Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but European folklore is filled with domestic fairies that could help an overburdened household out - at least, until you managed to offend them! Don an apron and take a look at...
- The British Brownie, Hob, Bwbach... and Boggart
- The Slavic Domovoy, Bannik, Gumenik, Ovinnik and Kikimora
- The Roman Lares & Penates
- The Neapolitan Folletto O' Munaciello and La Bella 'Mbriana
- The Spanish Duende & Trasgu
- The Nordic Nisse, Tomte, Tonttu, Hustomte & Fjøsnisse
- The German Kobold
- The Baltic Kaukas, Pūķis and Aitvaras
- The Familiars of Witches
- The Irish Leprechaun... and Clurichaun
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| A cottage would be lucky to have a friendly brownie... (Lene Magro) |
1. The British Brownie, Hob, Bwbach... and Boggart
Have you ever wished that household chores would do themselves? Perhaps you could use the services of a brownie - an incredibly helpful (albeit easily offended) nocturnal British spirit.
The brownie appears in the folklore of England (sometimes as a "hob") and Scotland. Folklore has it that this (usually male) gnome-like entity would perform housework, minor repairs and cleaning - and that attentive residents could hear the brownie working at night.
Some brownies extended their duties beyond the house or barn they inhabited. There are stories of them calming angry beehives, or even riding to fetch help for a sick human. They did have a mischievous side though - sometimes they would muddle up the contents of a room as a prank.
Though having a resident brownie could be a boon, they were very easily offended. They might accept a small portion of cream, milk, porridge or bread... but put out too big a portion and they would resent the human that thought they couldn't take care of themselves. Even well-meaning gifts of blankets or clothing were construed as an insult - and typically resulted in the diminutive fairy leaving the property for good.
There was another potential consequence if a brownie felt particularly mistreated - they could become a bogle or boggart, a malevolent entity that could torment a household (frequently by acting like a poltergeist) and undo their previous good work!
A similar fairy existed in the folklore of Wales. Known as a bwbach (plural bwbachod) this small goblin would likewise perform household tasks and had a similar fondness for cream. It also had a strong dislike of folk that wouldn't take a drink - there's a tale in which a Baptist preacher "much fonder of prayers than of good ale" found himself pranked, tormented and ultimately driven off by an irritated bwbach!
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| Slavic domestic spirits tended to specialize... (Sergey Litvinenko) |
2. The Slavic Domovoy, Bannik, Gumenik, Ovinnik and Kikimora
Slavic mythology has its own collection of household spirits - in fact, they tend to be a bit more specialized than in other folklore.
The domovoy is the spirit of the house, making its presence known through knocks, groans, grating noises or trouble with the animals if it happens to be displeased. This particular spirit is the guardian of the household's prosperity (folklore credits it with insight into the future) and may (depending on the story) be either the spirit of an ancestor or a nature spirit tied to the materials used in the construction of the house. It will not cross the boundaries of the home.. unless the human inhabitants move and invite the domovoy to come with them!
Other spirits exist for other aspects of a property - the ovinnik inhabits the drying house, the gumenik stays in the storehouse and the bannick dwells in the bathhouse!
Another household spirit of Slavic lore is the kikimora. Depending on the story, this feminine spirit may have a few animal characteristics (such as a duck or chicken beak) and can be helpful... or harmful.
A (mostly) benevolent kikimora can inhabit a house and may be married to the resident domovoy. Provided the humans of the house at least try to keep their property in good order, the kikimora may take a share of the chores - or if the house is kept in perfect order, get bored and leave.
Things were a bit different if the kikimora thought the house poorly kept or the behavior of the residents poor. The spirit could cause great harm if angry, including causing nightmares, sickness or even death. In some stories a malevolent swamp-dwelling variant served either Leshy or Baba Yaga... and indulged in frequent kidnappings.
Legend has it that a kikimora could spring from the death of an unbaptized or stillborn child, a woman taking her own life or the death of a house-proud matriarch who wasn't quite ready to move on. They could also be changelings, cursed human children - or the result of demons seducing young women!
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| Rome's relics... (Mauro Grazzi) |
The Romans had the Lares and Penates to look after their property. Originally the Lares were the minor gods of cultivated fields, worshiped at the intersection of a family's field and that of their neighbors. Over time, they became associated with the household in general, becoming a family's personal deity - Lares were also thought to exist for neighborhoods, cities and states!
The Lares were joined by the Penates, gods of the storeroom, provisions and the welfare of the family. They served a similar guardianship role as the Lares and likewise had grand scale equivalents for cities.
There's not a great deal of information about these entities (though we do know the festival "Compitalia" was held to honor them.) One story is that Servius Tullius (thought to have risen from slavery to become the 6th king of Rome) was the son of a Lar from the royal palace.
4. The Neapolitan Folletto O' Munaciello and La Bella 'Mbriana
The Italian word folletto refers to an imp, goblin or fairy. It's something of a generic term, but individual folletti tend to be a bit more defined - one example is O' Munaciello, a small, monkish figure said to frequent the houses of Naples. The diminutive creature has several origin stories, including...
- A tragic tale of forbidden love ends with a grieving young woman entering a convent... and giving birth to a deformed child. She dresses her son as a monk to give him a measure of protection from the public. Those encounter him while he wears a red hood will have good luck, but a black hood signifies ruin!
- A pozzari (a water worker) that used his expertise with drains to sneak into the houses of the rich and steal valuables... or give unexpected gifts to the less fortunate.
- A spirit that helps those experiencing terrible luck by leading them to treasure
Regardless of the origin, the Munaciello is said to bring good luck to those who desperately need a change in their fortunes... and bad luck to those who deserve it.
He's said to have a counterpart in the form of La Bella 'Mbriana, a beautiful female spirit of the house that can appear as a butterfly or gecko. While generally a positive influence that promotes harmony, failing to greet her, not caring for your home or (oddly enough) performing renovations can draw her ire... and possibly result in death. In another parallel to the Munaciello, one legend claims she is the maddened ghost of a grieving princess pining for the family life she could never have.
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| A trasgu could be distracted by spilt grain... (Craig Manners) |
5. The Spanish Duende & Trasgu
Spanish cultures have their own household spirit in the form of the duende. The word itself has roots in the Latin dominus for owner, slowly morphing into "duen de casa" (owner of a house) before contracting to duende and becoming a spirit that "owned" a house. These creatures fill a similar role to the brownies mentioned above... but they also seem to be more adventurous, having followed Spanish culture into Mexico!
The trasgu of Asturian (an area in northwest Spain) mythology also seems quite similar to a brownie, with the exception of being rather more keen on pranks. This small, red-clad goblin has another distinguishing feature though - his left hand has a hole through it. Folklore claims that this could be used to the advantage of anyone fed up by a trasgu's antics - scatter grain or seeds on the floor an the creature would try to gather it back up... only for the grain to fall through the holed hand. It would keep trying until it exhausted itself!
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| Nisse, tomte and tonttu were gnome-like guardian figures... (Nguyen Mazic) |
6. The Nordic Nisse, Tomte, Tonttu, Hustomte & Fjøsnisse
The Scandinavian nisse, tomte and tonttu are all variants of the same entity, a small gnome-like figure frequently dressed in a red hat. These helpful sprites could help tend animals and served as a sentinel against supernatural forces... though they did expect to be paid in offerings of food for their trouble.
These entities may be a remnant of ancestral worship - ancient Scandinavian farms often featured a burial mound for the person that first cleared the land and established the stead. Gifts of food were left for them at times of festivity, in the hopes that their spirit would help guard the farm against dark magic... which sounds awfully similar to the nisse!
7. The German Kobold
Despite their depiction as small, draconic creatures in Dungeons and Dragons, the original kobold is a Germanic spirit thought to inhabit places where humans dwell.
They're usually depicted as being helpful but mischievous. A kobold in a good mood may help with household chores or sing to children, but one that has been offended (or poorly fed) may start hiding objects and tools... or even take the opportunity to kick stooping people over!
Though the usual habitat of a kobold was a household, they could also turn up in caves and mines - and they inspired the name the element "cobalt!"
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| Sure, blame it on the fairies... (János Venczák) |
8. The Baltic Kaukas, Pūķis and Aitvaras
From Lithuania we have the kaukas, spirits of fertility, wealth and the harvest. Typically (but not exclusively) male, these creatures could be seen under moonlight or on a foggy day. They were said to visit (or in some cases settle in) homesteads and protect the residents.
Another name for a kaukas was pūkis, which may in turn be linked to the Latvian pūķis. These flying, fiery household spirits were said to steal goods for the benefit of their masters, which made them quite desirable - they could be bought or stolen themselves after a spell was used to "tie them down."
9. The Familiars of Witches
More of a broad category than an individual spirit, the familiars of witches could also function as household spirits.
Not only did these entities aid their masters and mistresses in magical or murderous mischief, quite a few were said to help with rather more mundane tasks. Examples taken from centuries-old English witch "confessions" include being sent out to find food or livestock, providing banquets and lighting, attempting to scare or kill those who'd do the witch harm... and even providing relationship advice!
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| Ireland's the home of the leprechaun - and the rowdy clurichaun! (Ainars Djatlevskis) |
10. The Irish Leprechaun... and Clurichaun
The word leprechaun comes from the Old Irish luchorpan or "little body" which is fairly apt given his diminutive size. Folklore claims that this fairy lived in remote places and made shoes - the sound of his tools could lead a wanderer to his workshop, where a callous human could force the industrious cobbler to reveal where he kept his savings - a pot of gold.
Despite the popular image of a leprechaun, you might be surprised to learn that these fairies wore a red and earth-toned outfit. Some folklore suggests that it was the clurichaun that wore green - or to be precise, a green vest beneath his red coat.
So what's a clurichaun you ask? Well, it's a creature very similar to a leprechaun, but one that's traded isolation and cobbling for unguarded human booze cellars and drinking - in fact, it's been suggested that they're just leprechauns having a holiday!
Apparently the clurichaun could be an excellent storyteller if plied with alcohol, but would also turn quite nasty if riled - they could turn milk sour, upset your animals, blight you with a pox or worse. They could also use their pointed hats to great effect, ducking sharply and poking a human in the eye!
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