * Joan the Wad
 * Morgan le Fay
 * Nicnevin/Gyre-Carling
 * Oberon
 * Queen of Elphame
 * Queen Mab
 * Sebile
 * Titania



show
Attested fairies
A–E
 * Adhene
 * Alp Luachra
 * Anjana
 * Aos Sí (Aes Sídhe)
 * Arkan Sonney
 * Asrai
 * Baobhan sith
 * Banshee
 * Barghest
 * Bean nighe
 * Billy Blind
 * Biróg
 * Bloody Bones
 * Bluecap
 * Blue men of the Minch
 * Bodach
 * Boggart
 * Bogle
 * Boobrie
 * Brag
 * Brownie
 * Brown Man of the Muirs
 * Bucca
 * Buggane
 * Bugbear
 * Bugul Noz
 * Caoineag
 * Cat sìth
 * Cù Sìth
 * Ceffyl Dŵr
 * Clurichaun
 * Coblynau
 * Colt pixie
 * Cyhyraeth
 * Drude
 * Duende
 * Duergar
 * Dullahan
 * Each-uisge
 * Elf
   * Alp
   * Dökkálfar and Ljósálfar
   * Elegast
   * Huldufólk
   * Svartálfar

F–L
 * Fachan
 * Fairy godmother
 * Fear dearg
 * Fear gorta
 * Fenodyree
 * Finfolk
 * Fuath
 * Gancanagh
 * Ghillie Dhu
 * Glaistig
 * Glashtyn
 * Groac'h
 * Grindylow
 * Gwragedd Annwn
 * Gwyllion
 * Gwyn ap Nudd
 * Habetrot
 * Hag
 * Haltija
 * The Hedley Kow
 * Heinzelmännchen
 * Hinzelmann
 * Hob
 * Hobbididance
 * Hobgoblin
 * Hödekin
 * Iannic-ann-ôd
 * Jack-o'-lantern
 * Jack o' the bowl
 * Jenny Greenteeth
 * Joint-eater
 * Kelpie
 * Kilmoulis
 * Knocker
 * Knucker
 * Kobold
 * Klabautermann
 * Korrigan
 * Lady of the Lake
 * Lazy Laurence
 * Leanan sídhe
 * Leprechaun
 * Lubber fiend
 * Lutin
 * Ly Erg

M–Z
 * Mare
 * Meg Mullach
 * Melusine
 * Merrow
 * Mooinjer veggey
 * Morgen
 * Morvarc'h
 * Moss people
 * Nain Rouge
 * Nelly Longarms
 * Nicnevin
 * Nisse
 * Nixie
 * Nuckelavee
 * Nuggle
 * Peg Powler
 * Pixie
 * Púca/Pwca
 * Puck
 * Rå
   * Bergsrå
   * Hulder
   * Radande
   * Sjörå
   * Skogsrå
 * Redcap
 * Selkie
 * Seonaidh
 * Shellycoat
 * Sluagh
 * Spriggan
 * Sprite/Water sprite
 * Sylph
 * Tomte
 * Tooth fairy
 * Trow
 * Tylwyth Teg
 * Undine
 * Water bull
 * Water horse
 * Wicked fairy (Sleeping Beauty)
 * Wight
 * Will-o'-the-wisp
 * Wirry-cow
 * Xana
 * Yan-gant-y-tan




show
Fairy-like beings worldwide
Worldwide
 * Bogeyman
 * Incubus/Succubus
 * Little people
 * Merfolk
   * Mermaid
   * Merman

Africa
 * Abatwa
 * Asanbosam
 * Aziza
 * Bultungin
 * Eloko
 * Jengu
 * Kishi
 * Mami Wata
 * Obayifo
 * Rompo
 * Tikoloshe
 * Yumboes

Americas
 * Alux
 * Anchimayen
 * Axehandle hound
 * Belled buzzard
 * Canotila
 * Chaneque
 * Christmas elf
 * Curupira
 * Encantado
 * Grey alien
 * Ishigaq
 * Jogah
 * Muki
 * Nimerigar
 * Nûñnë'hï
 * Pombero
 * Pukwudgie
 * Saci
 * Trauco
 * Yunwi Tsunsdi

Asia
 * Diwata
 * Dokkaebi
 * Fallen angel
 * Fox spirit
   * Hồ ly tinh
   * Huli jing
   * Huxian
   * Inari Ōkami
   * Kitsune
   * Kumiho
 * Hyang
 * Irshi
 * Jinn
 * Kijimuna
 * Korpokkur
 * Mazzikin
 * Mogwai
 * Mrenh kongveal
 * Orang bunian
 * Peri
 * Preta
   * Hungry ghost
 * Tennin
 * Yaksha/Yakshini
 * Yōkai
 * Yōsei

Oceania
 * Bunyip
 * Manaia
 * Menehune
 * Mimis
 * Muldjewangk
 * Nawao
 * Patupaiarehe
 * Taniwha
 * Tipua
 * Wandjina
 * Yara-ma-yha-who

Europe


Baltic
 * Aitvaras
 * Gabija
 * Lauma

Basque
 * Basajaun
 * Lamina
 * Mairu

British Isles
 * Badb
 * Black dog
 * Gremlin
 * Headless Horseman
 * Pictish Beast
 * The Morrígan
 * Tuatha Dé Danann

Classical
 * Cercopes
 * Circe
 * Dionysus
 * Faun
 * Hecate
 * Hippocampus
 * Nymph
   * List
 * Pan
 * Satyr
 * Silenus
 * Siren
 * Thiasus

Finnish
 * Ajatar
 * Haltija
 * Hiisi
 * Menninkäinen

Germanic
 * Dwarf
   * Alberich
   * King Goldemar
 * Imp
 * Perchta
 * Troll
 * Vittra
 * Witte Wieven/Weiße Frauen

Romance
 * Căpcăun
 * Dames blanches
 * Doñas de fuera
 * Iele
 * Mouro
   * Enchanted Moura
 * Sânziană
 * Spiriduș
 * Squasc
 * Vâlvă
 * Vântoase
 * Zână

Slavic
 * Bannik
 * Berehynia
 * Domovoi
 * Karzełek
 * Kikimora
 * Leshy
 * Likho
 * Polevik
 * Psotnik
 * Rusalka
 * Vila
 * Vodyanoy

Cross-cultural
 * Christmas gift-bringer
   * Santa Claus
   * Companions of
 * Fates
 * Goblin
 * Gnome
 * Kallikantzaros
 * Salamander
 * Sandman
 * Wild man

Other
 * Lidérc
 * Ursitory
 * Vadleany




See also Category List of beings referred to as fairies



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Celtic mythology series
Creatures in Scottish mythology and folklore
Beasts
 * Beithir
 * Gigelorum

Birds
 * Boobrie

Deities
 * Beira
 * Cailleach

Fairies/spirits
 * Aos Sí
 * Baobhan sith
 * Bean-nighe
 * Biasd Bheulach
 * Blue men of the Minch
 * Bodach
 * Caoineag
 * Cat-sìth
 * Changeling
 * Cù-sìth
 * Each-uisge
 * Fuath
 * Ghillie Dhu
 * Glaistig
 * Kelpie
 * Meg Mullach
 * Nuggle
 * Sea Mither
 * Seonaidh
 * Trow
 * Water bull

Giants
 * Fachan

Gnomes
 * Pech

Goblins/hobgoblins
 * Bauchan

Mermaids
 * Ceasg
 * Selkie

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brownie_(folklore)&oldid=1137625481"
Categories:
 * Brownies (folklore)
 * English legendary creatures
 * Fairies
 * Scottish legendary creatures
 * Tutelary deities
 * Supernatural legends
 * English ghosts
 * English folklore
 * Scottish folklore
 * Household deities

Hidden categories:
 * Articles with short description
 * Short description is different from Wikidata
 * Use dmy dates from April 2022
 * Good articles
 * Articles containing Scottish Gaelic-language text
 * All articles with unsourced statements
 * Articles with unsourced statements from March 2020
 * Articles containing Welsh-language text
 * Articles containing Manx-language text
 * Commons category link is on Wikidata
 * Articles containing Irish-language text
 * Articles containing Scots-language text

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