Brownies
Brownies are domestic tutelary spirits, similar to the Lares of ancient Roman tradition. They are envisioned as solitary and devoted to serving the members of the house. Brownies are associated with the dead and sometimes described as the ghost of a deceased servant who once worked in the home.
↻ synthesized from 4 sources
When
- First attested
- 0 CE
- Attested period
- 0 – 2020
- Historical notes
- First appeared in print in 1879.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Cauld Lad of Hilton, Tawny Boy, Cauld Lad of Hylton, household gods, Robin Goodfellow, Billy Blind, Blue Burches, Robin Roundcap, Dobby, Brownie
- syncretized with
- Lares, Menehune, Chōpirako, Zashiki-warashi
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“Traditions about brownies are generally similar across different parts of Great Britain. They are said to inhabit homes and farms. They only work at night, performing necessary housework and farm tasks while the human residents of the home are asleep.”
#9189 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“What are our elves and fairies, goblins, nisses, brownies, and pixies but latter-day survivals of arkite ancestor worship? Brownies and pixies were probably invariably of good character, originally”
#9612 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Cox, Palmer. The Brownies, Their Book. New York: The Century Co., 1887. Cox, Palmer. Another Brownie Book. New York: The Century Co., 1890. Cox, Palmer. The Brownies at Home. New York-London: D. Appleton-Century Company Incorporated”
#34057 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men who, like their close relatives the brownies, are often found within human dwellings, doing odd jobs around the house while the family is asleep. Such chores are typically small tasks like dusting and ironing.”
#34489 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001