Brownie at night. Five signs that a brownie lives in your house What sounds does a brownie make?

The brownie is a kind spirit, the keeper of the house and everything that is in it. The brownie looks like a small old man (20–30 centimeters tall) with a large beard. It is believed that the older the brownie, the younger he looks, since they are born old men and die babies. The god Veles patronizes the brownies, from whom the spirits inherited several abilities, for example, the ability to predict the future, but the main thing, of course, is wisdom and the ability to heal people and animals.

The brownie lives in almost every home, choosing secluded places to live: behind the stove, under the threshold, in the attic, behind a chest, in a corner, or even in a chimney.

The brownie takes every possible care of his home and the family that lives in it, protecting them from evil spirits and misfortunes. If a family keeps animals, then the brownie will look after them; the good spirit especially loves horses, but if the brownie doesn’t like the animal, he can beat it to death.

The brownie loves cleanliness and order in the house, and does not like it when the inhabitants of the house are lazy. But the spirit dislikes it much more when the inhabitants of the house begin to quarrel with each other or treat it with disrespect. An angry brownie begins to let him know that the person is wrong: he knocks on doors and windows; interferes with sleep at night, making terrible sounds or screams, sometimes even wakes a person up, pinching him painfully, after which large and painful bruises remain on the body, which hurt more, the more angry the brownie is; and in extreme cases, the spirit is capable of throwing dishes, writing bad messages on the walls and starting small fires. However, the brownie will not cause serious harm to a person, and sometimes the spirit living in the house plays pranks without any particular reason.

The brownie rarely appears to a person, although children and animals can see him, often he even plays with them, but the spirit can be heard quite often, usually this is an unusual knocking or incomprehensible grumbling, sometimes the brownie howls - this portends trouble in the house. When moving, it is customary to invite the brownie with you; to do this, they put a basket in which they put bread and salt or a cup of porridge and say: “Grandfather Brownie, come out. Come live with us!”, and in the new place they again put the basket in the center of the room and say: “Grandfather Brownie, come home. Come live with us!”

Habitat

The brownie lives in the red corner, on the stove behind the chimney, in the oven and under the oven, at the threshold, on the cabbage (hence the nickname in some regions of Russia - holbeshnik), in the attic, in the corner of the cage, in the underground. “The holbeshnik lives in a hut under the stove, precisely in the wooden frame of the stove on the underground side” (Dahl). He is often seen in the barn (especially on the north side), in the manger, stable, hay barn, and attic. In some Russian regions, it was believed that the brownie lives in a pine or spruce branch with overgrown needles, called a “uterus,” specially suspended for him in the yard. A place favored by a brownie cannot be occupied - you might get sick.

In the 19th century, in some rural parishes of the Kaluga diocese, a peasant, moving to a new hut, transferred burning coals from the old stove to the new one and invited the brownie into the built housing, addressing him with greetings: “You are welcome, grandfather, to a new home.”. In the old estate, they opened a gate or a hole from the underground, put a bast shoe in front of it and called the brownie, then they moved the things to the new house, and dragged the bast shoe all the way on a string, where the brownie supposedly was riding. The first loaf of bread, cut off at dinner in the new house, was buried in the right corner under the hut and the brownie was again called to move in. Or the owner, bowing to the east with freshly baked kovriga, invited the brownie to a housewarming party and left the kovriga on the stove - if in the morning the kovriga turned out to be bitten, that means the brownie had come.

When they built a new house, they put a coin, or even four, in the underground floor - in the four corners of the log house - for the brownie. When the first loaf of bread was baked in the new oven, the top was cut off, salted and thrown under the oven - for the brownie. It was believed that the first inhabitant of the house, or whoever first crossed the threshold of a new house, would then become a brownie.

How to find out if there is a good brownie in the house - general signs

The presence of a good brownie in an apartment is always noticeable if you listen to yourself. Their habits are usually very similar. If you don't have pets, but you hear footsteps at night that sound like a medium-sized dog, it's most likely a brownie. You should not be afraid of these sounds; they only mean that the spirit guarding the house is checking whether everything is safe in the territory under its control, and is busy with its other duties.

If you are wondering how to find out if there is a brownie in the house, watch your pet. Cats may start purring for no apparent reason, which means that the brownie is scratching them behind the ear. Sometimes they play together, because brownies, like young cats, love to play. From the outside it looks like the cat is chasing and playing with someone invisible. If the cat behaves strangely, and at the same time he is not scared and does not show aggression, there is definitely a good brownie in your house. Dogs play with good spirits much less often than cats. Usually they just look at something invisible without reacting to their owners.

Notice if you have a feeling before a knock on the door or a phone call. In an apartment in which a good spirit lives, it is pleasant not only to sleep at night, but also to be. You are happy to return to your home, your family has good relationships, and even if a quarrel breaks out, everyone quickly calms down and adequately resolves the dispute. You should be friends with a good brownie, leave him treats and toys, and thank him for his help and care. Sometimes they show dissatisfaction, but it will still be different from the manifestation of evil spirits.

How to find out that there is an evil house spirit in the apartment

In principle, it is impossible to call an evil creature a brownie, but they are very often confused, so this classification is considered correct at the present time. If so

the creature is in your apartment, sleeping without light will be uncomfortable. Even adults in such conditions may be afraid to remain alone in the apartment, especially with the onset of darkness, which adds strength to dark creatures.

Quarrels and scandals, excessive drinking and other sources of negative energy are present in a living room exclusively at the same time as an evil spirit, which is often confused with a brownie. Sometimes, if people live “wrongly,” the good brownie gets offended and leaves, and is replaced by evil spirits.

Frequent illnesses of all family members are another sign of the presence of something bad in the house. It is unpleasant to be in an apartment where evil lives. Perhaps you don't want to go home after a working day? Try to clear your apartment of negativity. It also influences the desire of friends and neighbors to come visit you. It is uncomfortable to be in an apartment whose residents live next to evil spirits; usually people want to quickly retreat to their own walls. Any evil entity that lives in your house should be driven away and a real brownie should be called, who will protect him from further attacks of evil forces.

In what cases does Domovoy need to be appeased?

Brownies are not very picky creatures, content with little. He behaves quietly and will never deliberately reveal himself, but, on the contrary, hides from people. But if something doesn’t suit him, he will be angry and indignant. How does such anger manifest itself?

Things started disappearing.
Some items are often found in a different place than where you put them.
You often find open cabinet doors or wrinkled laundry.
There are crumbs scattered around the kitchen.
Sounds are heard: rumble, rustling.
You often feel uncomfortable in your own home (brownies can influence the atmosphere).

What to do to avoid anger?

To prevent the brownie from getting angry, you need to provide him with the most comfortable living conditions. Here are some useful tips:

Brownies do not tolerate scandals and shouting, so do not swear, do not utter swear words, try to raise your voice as little as possible. Such creatures also feel emotions, so drive away the negative ones.
Don't be lazy, brownies can't stand lazy people.
House keepers don't like tobacco smoke, so don't smoke in your apartment. And, in general, get rid of this bad habit.
And all brownies love order and cleanliness. So if there is always a mountain of unwashed dishes in your sink, then don’t be surprised that something strange has started happening in the house.

How to appease the Brownie? 5 ways

It is not for nothing that the brownie is called the mistress of the house. He loves cleanliness and order. To appease the brownie, it is enough to simply keep the house clean: periodically clean, take out the trash, and make sure that dust does not accumulate. If all things are in disarray, the brownie will begin to get upset and angry, he may even start doing strange things, but more on that below.
A brownie is a spirit, a creature that is always depicted and presented as an elderly man, a grandfather. Like any older person, he loves to be treated with respect. And of course, he loves when people talk to him. It is important to make it clear to the brownie that you are addressing him. He cannot read minds, but he is always welcome to listen to you and understand. If you want to appease your brownie, address him politely and with respect (Father Brownie or Master-Father). He will also be glad if you address your home with warmth and tenderness - thank him for maintaining peace and comfort in the apartment.
To appease the brownie, you can treat him. The brownie's favorite treats are milk and baked goods that you made with your own hands. Pour a little milk and put some buns or porridge on a saucer and place it all on the highest kitchen cabinet away. It must be said that this gift is intended for the brownie, because he will not touch someone else’s. It’s not for nothing that brownies don’t eat from pets’ bowls. Don't be surprised if it turns out that nothing was eaten. The brownie is a spirit, so it only feeds on the “spirit” or smell of food. This is why, by the way, the brownie does not like dirt and litter lying around - they give off a bad spirit, bad energy.
To appease the brownie, you can give him small toys. Even though he is an old man, he still loves to play. For example, it is good to use small beads that can be put in a box (preferably a homemade one - brownies love owners who do a lot of things with their own hands). The box with beads should be placed in a secluded corner in the apartment so that the brownie can calmly play with them whenever he pleases.
As mentioned earlier, brownies also monitor the energy cleanliness of the house. Therefore, there should be fewer quarrels in the house; the brownie really doesn’t like it if a bad energy charge accumulates. This happens if you carry grievances within yourself for a long time and do not express them. The brownie loves spiritual purity, openness and goodwill. Therefore, if you want to appease the brownie, be sure to quarrel less with your family and be kind and open with them.

How to pick up Brownie when moving?

When moving to a new apartment, you can take your faithful assistant with you. To do this, you need to sweep, then lightly scatter the garbage and invite the brownie to come with you three times. Then the garbage is collected and, together with a broom, transported to a new location. There you should scatter the garbage again and invite the brownie to live with you three times. After a day, the garbage can be collected and thrown away as usual, and treats can be provided for the brownie. It’s better to take a new broom for this, however, you can use it later. It would be a good idea to let a cat into your new apartment first; it is believed that it can remove negative and alien energy. If there is no cat, just bring in a new broom - the result will be the same.

How to force Domovoy to give things away?

Brownies come with completely different characters. Some are strict and important, others are cheerful and mischievous, and there are also angry and hostile ones.

Sometimes it happens that a prankish brownie steals small things. It would seem that a minute ago she was lying here before my eyes, and then suddenly she disappeared. In such cases, you need to go to the corner of the room and say: “Brownie, brownie, play and give it back.”. If something is not discovered, you can scold him: “Such a grown-up grandfather is the one who plays pranks. Oh no no no!" He will feel ashamed, and he will definitely return the “loss.” Or the night before moving, give him a treat in the form of a slice of rye bread with a mug of milk and say the words: “Father, my master, my good brownie. I will give you new mansions, bright chambers. Come with me, there will be no happiness without you.”

The next morning, you need to put an awl or coal in a sack or bag, invite the brownie to move with you again in the manner described above, and carefully transfer the brownie.

How to drive away an evil brownie?

If the brownie won’t calm down and constantly harms everyone, try driving him away. To do this, sweep the floors with a broom every day (start on Monday and skip Friday), paying special attention to the corners. At the same time, say the following words: “I’m sweeping you out, you alien, harmful brownie, I’m kicking you out.” Do this until you feel that the brownie has left. Be friends with your brownie, and he will always help you with everything. Peace and goodness to your family!

Brownie Day

In Rus', the name day of the brownie is considered to be April 1st. On this day, treat the brownie more attentively, and along with the treat say: “Congratulations, grandpa, on your birthday!” It is advisable to choose a treat so that it does not spoil, and it needs to be renewed on the 1st of every month. But the most important rule for communicating with a brownie is a peaceful atmosphere in the house. Do not allow swearing, shouting, or violent showdowns. From constant quarrels, the brownie will first become nervous and then angry. There will still be no great harm from him, but he will deprive you of his protection and protection. Therefore, if you want to maintain peace and comfort in your home, resolve all issues in a friendly and gentle tone. And then your “housewife” will help you in everything, protect you and fill your home with goodness and prosperity.

omova – a rational, complexly organized and social essence of the non-physical plane of existence. Being an entity (spirit), Domovoy, however, is not a demon in the sense that this concept is usually understood.

Occult Security - XII. Brownie.

Origin of Brownies

The Domovoy differs from demons primarily in its “origin.” Brownie is a natural entity, like (for example) Vodyanoy or Goblin, or other spirits of lakes and forests. Every tree, boulder, and stream has a natural patron spirit. Likewise, the Brownie is only the spirit of a house, a residential building, a dwelling.

Look carefully at any landscape by a good artist. This is a two-dimensional flat image, a painting. Now imagine that the landscape has another dimension, like volume. We cannot see who is behind the tree even if we try to look at the landscape from the side. But the inability to see someone in a flat picture “behind a tree” does not mean that there is no one there. Try to feel the volume of a flat picture, learn to “see who is behind the tree.” New dimensions and whole worlds will open up for you... Some artists seemed to deliberately paint pictures in such a way that other dimensions were discernible in them - Polenov, Levitan...

Natural perfume- the oldest inhabitants of our planet, existing objectively, regardless of whether this or that person believes in them or not. Speaking about the origin of Brownies, we can consider these natural spirits to be entities that have become accustomed over many millennia to the neighborhood of humans, and even find interest and benefit in this neighborhood. Both for yourself and for the person. This is precisely where the sociality of the Domovy spirits manifests itself, unlike others. Once upon a time, a part of the natural spirits decided to choose as their refuge not a river or a hollow in a tree, but a human house. And so it happened, and Brownies are so accustomed to living side by side with people that, having become “homeless” for some reason, they can “get sick” or even die.

The character and appearance of the Brownie

So, we found out that Brownie is not an evil spirit, neither in fact nor in origin. What could be unclean in pristine nature: in an oak forest, stream, lake or stone?

Brownies are not afraid of icons, crosses, candles and incense. They get along quite well in the homes of churchgoers, calmly responding to prayers, holy water and a large number of consecrated church objects. No matter what the priests of different faiths say, The brownie is not a devil.

This is confirmed by the fact that, for example, performing the church rite “For the consecration of the home” in the premises does not expel the Domovoy. Moreover, the Domovoy can play a trick on the priest, arranging some mischief for the latter during the ritual - extinguishing the candles, hiding this or that ritual object. But Domova will not leave the house or its owners because of the consecration. If Domovoy were an ordinary demon, evil spirits, then he would not tolerate not only church rituals, but also everything connected with it.

One old village priest told me that a Brownie lives in his church. Speaks: “I drive him away and smoke him out... But he doesn’t leave. And he does dirty tricks if the church is not tidy. The servant got sick, the floor wasn’t washed for a week, so he, the prankster, got so angry that he had to wash the floor himself...”

Domovoy's appearance is described in different ways. Usually like this: gender – male; height is small, about a meter; lush hair and shaggy beard; indeterminate age. He walks around the house without a headdress, in a colorful shirt without a sash. The appearance and character of such natural entities are interestingly conveyed in the talented puppet cartoons “Little Brownie” and “Uncle Au”.

It should be remembered that nature spirits are immaterial; they do not have a physical body. Therefore, how a person “sees” them largely depends on how they are “expected to be seen.” A brownie can take on any appearance. For example, it can also look like a furry creature much larger than a cat with very soft fluffy fur.

Brownies are, of course, not the same in character. As, indeed, are people. Both people and Brownies have both a dark and a light side of nature. Just as a person can be both good-natured and irritated, so Domovoi can turn out to be quarrelsome, or sometimes be “in a bad mood.”

Brownies with a particularly quarrelsome character were popularly called evil spirits. It was believed that they were “angry” with all the people, each for their own reason. Some because they consider a person unworthy of help and respect, others - because the household spirit is considered an evil spirit and is treated in every possible way, others - because the owners do not maintain order in the house.

“I saw a brownie 20 cm from me. A very creepy sight. Here is how it was. I was 21 years old. I rented an apartment in a brick (new) building on the 5th floor in Krasnoyarsk. At night I went to bed (I had a thick double mattress on the floor). I woke up at about three in the morning from a slight blow to the forehead. I’m lying there, I don’t open my eyes, I wonder what it was? And then came another blow. I open my eyes, turn my head to the right and see something. About a meter tall, all gray, hair down to the floor, no face visible. All my hair immediately stood up from fear. I was scared to death, I tried to scream loudly, but it was as if my throat was being squeezed and I just silently opened and closed my mouth like a fish. This guy is worth it. I remember that I have a revolver with rubber bullets under my pillow. I sharply put my hand under the pillow, pulled out the gun, and then this guy ran from my room into the corridor. I jump up and follow him, with a pistol in one hand, with the other hand, while running, I turn on the light, in the room, in the corridor. I saw him run into the hall from the corridor. I fly there, turn on the light, and there’s no one there. I checked all the closets and bedside tables until the morning, looking for him all the time. Wow, I suffered enough then. Please note that I was not drunk or high, and I did not take any medications. Well, a week later, just in case, I moved out of that apartment. That’s how I met the brownie.”(Site forum. Author - Shadow, Nov 04, 2008)

The brownie usually does no harm, but sometimes only jokes, playing petty tricks on his owners. He can hide some item (jewelry, keys, glasses, etc.) and then return it, putting it in the most visible place. If this happens, this indicates that the Brownie, for some reason, is trying to clearly hint to the owners of his presence or warn about something.

He may “drop” an unwashed cup left on the table overnight - because he does not like disorder in the house.

If the Brownie fell in love with his family, he will warn them about misfortune or illness, protect the house from thieves and bad (corrupt and eye-catching) people. It can fall on a sleeping member of the household and press down so that at this time it is impossible to move or say a word. At this time they ask, for better or for worse, and Domovoy “answers” or “hooks.” By the tone of the response you can roughly understand the essence of the warning.

“The state is borderline - I’m not sleeping, but I’m not awake either. A terrible weight falls, sometimes starting from the legs, sometimes straight to the chest. A state of complete paralysis and terrible fear! I try to move, to scream, but it doesn’t work! Then I start reading the “Our Father” to myself, trying to struggle - to move. After some time he lets me go. As a rule, extremely unpleasant things happen to me after this.”(Site forum. Author - Inquisitive, Nov 01, 2008)

Most often, the Brownie gives information to the oldest person in the family, or, conversely, to the youngest. These could be dreams or any images seen with peripheral vision or while asleep. Children can see the brownie. Sometimes Brownie plays with the child and even answers his questions. This is completely harmless for the child.

“An incident from the life of my husband, at that time he was 11 years old. I was home alone, making a slingshot, and went to the kitchen to get a knife. Walking along the corridor, he heard a knock coming from the kitchen, entering the kitchen, he froze in horror. A creature stood on a chair and looked at him. It looked like a person, about 40-50 cm tall, semi-transparent, grayish in color. It held a fork and knife in its hands and knocked on a plate on the table. The creature, seeing Sasha, quickly ran to the far corner of the kitchen behind the TV, hitting the refrigerator hard with a chair and throwing a watermelon that was on the table in front of the TV onto the floor and disappeared. After this incident, Sasha was afraid to go into the kitchen for a long time.”(Site forum. Author - Katrin, Nov 01, 2008)

A brownie can “do household chores” by imitating the owners. Most often it looks like this - a sound characteristic of a particular activity is heard, but nothing is visible: the clicking of the keys of a typewriter, the sound of a plane on wood, the clanking of a spoon on a plate, or the gurgling of soup being stirred in a pan.

Domovoi can treat members of the household differently. He loves someone, strokes him with his furry paw, making purring and gurgling sounds like a cat. He may dislike another, pinching him at night until he bruises. If the Brownie cries (sobs) at night, it was believed that this was for the deceased.

The brownie doesn't like drunkenness. If there is constant drinking in the house, the Brownie may become seriously angry and begin to scare the residents at night. It is also believed that he does not like bare-haired women - according to ancient views, a married woman was supposed to wear a headscarf even in the house.

Grumpy Brownie or sinister can stomp, break dishes, and whistle at night. But this happens extremely rarely. Usually the presence of the Brownie in the house does not manifest itself in any way.

Enemies and friends of Brownie

Demons and other entities of demonic planes are the enemies of Domovoi. The enemy of the Brownie is also disembodied– the restless spirits of the dead – and the hostage dead. To the best of his ability and his life experience, Domovoy prevents various evil spirits from entering the house. Sometimes at night a real war begins in some houses - the Brownie chases the entities.

As a rule, domestic animals take an active part in this - cats and dogs, acting on the side of the Brownie. Most often, such a war ends with the expulsion of negative entities from the premises, but not always.

I have seen cases where demonic entities won, driving Domovoy into the far corner. After cleaning such premises, life improved, and the residents began to feel the presence of the Domovoy again.

Brownie names

Every nation and every locality had its own name for this entity - Domozhil, Domovoy, Domovik, Zhikharka (Olonets North), Posten, Lizun. At the same time, in the old days, the Brownie was never called directly - “Brownie”, using allegorical names and nicknames: Grandfather(s), Old Man, Sam, Biggest, Master, Zhilichek.

Your Brownie has and unique name, like a person. If it suddenly becomes known to you (they name it in a dream, you feel it telepathically or in some other way), then this will mean the manifestation highest trust from Grandfather. Their names are usually ancient, which are not used in our time - like Nicodemus or Silantius. Sometimes - associated with nature or character - like Carminative or Silent.

Make friends with Domovoy

Usually, Every house and apartment has a Brownie. In a village house, the Domovoy’s “place” is usually the space behind the stove; in a city apartment, it is the kitchen, the least visited, secluded corner of it. Create a space in this corner suitable for the Brownie. Since the Brownie does not have a physical body and is incorporeal, much space is not needed.

If you know for sure that for some reason there is no Domovoy in your house, just invite him. On Thursday (“men’s” day) before sunset, buy a new broom, especially for Domovoy. When buying a broom, do not haggle or take change. Place the broom in a suitable secluded corner and mentally invite Grandfather into your home.

I have seen various “inviting” texts posted in books and on the Internet. The text is not important, sincerity is important. Say it as best you can, in your own words. There is also no need to perform any special rituals to attract (slaughtering roosters, for example, as is recommended in some places). Your simple invitation will be heard, you can be sure.

In a secluded corner, the Brownie's place, place a treat - a specially prepared bowl with water (milk), a piece of bread, a cracker, a bagel, and candy. Gradually you will get a feel for the “tastes” of your Brownie - what exactly he likes best.

You should not expect the physical disappearance of gifts left to the Domovoy (although this does happen). Grandfather is incorporeal, so, of course, he literally won’t eat either porridge or candy. For Domovoi, food is the “ethereal reflection” of the gift on the subtle planes, as well as the good wishes (positive mental message) of the person who left the treat. After some time, the left treat can simply be thrown away and replaced with a new one.

If Brownie is angry and plays pranks, give him present. This could be a bead (rosary), a ring, a wooden spoon, a wooden comb, or a box. Items must be new, purchased specifically and without change. The material from which the gift is made must be natural: wood, ceramics, leather, stones. You cannot give: items made of iron, plastic and glass. The brownie also does not like mirrors or any mirror-reflective surfaces. By the way, in the old days there were no mirrors in the house. For shaving, for example, they used a mirror placed in the yard.

If you got sinister spirit, and you just can’t make friends or come to an agreement despite all your efforts and gifts, buy a deck of playing cards on Wednesday (“women’s” day) before sunset, and don’t take change from this purchase. Cards should not be made of plastic, but cardboard. Don't talk to anyone on the way home. When you get home, print out the deck and open the box. Place the deck in a hard-to-reach place (top of a closet, mezzanine, etc.) with the words: “Here are the cards for you, Grandfather. Play and don’t bother us.” Well, or something similar in your own words. Usually after this the Evil Brownie stops causing mischief.

Moving with Domovoy

If you have to move, you can invite your Brownie with you to your new home. For moving, you need to prepare a separate “luggage space”. Ideally, this is a canvas bag in which everything belonging to the Domovoi will be put: a broom, gifts, a personal bowl, etc. If there is no bag, prepare a separate cardboard box.

Before midnight (the last night before moving), place an open bag (box) in its usual place, put everything that belongs to the Domovoi (including a broom) there and invite him to move with you, reinforcing the invitation with a new gift or treat.

First of all, bring exactly this into your new home - the Brownie bag (box). By doing this you will show respect to Grandfather, which will be appreciated. If there was already an “old” Brownie in this room, there will be no conflicts, they will sort it out themselves. Usually the invited Grandfather gets an advantage, and the “old” one is freed and looks for new owners.

Other "home" entities of Slavic mythology

Vazila or Carried- in Slavic mythology, a household spirit that takes care of horses, similar to a yard spirit. According to Belarusians, it looks like a person, but with horse ears and hooves. Vazila lives in a stable, takes care of the horses in every possible way - protects them from diseases, and when they are grazing in a herd, from predatory animals.

Kikimora(Kikimra, Shishimora, Susedka, Mara) - an unkind spirit in the guise of a small woman. Kikimora lives in the house behind the stove and is engaged in spinning and weaving, and also plays pranks at night with a spindle and a spinning wheel, as well as in the chicken coop. A means of protection against Kikimora’s dirty tricks was considered to be a “chicken god” (a stone with a natural hole) or the neck of a broken jug with a piece of red kumach, which was hung over a perch, as well as juniper, a belt from which was tied around salt shakers.

Ovinnik(Gumennik, Podovinnik, Ovinny, Zhikhar, Grandfather, Podovinushko, Ovinny father, Ovinnushko, Ovinny Tsar) - in Slavic mythology, a spirit living in a barn (on the threshing floor). Ovinnik has the appearance of a huge black cat, the size of a yard dog, with eyes burning like coals. However, he can have other guises.

Bannik(Baennik) - a spirit living in a bathhouse. Bannik is often presented as a small but very strong old man with a shaggy body. To appease Bannik, they leave him a piece of rye bread with a lot of coarse salt.

Brownies in different cultures

Among the Western Slavs, Brownie was called: domowy, uboze, stwor, chobold, kobold, klobuk, karzelek skrzat, inkluz, plonek, latawiec, domownik, stopan, zmij, chowaniec.

In non-Slavic cultures there are also descriptions of spirits similar to the Slavic Domovoi.

Kobold- a good-natured entity in the mythology of Northern Europe, the spirit of the hearth, but sometimes the same name is applied to mountain spirits. Kobolds are known to play pranks on people and are constantly fussing and making noise. They are described as dwarfs, usually ugly. Their color from the fire in the hearth is bright red. Name kobold means “lord of the room” (Kobe, from where the New High German Kofen - room, room, hut); thus, kobolds are identical to the Anglo-Saxon cofgodas (house gods).

“Norway also has its own brownies. They are called "nisse". But they are called that only in the south and east of the country. And in other places, the brownie is called either “an old man from a settled place”, or a “yard peasant”, or the keeper of a farm. It is believed that he belongs to the family of gnomes. Nisse are no taller than a child, dress in gray, and wear pointed red caps. They live in houses, as well as in stables and barns, where they help take care of livestock and horses, to which they become very attached, so much so that sometimes they steal hay and fodder for their pets in neighbors' farmsteads... They love to play pranks, and their jokes are not always harmless. Very strong. They do not tolerate ridicule and contempt; they take revenge on offenders, sometimes very cruelly. Does not tolerate moving and any kind of disturbance. If someone starts spying on the nisse or the old barn is demolished, the brownie will leave the estate forever, taking with him the owner’s good fortune. Nicknamed toftvette, tomtwette and gardbo for their attachment to tofts - old estates.
I also saw a brownie. My grandmother lives in an old house. I spent my entire childhood with my grandmother. In my grandmother’s house there are many paintings, there is an old fireplace, and a lot of furniture made of natural wood that has darkened with time. And because of this, our nissa has somewhere to hide and something to rustle and rattle. One day my grandmother and I wanted to rearrange two paintings. Outweighed. And at night I woke up from an unpleasant creaking and then something rattled. I went into the living room to look and suddenly someone very small ran past me at the door. I even thought that one of the neighbor’s children had broken into our house. And as he ran past, he hit me painfully on the knee with his hand. I turned on the light (the room had previously been illuminated only by the moon from the window) and saw that both paintings were lying on the floor. But something else is interesting - the nails on which the paintings hung were also pulled out of the wall. Grandma came and said that we needed to hang the paintings back. And the “owner of the house” hit me because it was my idea to swap the pictures. I didn’t dare to anger Nisse anymore.”(Site forum. Author - Forest Fairy, Sat Jan 30, 2010)

Skryatok, Skrzytek(from Slovak skriatok, Czech skritek) - in Slovak and Czech mythology, a spirit that lives in a house. If the owner gets along with the shkryatok, the shkryatok helps him with household chores. The appearance of the shkryatka is most often described as follows: it looks like a black chicken, flies at night in the form of a chain of fire and descends into the house down a chimney.

Zashiki-warashi(Japanese - “a child warming himself in the living room”) - in Japanese folklore - a house spirit, youkai. According to legends, he lives in large old houses that are maintained in good condition. Good luck awaits the residents of the house in which the zashiki-warashi lives, but if the spirit leaves the house for some reason, it will soon fall into decay. To attract and keep a zashiki warashi in the home, he needs to be appreciated and cared for, but too much attention can scare him away. The appearance of Zashiki-warashi is described as follows: cropped hair, ruddy face, in appearance and character - a child of 5-6 years old. Just like a real child, he is prone to harmless pranks, which sometimes lead to trouble.

Korkamurt(udm. - “Brownie man”) - a brownie in the traditional beliefs of the Udmurts. Outwardly they describe it as follows: it looks like an elderly man in a sheepskin coat with the fur turned outward. If a korkamurt moved with its owners from an old hut, it is called Vuzhmurt (Udm. - “Old man”).

Notes

1. “Dictionary of Russian superstitions” E. Grushko, Y. Medvedev, “Russian Blacksmith”, N. Novgorod, 1995

2. “Myths of the peoples of the world”, T. 1. “Big Russian Encyclopedia”, Moscow, 1997

3. “The Unclean, Unknown and the Power of the Cross”, S.V. Maksimov, Ed. Comrade R. Golike and A. Vilborg, 1903

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Since ancient times, spirits living in houses have been treated with awe and respect. They tried to appease them with gifts and respectful treatment.

So that they don’t play pranks and do harm. Many people now consider the existence of brownies to be fairy tales and fiction, but numerous facts confirm the opposite. It turns out that nowadays brownies live and feel good not only in small private houses, but also in multi-story buildings. Household spirits announce their existence in different ways.

In Andrei N.’s apartment, the brownie makes itself known with periodic knocking, noisy fussing and mischievous tricks. Likes to steal money, jewelry and decorations. But he usually returns it after playing with them enough. For example, you put a bill on the table, and after a while you cannot find it. The next day the loss is discovered - lying on the refrigerator or, say, peeking out from under the ventilation grill...”

The brownie visits Elena K. at night. It leans on the sleeping woman’s chest and presses. When she awakens, she feels something shaggy and fluffy on her, then the creature disappears. At first, Elena experienced terrible fear during such contacts. On the advice of a friend, at the next such awakening, she asked: “For worse or for good? “For good!” - he answered; the voice was human, but it sounded like the rustling of leaves shaken by the wind. The brownie comes once every few days, and sometimes every night - either he will fall on you, or he will stroke you with his furry palm..

Often spirits take on a human form - they usually appear in the form of an ancient old man, but they can also turn into a cat, black as coal. It often happens that the brownie does not knock, but ticks, pretending to be a clock. As soon as you approach the ticking place, the noise subsides and after a second or two, the “clock” appears at the opposite wall. The home spirit “plays.” The ticking rhythm does not coincide with the clock - the interval is either less than a second or more. If someone begins to imitate a brownie, the sounds intensify and the spirit begins to make noise in several places at once...

Psychic and parapsychologist Pavel Spiridonov agreed to tell us more about brownies:

There is a legend about the origin of the Domozhils. When the Lord threw down to earth all the rebellious and evil heavenly forces that rebelled against the Creator, some unclean forces with the appearance of people began to settle in their homes. It is not known whether they were kinder than others or, having lived with people, they became accustomed and became kinder. Nevertheless, they did not become evil enemies, but rather were reborn, turning into well-wishers, and even acquired some human habits. Most of the peasants got used to them and did not want to recognize the brownies as devils, considering them a special good breed...

They were afraid of the brownies and spoke of them with good nature and tenderness. When talking about the housekeeper, they simply called him “He” or “Himself.” And even more often - “Master”, “benevolent” and “benevolent”. There were other names... brownies love families living in harmony and calm, caring owners. If there are premises for animals near the house, the spirit visits there too . He especially adores horses. He does not like careless owners and harms them, contributing to the desolation of the household. There is no need to tease, much less call, the house-elf. He may be offended, and then the residents will not find it sweet. It is, as a rule, not difficult to make peace with an angry house-keeper. You just need to - kindly “talk” to him and pamper him with a gift - leave a glass of wine, a crust of bread or snuff...

Brownies often warn their owners about impending misfortunes; it is only important to understand them correctly. If you hear crying “goodwill”, someone in the house may die. Playing around and making noise in the chimney - quarrels and even lawsuits are possible. If dishes rattle - you should be more careful with fire, beware of fire. Crying and groaning - to grief, but to joy if - jumps, laughs and plays...

Sometimes the brownie interferes with the secret sins of the spouses. He leans on the culprit and begins to choke him. In such cases, only prayer and repentance help.

When moving to a new place of residence, they usually try to take the brownies with them. To do this, they are invited to join the resettlement and say phrases like: “Get into the bag” or “Come with us, get into the pocket (suitcase, bag, etc.). It is believed that someone who has not been invited to move stays in the old place and begins to feel homesick. If a family that moves from one apartment to another leaves the house spirit in the old place, it may take up arms against the new owners and begin to harm...

From time to time, reports appear in newspapers about poltergeist drummers disorderly in houses and apartments. These are nothing more than brownies. Angry at someone else or just playing pranks. And why use foreign words? In Britain he is a noisy poltergeist spirit, but in the Russian expanses call him by his proper name. brownie - simple and clear...

A. Khudyakov based on materials from the newspaper "Versia"

The brownie is a kind spirit, the keeper of the house and everything that is in it. The brownie looks like a small old man (20-30 centimeters tall) with a large beard. It is believed that the older the brownie, the younger he looks, since they are born old men and die babies. The patron of brownies is God, from whom the spirits inherited several abilities, for example, the ability to predict the future, but the main thing, of course, is wisdom and the ability to heal people and animals.

The brownie lives in almost every home, choosing secluded places to live: behind the stove, under the threshold, in the attic, behind a chest, in a corner, or even in a chimney.

The brownie loves cleanliness and order in the house, and does not like it when the inhabitants of the house are lazy. But the spirit dislikes it much more when the inhabitants of the house begin to quarrel with each other or treat it with disrespect. An angry brownie begins to let him know that the person is wrong: he knocks on doors and windows; interferes with sleep at night, making terrible sounds or screams, sometimes even wakes up a person, pinching him painfully, after which large and painful bruises remain on the body, which hurt more, the more angry the brownie is; and in extreme cases, the spirit is capable of throwing dishes, writing bad messages on the walls and starting small fires. However, the brownie will not cause serious harm to a person, and sometimes the spirit living in the house plays pranks without any particular reason.

Capabilities

The brownie has enormous strength, both physical and magical, so he is able to withstand almost any wickedness that tries to enter the house. However, the strength of the brownie directly depends on how the family living in the house treats him and how friendly the family members are with each other.

The brownie is also capable of predicting the future for the owners of the house: usually he approaches a sleeping person and leans on his chest so that he cannot breathe or move, and if at this moment you ask the brownie “For better or worse,” he will answer . Sometimes the spirit sends more accurate predictions as dreams, usually to the oldest member of the family, although not always.

Possesses a brownie and the ability to transform into various animals.

Enemies

The enemies of the brownie are the Navya, who, like him, prefer to settle in people's houses, however, the Navya are much weaker than the brownie and therefore cannot win, but if the brownie is weakened, then the Navya can slip into the house and hide from the brownie for quite a long time. Also, sometimes there are clashes between the brownie and raging people who are trying to get into the house.

How to fight?

It is impossible to kill a house spirit, but you can scare it away with iron. The brownie does not attack people and therefore there is no need to fight him, however, if the brownie is angry, then he must be appeased by presenting the spirit with a gift of porridge, bread and salt, chicken pie or snuff, and politely asking for forgiveness. If the brownie begins to play pranks for no reason, they resort to more severe methods of pacification: the owner of the house must pick up an iron rod or any other sufficiently long iron object and, tapping it on the walls, furniture, floor, say in a stern voice:

“Know your place, know your place.

You, the brownie, must guard the house, take care of the household,

Yes, please the mistress, and not fight,

Know your place, know your place."

One of the most popular spirits or creatures, which was known to the pagan ancestors and is well known in our time to everyone, even those who do not recognize paganism or even consider themselves an atheist, is the brownie. The belief in the existence of a household spirit that helps or plays pranks in the house, for some reason, has not disappeared over time. To this day, ideas about them are alive and preserved so precisely that many people know how to feed the brownie, how to protect themselves from it, how to appease the brownie and other interesting things.

Brownie, brownie, grandfather, baker, housekeeper, neighbor, guardian spirit of the house and many other names and titles are inherent in the home deity, the patron of the home, the owner of the house, the main assistant of people. It must be said that recently another name has been assigned to the brownie, which is known as Barabashka. The brownie has long been considered a spirit (Velesich). Since God Veles patronizes people, their well-being and well-being, the brownies help him in this and in every possible way contribute to harmony in the family, the health of people and pets.

I think there is no need to decipher the word “Brownie”. And without further explanation it is clear that the term comes from the word “house”. The epithet “Susedushko” is also understandable. They call the brownie grandfather because, according to the beliefs and testimonies of people who were able to see him, the brownie looks like a short grandfather with a beard. The Slavs believe that brownies are born old and die as babies. The origins of this idea are difficult to interpret, but perhaps it comes from the ancient beliefs that house spirits are the souls of deceased ancestors, who, having lived as a brownie until infancy, can be reborn as a human.

In addition, the brownie is called by other names. Lizun- due to the fact that the brownie can lick the hair of children and livestock. Gnetko(oppression, oppression) - this name was given to the brownie for the reason that he can supposedly lean on a person while he is sleeping and choke him - at such moments it is very difficult for a person to breathe, and through a dream he can even feel (or it may seem to him) ), that someone is sitting on top of him. A baker is a very common name for a brownie. baker They call the house spirit because, according to Slavic beliefs, brownies live behind the stove. When a brownie is angry or wants to warn about something, he can make noise behind the stove, knock, make various sounds and even howl. For the same reason, the brownie is often called Golbeshnik- after the name of the partition that is located behind the stove - golbets. From some Slavic ideas, in which the house spirit lives in the underground, it is sometimes called underground. Another name for brownie, which is not very well known - Pasten or Wall - a shadow on the wall, a ghost.

Many people be afraid of brownies. The most popular image of a household spirit is a demon, which can cause a lot of trouble, makes noise, appears in the form of various monsters, and manifests itself as a poltergeist. In fact, this is all very far from the truth. There is no need to be afraid of brownies at all. Brownies exist in every home, even though there are many millions of houses and apartments in the modern world. Usually brownies do not show themselves in any way, they keep order and can protect them from various troubles. However, there is no need to rely on the extraordinary magic of the brownie and assume that he can turn off the gas or iron you forgot and prevent a fire. If the brownie feels threatened, he will try to attract attention in various ways, such as unusual noises and other things. However, modern people are so indifferent to this that they have forgotten what it means to listen to clues from another world.

Sometimes brownie mischief or spoil. This can happen for many reasons. The brownie may simply be joking due to his playful nature. The brownie can warn about something and point out existing problems that he does not like and can harm people and the house. The brownie may be angry that the people-owners behave incorrectly in the house and treat the household poorly. In the latter case, the brownie can even drive people out of his house for their attitude. It is believed, for example, that the brownie does not like lazy people. Brownie anxiety can manifest itself in different ways. For example, things can disappear and then appear in the same place or in completely unthinkable places. People can hear various sounds - creaking, slamming doors, the sound of breaking dishes, knocking, disorder, and so on. Moreover, the brownie may appear to people on purpose. People can see their ghostly neighbor as some kind of humanoid or moving image with peripheral vision. It is believed that brownies can be seen by pets and children with whom they make friends, play and communicate.

In the old days, it was believed that horses received special attention from brownies. The brownie pampers and cherishes the horse he likes, braids its mane and tail. If he doesn’t like the horse, he will torture it and survive in every possible way. According to the same belief, in the old days people selected a horse based on their brownie, namely, the color of his hair. It was believed that a brownie accepts a horse whose coat color is similar to the color of his hair. If people saw that the horse was often exhausted in the morning and did not feel well, then a decision was made to change the horse to an animal of a different color. For the most part, people already knew what color horses the brownie liked, since he lived in the house from generation to generation and fathers and grandfathers told their descendants about him.

The brownie also has an effect on people. Since the guardian spirit is often awake at night, in the morning people can see that their hair and beards are braided - this means that the brownie is benevolent. If strange bruises appear on the body, especially if these bruises hurt, it means that the brownie is upset about something, maybe even angry and is trying to show his annoyance at his owners in this way. In any case, the home spirit has always been and is treated with great respect. He should not be insulted out loud, and it was even believed that the word “brownie” itself should not be uttered in vain. Therefore, they came up with other names for him - grandfather, neighbor, master.

If the owners of the house move to another place of residence, then they must take the brownie with them. To do this, with bread and salt, they ask the brownie to leave the old home and come to the new one. Sometimes they take coal from the old furnace with a shovel and transfer it to the new furnace (if the move is from a wooden house to a wooden one). It is believed that the keeper of the hearth is also carried in the shovel along with these coals. At the same time, the brownie moves to a new home along with his entire family. If the house has just been built and there were no residents here, then there will be no problems, but if the new home has already been inhabited by someone before, then the old and new brownies can compete and even fight, which can be expressed in constant noise, as if somewhere then two invisible creatures grappled nearby.

If the brownie plays a prank and there is no longer any strength to endure what is happening in the house, then he can be pacify. The ancient method says that to pacify it is necessary to bury the skull or head of a goat under the threshold. It is believed that brownies really do not like and are even afraid of goats and goats. But it is better for the owner himself to take up the task of pacifying the neighbor’s spirit. To do this, you need to take a whip and, going around the house, whip all the corners, furniture, things, walls, floor and so on, saying in a loud and self-confident voice so that the brownie knows his place, that he should not do mischief, but take care of the household and help people, and not harm them. After this, the brownie should become quiet. Here it is worth saying that the whip acts as a symbol of Perun, a symbol of lightning and thunder - a powerful tool against any manifestation from the outside.

In the modern world, when the traditional Russian stove has disappeared even from many wooden houses, and in apartments and wooden houses of modern planning there is no place for it at all, the place of residence of the brownie in the home is moved to storerooms with supplies. It is also believed that a brownie can live in the kitchen.

Brownie Day is considered 28 January(, Velesichi, Kudesy, Bubny). On this day, the Slavic tradition of honoring the brownie has been preserved. In houses where there is a stove, they usually put bread behind the stove. Also on this day, in addition to the dishes that are served to all the inhabitants of the house, they also serve one more dish for the brownie. After everyone has had dinner, the dishes are removed, but the dish with the brownie dishes is left until the morning. The most often chosen ritual dishes are kutia, pancakes, jelly and others. For the ritual of feeding the brownie, it is worth leaving a spoon in the kutya or other dish so that the brownie has something to dine on the offered dishes. At night the brownie comes and has dinner. This ritual is practically indistinguishable from other rituals in honor of ancestors, for whom dinner was left at night. Therefore, it is believed that the brownie is not just a creature from another world, but one of the souls of the ancestors who remained in the house to monitor the well-being of their descendants.

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