Here is my entry for this weekâs challenge:
For some time Iâve been interested in trying to attract a Brownie to my home. What is a Brownie you ask? Well, let me tell you about these sensitive and helpful faeiresâŠ
A brownie or broonie (Scots),[1] also known as a brĂčnaidh or gruagach (Scottish Gaelic), is a household spirit 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.
Author: Wikipedia
Image: Pinterest
My property is located near a wooded area that is teeming with wildlife and old trees. My own land is about an acre with my house in the center and just one nearby neighbor. Brownies are selective about who they choose to help and the home they choose must be inviting, with kind humans who leave them milk or cream, and who donât attempt to âget to know the Brownieâ. Most especially itâs important to never offer the Brownie clothing or cloth, despite that they often wear tattered rags as this may be perceived as a slight to them. So, Iâve been leaving out a small bowl of cream each night and keeping a hearth lamp on in the summer months to provide a welcome glow to entice a Brownie in.
Image: Brownie | The Demonic Paradise Wiki | Fandom
I found some interesting information on Brownies a while back and so thought Iâd shareâŠ
The most well-known and loved house elf in folklore is the Scottish Brownie. The Brownie is a small male creature, between one and two feet tall, who takes up residence in a deserving familyâs home. The Brownie resides in Scotland, but some say the Scottish immigrants brought the Brownie with them to the United States and Canada in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. The Brownieâs temperament is mild, and he is rather helpful with chores around the house.
Female Brownies are almost never seen by humans, so the only description obtained for these Dwarf Faeries is of the males. Based on this description, itâs no wonder most humans would have a fearful reaction to seeing a Brownie in their home. Perhaps itâs for this reason that Brownies most often choose to hide from humans, sometimes by magickal means of invisibility. In most cases, though, this scenario proves the clichĂ©, âyou cannot judge a book by its coverâ, as most Brownies are kind-hearted, helpful, protective beings who truly love the people they choose to serve. These Faeries crave human company, and theyâre willing to earn their place in a human household.
When the woman of the house goes to bed, he finishes her chores. The Brownie is helpful on the farm. He brings in food and firewood, and is a shapeshifter who shifts into the form of a rooster to crow in the morning. Others believe the rooster is actually a friend of the Brownieâs and crows to tell him when to go to bed (although humans believe the rooster crows to wake us up in the morning). The Mother Goose Rhyme âI Had a Little Roosterâ demonstrates the belief in the Brownie taking on the form of the Rooster.
Author: www.otherworldoracle.com
And finally this detailed description and instructions for attracting and interacting with a Brownie from Bruxa Guerreira:
Brownies are a hob, or house Fae. The are thought similar to a hobgoblin and usually described as âa personage of small stature, wrinkled visage, covered with short curly brown hair, and wearing a brown mantle and hoodâ - Thomas Keightley How tall they are is argued however as they have been described as anywhere from 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) to 3 feet (91.4 centimeters) tall.
This matters because of how your character is going to go about attracting a Brownie to them.
Brownies need a space that is there own. This will take the form of an unused spot in your characterâs living space, likely an attic, basement, unused/forgotten cupboard, or other similar space. If your character has enough room in their living space some houses even had a âSeĂČmar BhrĂčnaidhâ (Brownieâs room). Thatâs a bit extravagant, but if your character is of means and is looking to attract multiple Brownies this will be the best way to make the space comfortable to them. If the character has a significant enough kitchen or fire place they could also think about leaving out a little seat for the Brownie as Brownies, like any worker, prefer to be comfortable while doing their tasks, and this will signal to the Brownie that the character is considerate.
If your character already has a space they donât use often, or at all, then they should do their best to continue on their normal behavior. If they start poking in or around the area too often it will destroy the attraction of the space to a Brownie. Understand that Brownies are naturally tidy and industrious creatures, if they donât like the space they will clean it or change it themselves to their liking, any interference from your character is likely to drive them off. If your character doesnât have a space like this then, if theyâre in the know, they should designate a spot that will be relatively easy to begin ignoring.
Now that there is a spot for a Brownie to potentially move into the character should start leaving out Brownie offerings likeâŠ
- porridge,
- honey,
- cream,
- corn muffins,
- a bannock of oats,
- a bannock of cake,
- fresh churned milk that has been sprinkled in every corner of the overall living space,
- a âBrownieâs staneâ (a stone with a little hole in it which some brew wort has been poured),
- and/or fresh bread.
To increase the chances of attracting Fae (including Brownies) in general your character will want to think about several plantsâŠ
-
Foxglove
- Planted near the front door to invite Fae in
-
Primrose
-
Wild Thyme
- Sprinkle it on the doorways and windowsills of the living space to invite Fae in
-
Bluebells
- Planted in a garden that is well tended
-
Oak
- Thought to be home to many a kind of Fae and likely to attract them to a home nearby the tree
-
Elderberry
- Burn the berries in a fire to attract the Fae to a gathering
-
Elecampagne/Elfswort
- Scatter the root around the living space to attract Fae
-
Lilac
- Planted around the living space or grown within to attract Fae
-
Roses
- Planted in a garden to encourage Fae visitors
After your character has attracted the Brownie some things become important. Your character will want to continue leaving out Brownie offerings. At first they should be left on a doorstep or windowsill to attract a Brownie, but once a Brownie takes up residence the gifts should be left around the home so that the Brownie does not have to travel far to get to them. You character cannot EVER , under any circumstance, call the gifts a payment, nor can the gift be of clothing, even giving fabric may be pushing a Brownieâs tolerance. If the Brownie feels taken advantage of, insulted, criticized, or otherwise feels your character has been rude to them here are some potential consequences from best to worst case scenarioâŠ
Image:
Brownies - sensitive house spirits - myfairyland
- Refuse to do work for a time until satisfied by a sufficient apology
- Abandon the living space
- Undo everything that they have done and abandon the living space
- Undo everything that they have done as well as destroy more of the living space and abandon the living space
- Become a Boggart and stay within the living space
Other things that may drive a Brownie from the home are lying, stealing, people claiming work that is not theirs, the home owner not taking living space maintenance seriously, or being treated as a tool.
If your character wishes to interact with their Brownie co-habitator it will be difficult. Brownies only come out at night to do their work, and if your character attempts to interrupt them during that time look at the consequences list again. They like their space, and are deeply troubled when non-Brownies attempt to stick their nose where the Brownie feels it doesnât belong. They generally remain invisible to humans and will ignore attempts to speak with them directly, but not all is lost!
If the Brownie is particularly fond of your character the Brownie may choose to reveal themselves to your character. Also if your character needs to say something to the Brownie it is best to have the character say whatever it is while the character is doing a domestic chore as the Brownie will be watching the characterâs work. Your character can also leave a note beside the Brownie gift, but this is not a guarantee the Brownie will actually look at the note.
As to visitors of the living space Brownies will likely be very suspicious, and if the visitor is slovenly at all, or the Brownie views them as a threat, the Brownie may indulge itself in mischief to drive the visitor out.
Such fascinating little creatures and only the very worthy are lucky enough to capture the heart of a BrownieâŠwish me luck!
& I canât possibly try to catch up to each post before now.
)
), I have decided that I will talk about the history of cats in mystical folklore and the wider culture. I know this is likely âboringâ, but I am a HUGE cat lover and have three beauties myself. One of my chosen Deities, Freyja, the Norse Goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, saw cats as sacred beings. Freyja much appreciates followers who take good care of their kitty friends. Offerings to Freyja can include feeding feral/stray cats, donating to cat shelters, and the like. Although one of my chosen Deities does not include one in âcatâ form, I am also quite fond of the Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet for obvious reasons. Particularly because she is known for fighting for what is right and just.
If you want to enter the challenge but havenât done so already, please know that you have one more day left to do so:
This challenge will close TOMORROW 
