Ulster Brownie

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brownie

Another type of fairy, known in some Ulster districts as ‘the brownie’, was believed to come to the house and assist in the work of the household while the family was asleep. An Articlave version of the story tells of a brownie who came at nights to spin for two old women who were finding it hard to make ends meet. They found that all the flax left over at night was spun in the morning and, at first, they did not hdare to spy upon their benefactor. At last, curiosity got the better of them, and they waited up one night to see who or what had been helping them. At midnight the door opened and a little naked woman stepped into the room. She sat down at the wheel and began to spin. She worked until the flax was finished,then went away. They watched for several nights, and one cold night the little woman shivered pitifully. The women were sorry for her and made her a little woolen coat which they left on ‘the rock’ beside the spinning wheel. When the fairy came next ngith, she saw the coat and picked it up. Then, to the astonishment of the hidden women, she burst into tears and turned to the door crying ‘Ochanee, ochaneed, I hae my wages an’ I maun gang awa’. She never returned. Another story of the same type is told in Cullybackey. A man from that district told me that a brownie used to visit his father’s farm and assist with threshing operations. One night a bowl of porridge was left for it, and the fairy ran awaywailing that it had been given its reward and could never return (Foster, Ulster, 83)

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