House Spirits?!?

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[Nevyn]

I didn't really know where to put this and as I would like as much input as possible, so this forum seemed as good a place as any.

I have a newly forming pet theory regarding house spirits; being that they may not soley be tied to the place but often to family from domicile to domicile and generation to generation. Now I have considered this may be a modern phenomena (after all we have recently spoken of deity moving with the times, why not elementals and fae?), however I distinctly remember a story in W. Jenkyn Thomas' Welsh Fairy book of a brownie that liked the family so much it moved with the family. This of course peaked my interest.

So I am sending out a plea, to aid me in my task, does anybody else know of stories/mythology/fairy tales of house spirits/lare/wights/<insert relevant name here> who are tied to families rather than places?

Any help in my research would be gratefully recieved

[Celtee]

So I am sending out a plea, to aid me in my task, does anybody else know of stories/mythology/fairy tales of house spirits/lare/wights/<insert relevant name here> who are tied to families rather than places?

Any help in my research would be gratefully recieved

The only story I have is one w/r/t my family. I dunno if it'll help much but you're welcome to it if you like.

[Lusiphelia]

So I am sending out a plea, to aid me in my task, does anybody else know of stories/mythology/fairy tales of house spirits/lare/wights/<insert relevant name here> who are tied to families rather than places?

Any help in my research would be gratefully recieved

I know banshees are normally attached to families, as opposed to locations, and have read stories of them even crossing the Atlantic and showing up in New York after family deaths.

[rose]

I didn't really know where to put this and as I would like as much input as possible, so this forum seemed as good a place as any.

I have a newly forming pet theory regarding house spirits; being that they may not soley be tied to the place but often to family from domicile to domicile and generation to generation. Now I have considered this may be a modern phenomena (after all we have recently spoken of deity moving with the times, why not elementals and fae?), however I distinctly remember a story in W. Jenkyn Thomas' Welsh Fairy book of a brownie that liked the family so much it moved with the family. This of course peaked my interest.

So I am sending out a plea, to aid me in my task, does anybody else know of stories/mythology/fairy tales of house spirits/lare/wights/<insert relevant name here> who are tied to families rather than places?

Any help in my research would be gratefully recieved

Yeah, it's quite common for house spirits to attach to families, according to British folklore. A really fun read on this topic (recommended on this very forum) is Kathryn Brigg's Encyclopedia of Fairies

[Ocelot]

Rose, I'm afraid your avatar, although pretty is way too large. Not only does it cause side scrolling, the file size is a bit to large. Please reduce it some. One of us can help if you like.

Thanks

Ocelot

[RandallS]

It looks like you may have reduced the file size as it is now only 10-11K, but the dimensions (height/width) of the image are still too large.

[rose]

It looks like you may have reduced the file size as it is now only 10-11K, but the dimensions (height/width) of the image are still too large.

How's this?
Jai maa

[RandallS]

How's this?
Jai maa

That'll work!

[Magdalena]

...So I am sending out a plea, to aid me in my task, does anybody else know of stories/mythology/fairy tales of house spirits/lare/wights/<insert relevant name here> who are tied to families rather than places?

Any help in my research would be gratefully recieved

To help,


There are many slavic minor deites, one closely related to home and a family/ancestoral route, kinda tagging along, was the Domovoi.


"When a new house was built, the owner would put a piece of bread down before the stove went in, to attract the domovoi. When a person moved, the coals from the stove were taken with them and the formal invitation "Domovoi, Domovoi, don't stay here. Come with our family" was recited to ensure that the Domovoi came along to the new home. Salted bread, wrapped in a white cloth will appease the domovoi as will putting clean white linen in his favorite room - an invitation to eat with the family. The domovik usually resembles a male head of household, living or dead. This supports the belief that the Domovik is a remnant from the times of ancestral worship. He can be seen if you view him through a harrow or horse collar. Otherwise, if he shows himself, it is usually to warn of death. He, like the Banshee, can be heard weeping when death approaches a member of the household." -Ainsley Friedberg




just something to add

[Nevyn]

just something to add

Thanks for these replies, they are most helpful, and I would love to hear person family tales if people want to PM them to me. I actually read the Katherine Briggs book about 3 years back, so perhaps that is where the niggling idea came from subconciously.

[Marilyn (ABSENTMINDED)]

Thanks for these replies, they are most helpful, and I would love to hear person family tales if people want to PM them to me. I actually read the Katherine Briggs book about 3 years back, so perhaps that is where the niggling idea came from subconciously.

It would be kind of cool if people would post them in-thread, too.  I know I enjoy reading about people's personal experiences, and whatever theories they've come up with to explain them.  I'm not saying PMing them to you is wrong, of course, especially since some of the stories might be sensitive or people might feel funny posting them publicly.  I'm just saying...

Well, everyone knows I'm nosy, right?

Absent

[Nevyn]

I'm not saying PMing them to you is wrong, of course, especially since some of the stories might be sensitive or people might feel funny posting them publicly.  I'm just saying...

Well, everyone knows I'm nosy, right?

Absent

Haha that is you and me both then, I just thought I would mention PM's incase like you said they were sensitive.

[star dust]

 Hi, For several years my one son hade a spirit attached to him,  he hunted him and the rest of my family. He would turn my sons TV upside down tell him to hurt his older brother turn his music up and down shake his bed etc. One time while I was walking down the stairs he pulled my leg out from under me and I fell! I could feel his hand grab onto my leg and lift it up! Thi spirit would take my things that I was using to cook with in the kitchen and place them in other areas of the house when I hwould look away for a minute. We tried several times to move but each time we tried something went wrong until I decided that no one would talk about moving until we had closed escrow that worked and we were free from this spirit for a few months but then he found us. to this day twenty two years later he is still with my son!

[QuercusRobur]

So I am sending out a plea, to aid me in my task, does anybody else know of stories/mythology/fairy tales of house spirits/lare/wights/<insert relevant name here> who are tied to families rather than places?

I know one story, about a bogle, which is a type of Scottish ghost that is annoying.

A farmer was being plagued by a bogle.  One day he decided he'd had enough and was going to move.  He packed all his belongings into a cart, and a neighbour came round and asked him if he was moving.

A voice was heard from the back of the cart saying "aye, we're moving".

[~Gypsy~]

I seem to have one that is attached to me at the moment. I'm not totally sure whether it's a benign "entity" or not, at this point. I do know that I hmm...picked it up?...about a year ago when I was in NC.

It drives my dogs insane. It will knock on my door, but no one's there. Scratch on a window, walk across the floor upstairs, pass back and forth in front of the windows. Things like that. My dogs go crazy!! My male is very protective, and he'll pace back and forth between me and where ever it is at the moment, barking and growling. It was the same in the house I lived in when I was in NC.

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