The Scottish Brownie – Traditional Folk Tales

Scotland’s stories are packed full of fascinating mythical beings. These intriguing creatures of folklore are wide ranging from the mischievous Fairy Folk to terrifying Kelpies, not to mention the hundreds of ghostly goings on. But not all are naturally vicious or malevolent. In fact, the Scottish Brownie is usually more inclined to be incredibly loyal and helpful

What is a Scottish Brownie?

Don’t let the name fool you, these little creatures aren’t a baked treat and almost certainly not going to be delicious. In Scottish folklore, Brownies are almost always male, short and a wee bit shabby. They like to stay in the one place, usually a farm or a big house where they’ll find plenty of places to sleep through the day.

That’s because at night, the Scottish Brownie comes out to cook, clean and finish chores. All they ask in return is a little bit of milk and an awful lot of respect. They might look a bit scruffy, but they are incredibly proud and can take offence easily. One hint that you don’t appreciate their work or if you insult their appearance and you can quickly find your Brownie moving on.

Brownies are usually a lowland resident and most stories come from around the Scottish Borders, Angus or Dumfries & Galloway. To give you an idea of these incredible little beings, I’ll share with you a couple of stories.

The Brownie of Bodesbeck Farm

Just outside Moffat, on the border between the Borders and Dumfries & Galloway you can still find Bodesbeck Farm. A long time ago it was home to a hard working Scottish Brownie, just eager to do his work and take a moderate meal in return. The inhabitants of the farm rarely saw any sign of the little creature apart from his finished chores in the morning.

Through years of hard work, this little Brownie turned Bodesbeck into the most prosperous farm in southern Scotland. The farmer decided that it was only fair his secretive helper should share in the farm’s good fortune. He left out a much heartier meal than the Brownie would usually take for himself and no doubt went to bed feeling pleased with his good deed.

But the Brownie of Bodesbeck Farm was far from pleased. He was insulted that the farmer thought he was due some kind of increase in wages! Didn’t he realise that the Brownie took whatever he required and didn’t need anybody else to decide what meal was best for him?

When the farmer woke in the morning, the proud Brownie had left Bodesbeck for good. The farm struggled without their night time worker and those good fortunes were slowly reversed. As the months went on, nearby Leithin Hall was suddenly becoming more and more wealthy and the rumours were that the Brownie had moved on there. The lesson learned is to always appreciate your Brownie for exactly what they are, and let them decide exactly what they need.

The Brownie of Fern Den

This particular Scottish Brownie decided not to stay inside a big house but instead lived in an Angus Glen, near a ford in the river. He still helped around the nearby farm and had a great relationship with the farmer and his wife.

The servants and farmhands didn’t trust the Brownie though. They weren’t very proactive servants and the Brownie often showed them up with how hard he worked. Rather than risk travelling through his glen, they would go the long way round to the village. While they were there, they spread rumours that this helpful little creature was really a terrifying menace.

One day, the farmer’s wife got sick. She got so sick that the farmer didn’t think she would last until morning without help from the village healer. He would have gone to fetch the healer himself, but he was too scared to leave his wife in case her time came. One of the servants would have to ride to the village instead, as fast as they possibly could.

Not a single one of them wanted to head out into the dark night. To get to the healer in time, they would have to travel through the Brownie’s den! But the Brownie of Fern Den himself was hiding around the corner, listening in disbelief. These lazy servants were wasting time while his mistress was close to death.

The Brownie couldn’t stand it any longer. He grabbed the farmer’s horse himself, threw on a long cloak and a big hat then set off to the healer’s cottage.

When he arrived at the door, the healer looked a little confused at the short man. Something seemed very odd, but she couldn’t see his face. He told her the situation and rushed her up onto the horse behind him. Galloping along the road, the healer was starting to worry when she saw the route they were taking!

“What if we meet the terrifying Brownie of Fern Den?!” She asked.

The Brownie replied “I can assure you madam; we won’t meet any creature more dangerous than I am.”

As soon as they arrived at the farmhouse, the Brownie jumped off the horse knocking his hat off in the process. The healer looked shocked at the sight of him and asked who exactly he was! He told her that wasn’t important and just see to his mistress as quick as she could. He called after her that if anybody did ask, just tell them she had ridden with the Brownie of Fern Den.

From stories of Brownies, some of the smallest folk creatures, how about reading stories of Scottish Giants next?!

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