A Brownie is like a Girl Scout, only smaller.

A short history of the Brownie-specific Girl Scout History:

When my sister was a Brownie, she taught me a song that I've never forgotten:

I have something in my pocket,
That belongs across my face,
I keep it very close at hand,
In a most convienent place.

I bet you couldn't guess it,
If you guessed a long, long while,
So I'll take it out and put it on:
It's a great, big Brownie Smile!

A brownie is a commonly known faerie that secretly lives in someone's house, usually without being discovered, and cleans up after the house's occupants or does unfinished work, much to the occupants' surprise. They are usually encouraged to stay by setting out offerings of food for them, though it varies as to what they are said to like best. (Some say pastries with honey and some milk.) Sometimes they are a bit mischievous, but the best (and most popularly known) of them prefer to help out to their liking for a time, and once they feel that the family is no longer deserving or that someone else needs them more, they leave. This legend of brownies is the inspiration for the modern troops of young good deed do-ers: Brownie Girl Scouts.

Brownies are a two foot tall race of faeries that live in rural regions. They appear as very small elves with brown hair and bright blue eyes, although they are actually related to halflings distantly. Brownies are most often seen wearing brightly colored clothing made from wool, and they consider gold trim the highest form of fashion. Along with their bright clothes most Brownnies carry a tool pouch with many small tools for repairing all manner of items, which is something they excell at. They speak their own language, but most of them are also fluent in the languages of elves, pixies, sprites, and halflings, as well as the local human tongue.

Brownies are predominantly found in rural regions, they prefer to live close to human farms, as they have a fascination with farm life. They usually make their home in abandoned building, or in small burrows similar to the ones used by halflings. Brownies get by in life by picking wild fruit and taking small amounts of crops from the fields of the local farmer. But they don't just steal this food. Brownies are far to honest for that. They always perform some sort of task to pay for their food. A Brownie may take some of your apples, and use most of them to make a pie that he will leave on your window. Or the farmer may awaken to see someone has already milked his cow, and only taken a small amount for themselves.

Some Brownies prefer to live inside of the homes of humans. These Brownies will look for the family with the highest moral standards. Once they select a family, the Brownie will enter their home every night while they are asleep. Each night the Brownie will keep busy baking, sewing, and cleaning. While watching the house for intruders. They are silent in their work and even dogs consider them friendly and will never bark at them. In return for his help the Brownie will eat a little food here and there, and perhaps use a bit of cloth to mend his clothing. They insist that no notice be taken of them, boasting to your neighbors about having a Brownie is the surest way to make them find a new home. However, it is acceptable to leave a small gift for your Brownie. Which should be properly placed on the floor along with a bit of their favorite food so they know that it is indeed a gift.

Brownies usually have a small treasure hoard that they have collected over the years (they have a lifespan of roughly 500 years). They rarely spend this money. Instead they will usually end up leaving their fortunes as a gift when they find someone in need. Brownies always know when someone in their local community is in need; they watch everything from afar. Brownies will even go as far as to band together and drive out evil humans from the community (often when no one else even knows about their evil deeds). From time to time a bored Brownie may offer his services as a guide to local adventurers, or if asked nicely enough. The area covered is small, but the Brownie will know every nook, cranny, and rabbit hole for a few miles around his chosen home.

Brownies are known to employ magical spells in self defense, but all are defensive in nature. If forced to fight, they will use a short sword, which they wield with two hands. But they will flee as soon as possible, preferring not to take the life of an intelligent creature.

There is another faerie that is much like the brownie. That is the Killmouli, they are only a foot tall, and have a very large head and nose. The killmouli will alway live in human homes in the manner that some Brownies do. Acting in the same manner, but they are not as easily offended. Many people who think they have Brownies actually have killmoulis.

Brown"ie (?), n. [So called from its supposed tawny or swarthy color.]

An imaginary good-natured spirit, who was supposed often to perform important services around the house by night, such as thrashing, churning, sweeping.

[Scot.]

 

© Webster 1913.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.