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A brownie/brounie or urisk (Lowland Scots) or ''brùnaidh'', ''ùruisg'', or ''gruagach'' (Scottish Gaelic) is a legendary creature popular in folklore around Scotland and England (especially the north, though more commonly hobs have this role). It is the Scottish and Northern English counterpart of the Scandinavian ''tomte'', the Slavic ''domovoi'' and the German ''Heinzelmännchen''. == Tradition == In folklore, a brownie resembles the hob, similar to a hobgoblin. Thomas Keightley describes the brownie as "a personage of small stature, wrinkled visage, covered with short curly brown hair, and wearing a brown mantle and hood".〔(Keightley, Thomas. "The Brownie", ''The Fairy Mythology'', London, H. G. Bohn, 1870 )〕 Brownies are said to inhabit houses and aid in tasks around the house. However, they do not like to be seen and will only work at night, traditionally in exchange for small gifts of food. Among food, they especially enjoy porridge and honey. They usually abandon the house if their gifts are called payments, or if the owners of the house misuse them. Brownies make their homes in an unused part of the house, often in attics and holes in walls. Every manor house had its ''ùruisg'', and in the kitchen, close by the fire was a seat, which was left unoccupied for him. One house on the banks of the River Tay was even until the beginning of the twentieth century believed to have been haunted by such a sprite, and one room in the house was for centuries called "''Seòmar Bhrùnaidh''" (Brownie’s room). In 1703, John Brand wrote in his description of Shetland (which he called "Zetland") that: Brownies seldom spoke with humans, but they held frequent and affectionate conversations with one another. They had general assemblies as well, usually held on a remote, rocky shore. In a certain district of the Scottish Highlands, "Peallaidh an Spùit" (Peallaidh of the Spout), "Stochdail a’ Chùirt", and "Brùnaidh an Easain" (Brownie of the little waterfall) were names of note at those congresses. According to Scottish toponymist William J. Watson, every stream in Breadalbane had an ''ùruisg'' once, and their king was Peallaidh. (Peallaidh's name is preserved in "Obair Pheallaidh", known in English as "Aberfeldy".) It may be the case, that ''ùruisg'' was conflated with some water sprite, or that ''ùruisg'' were originally water sprites conflated with brownies. Another name by which the domestic spirit was known in some parts of Scotland was Shellycoat, of which the origin is uncertain.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Brownie (folklore)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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