Brownie

Brownies
	;
Other Names	broonie, brùnaidh, or gruagach
First Appearance	Scottish Folklore
Created by	Unknown

Origin[]

A brownie or broonie, also known as a brùnaidh or gruagach (Scottish Gaelic), is a household spirit or hobgoblin 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 a Boggart.

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 baptize it, it will leave forever.

Regional variants in England and Scotland include hobs, silkies, and ùruisgs. Variants outside England and Scotland are the Welsh Bwbach and the Manx Fenodyree. Brownies have also appeared outside of folklore, including in John Milton's poem L'Allegro. They became popular in works of children's literature in the late nineteenth century and continue to appear in works of modern fantasy. The Brownies in the Girl Guides are named after a short story by Juliana Horatia Ewing based on brownie folklore.

Public Domain Appearances[]

All published appearances of Brownies from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.

Some notable appearances are listed below:

Public Domain Literary Appearances[]

L'Allegro (1645)
The Brownie of Bodsbeck (1818)
The Brownie of Black Haggs (1828)
Villette (1853)
The Brownies (1865)
The Brownies and Other Tales (1871)
The Brownies: Their Book, by Palmer Cox (1887)
Another Brownie Book, by Palmer Cox (1890)
The Brownies at Home, by Palmer Cox (1893)
Brownies Around the World, by Palmer Cox (1894)
Brownie Year Book, by Palmer Cox (1895)
The Brownies Through the Union, by Palmer Cox (1895)
The Brownies Abroad, by Palmer Cox (1899)
Fun for Tiny Tots (1899)
Brownies and Other Stories, by E. Veale (1900)
The Brownies in the Philippines, by Palmer Cox (1903)
The Brownies’ Kind Deed, by Palmer Cox (1903)
The Brownie Primer, by N. Moore Banta and Alpha Banta Benson (1905)
The Brownies’ Quest, by Clara J. Denton (1905)
The Palmer Cox Brownie Primer, by Mary C. Judd (1906)
The Brownies’ Latest Adventures, by Palmer Cox (1910)
The Brownies’ Many More Nights, by Palmer Cox (1913)
“The Brownies Build a Bridge,” by Palmer Cox (Nov. 1913)
“The Brownies and the Railroad,” by Palmer Cox (Jan. 1914)
The Brownies and Prince Florimel; or, Brownieland, Fairyland, and Demonland, by Palmer Cox (1918)
Book of Brownies (1926)

Public Domain Stage Appearances[]

Palmer Cox's Brownies (1894)

Public Domain Music Appearances[]

Frolic of the Brownies (1896)

Public Domain Comic Appearances[]

Brownie Clown of Brownietown (The Brownies) Comic Strip (1903-1908)
Four Color #192, 244, 293, 337, 365, 398, 436 482, 522, 605
New Funnies #69-85
Raggedy Anne & Andy #28-36, 38-39
Animal Comics #5
Treasure Chest of Fun & Fact #244

Notes[]

Brownies also appear to be very similar to the house elves of the Harry Potter series, by J.K.Rowling. These similarities include their distaste towards payment for their services, them staying in unused corners of a house, doing housework, staying hidden and unseen as well as them leaving a household if given clothes.
A brownie serves as the mascot of the Cleveland Browns and previously for the defunct St. Louis Browns baseball team.
In 1919, Juliette Gordon Low adopted "Brownies" as the name for the lowest age group in her organization of "Girl Guides".