There is rarely said to be more than one brownie living in the same house. īrownies are almost always described as solitary creatures who work alone and avoid being seen. In some early stories, brownies are described as guarding treasure, a non-domestic task outside of their usual repertoire. Sometimes they are said to create noise at night or leave messes simply for their own amusement. 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. The presence of the brownie is believed to ensure household prosperity 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. They only work at night, performing necessary housework and farm tasks while the human residents of the home are asleep. They are said to inhabit homes and farms. Traditions about brownies are generally similar across different parts of Great Britain. 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. The most significant difference between brownies and Lares is that, while Lares were permanently bound to the house in which they lived, brownies are seen as more mobile, capable of leaving or moving to another house if they became dissatisfied. The family cult of deceased ancestors in ancient times centred around the hearth, which later became the place where offerings would be left for the brownie. 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. He was said to clean up anything that was untidy and make messes of things that were tidy. Those who saw him described him as a naked boy. 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. Like Lares, brownies were associated with the dead and a brownie is sometimes described as the ghost of a deceased servant who once worked in the home.
Both are said to be hairy and dress in rags and both are said to demand offerings of food or dairy. Brownies and Lares are both regarded as solitary and devoted to serving the members of the house. īrownies originated as domestic tutelary spirits, very similar to the Lares of ancient Roman tradition, who were envisioned as the protective spirits of deceased ancestors.
Brownies bear many similarities to the Roman Lares. Roman Lararium, or household shrine to the Lares, from the House of the Vettii in Pompeii. The Brownies in the Girl Guides are named after a short story by Juliana Horatia Ewing based on brownie folklore. They became popular in works of children's literature in the late nineteenth century and continue to appear in works of modern fantasy. Brownies have also appeared outside of folklore, including in John Milton's poem L'Allegro. Variants outside England and Scotland are the Welsh Bwbach and the Manx Fenodyree. Regional variants in England and Scotland include hobs, silkies, and ùruisgs. If a person attempts to present a brownie with clothing or if a person attempts to baptize him, he will leave forever.Īlthough 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. They are always either naked or dressed in rags. They are often capable of turning invisible and they sometimes appear in the shapes of animals. In more recent times, they have come to be seen as small and wizened. In the oldest stories, they are usually human-sized or larger. Descriptions of brownies vary regionally, but they are usually described as ugly, brown-skinned, and covered in hair. If angered, they are sometimes said to turn malicious, like boggarts.īrownies originated as domestic tutelary spirits, very similar to the Lares of ancient Roman tradition. Brownies are characteristically mischievous and are often said to punish or pull pranks on lazy servants. 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. 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. A brownie or broonie ( Scots), 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.
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