Brownie

nature_spirit earth Scottish single tradition · 5

The Brownie is a household spirit in Scottish folklore.

↻ synthesized from 5 sources

When

First attested
1800 CE
Attested period
1800 – 2020
Historical notes
Appeared in 19th-century folklore collections and children's literature.

Relationships

sibling of
hob
child of
Cofgod
manifested by
Jack o' the bowl, Billy Blind
syncretized with
hobgoblins, Nis
has aspect
Kilmoulis

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

Source passages

“Brownie – Household spirit in Scottish folklore”

#6708 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“In Scotland particularly there are many place-names relating to the brownie of folklore, these include Brownie’s Cave in Aberdeenshire and a Brownie’s Cave in Ayrshire and Brownie's Chair at Cara (next to Gigha).”

#9203 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“If it is true that such beings were known to the early English, later legendary beings such as the English hob and Anglo-Celtic brownie would be the modern survival of the cofgod.”

#9288 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“The Kobold is exactly the same being as the Danish Nis, and Scottish Brownie, and English Hobgoblin. [b] He performs the very same services for the family to whom he attaches himself. ... The Nis, Kobold, or Goblin, appears in Scotland under the name of Brownie.”

#9606 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001

“Brownie (England and Scotland)”

#34619 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001