There is a brownie image in English and Scottish folklore. These creatures are the same as our brownies, their name comes from the word "brown", meaning brown. Indeed, brownies are covered with brown or brown hair. The first mention of them occurs at the beginning of the 16th century.
Mysterious helpers
Mostly brownies are described as small, as tall as a child, little men. Their body is covered with brown hair, arms can be very long, feet are wide and flat, fingers on the limbs are missing or fused together, usually only thumbs remain. They have no bridge of the nose, but their eyes are bright blue. Brownies can wear a beard. Their skin is often light, although various shades can be found depending on the habitat and lifestyle of these creatures. Sometimes they are dressed in rags of green, blue or brown.
Unlike Russian brownies, brownies live in small groups. These are mainly male perfumes, but, for example, in the Highlands of Scotland, there are also female perfumes.
Brownies do not live in houses, but in burrows near human habitation. But this does not prevent them from actively participating in people's lives. Their activities are diverse: they can help with household chores, for example, in sewing, cleaning or cooking, looking after livestock and poultry.
Brownies, according to the legends, helped Scottish brewers. No wonder in the process of brewing a special ritual stone was used, which was called that way - brownie.
During the day, the brownies are absorbed in their own affairs - they gather wild fruits in the forests, pick up grain in the fields, they can milk a cow in the absence of the owners … But they know when to stop and, as a rule, "work out" what is taken.
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One of the "responsibilities" of a brownie is to protect the house from thieves and intruders. Usually, spirits simply warn the owners of the dwelling about the danger. But sometimes they have to intervene physically. Sometimes they use magic for this or call on their "relatives" - elves or fairies for help.
In the old days it was believed that every house has its own brownie. He had his own place - in the kitchen, next to the fire, on which no one ever sat. Brownies could serve generations of the same family for decades.
So, in the family of Grants from Tullockgorm (Scotland) there was a female brownie - Meg Mula, or Hairy Meg. She helped the members of this family, in particular, she suggested the right moves to the head of the family while playing chess, and also acted as a mourner when someone was dying.
There was a belief that brownies can tell writers about the plots for books, evoking the corresponding dreams. So, one of them allegedly suggested to Robert Stevenson the idea of his famous story "The Strange Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." But the brownies themselves often become heroes of works of art. So, they can be found on the pages of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.
So different…
In Scotland, brownies are called trow. They live in mountains and forests, but they can also be "domestic". It is believed that the traw has a more harmful character than the English "colleagues". But they can bring tangible benefits to people, home and household, if you constantly leave them gifts - milk, sour cream or baked goods.
Hobgoblins are also considered a type of brownie. They differ from ordinary brownies in large sizes. Hobgoblins are not at all some evil monsters (as the name implies), but they love to make fun of people, and these jokes are far from harmless. Especially for those who dare to laugh at these entities or criticize them.
The finoderi hobgoblin population lives exclusively on the Isle of Man. The finnoders have great physical strength, which allows them to seriously assist people in various agricultural work, for example, in harvesting or haymaking.
Pixies are prone to leprosy. They can steal horses and food, lure travelers into an impenetrable swamp … They look like little men with red hair and snub noses. On their heads they wear a large pointed cap. Although pixies usually live in forests, they can also help people around the house.
Boggarts are the same brownies, but they bring more harm to a person than good. They hooligan in houses - they untie cattle, break dishes, steal food. It is very difficult to force the boggart to leave his "victims" alone, usually the owners of the house where the boggart "settled" are advised to move to another place. But sometimes the boggart follows them into a new home.
In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books, Boggart has the ability to transform into what a person fears most, that is, the embodiment of human fears.
How to "communicate" with a brownie?
To get the brownie to help you, you should perform the appropriate ritual. For example, invite them to dinner and treat them with milk. A cup of milk, necessarily thick and fatty, must be put outside the doorway. It is a good idea to add cream and milk to the milk.
But you should not leave too much food for the brownies, and you should never leave clothes for them - these entities may decide that in this way you are trying to bribe them, in a word, your kindness is not from a pure heart.
Some brownies get away from people and run wild. Here they are capable of causing harm to people: they can attack a lonely traveler, lure into a deaf thicket or swamp … If you are faced with such a hostile brownie, it is recommended to close your eyes and read a prayer. By the way, brownies are afraid of prayers and Christian symbols.
Yet brownies are eager to find their "home". As a rule, they first observe people in their area of residence in order to find those who are suitable for them as "masters". Rather, in the "wards".
And yet - who are the brownies and their "relatives"? Maybe it’s not disembodied spirits, but rather material inhabitants of a parallel reality who can visit our world?