alexei maxim russell - amazon s3...the trasgu 87 the boggart 109 evil spirits 121 benign spirits 136...
TRANSCRIPT
&m*The New Home
Owner's Guide to House Spirits
ALEXEI MAXIM RUSSELL
Copyright © 2014 Alexei Maxim Russell
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1501037137ISBN-13: 978-1501037139
COVER DESIGN AND INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONSALL CREATED BY ALEXEI MAXIM RUSSLL
ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDTHIS BOOK IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES
ONLY AND THE FACTUAL ACCURACY OFTHE CONTENTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED.
THE READER IS ADVISED THE CREATOR OF THISBOOK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING
THAT MAY RESULT FROM FOLLOWINGTHE INSTRUCTIONS OR IMPLIED SUGGESTIONS
CONTAINED WITHIN THIS BOOK
Published by Why Not-World dot com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 4
The Brownie 6
The Domovoi 14
The Hobgoblin 24
The Hob 33
The Nisse 44
The Tonttu 54
The Garden Gnome 63
The Pixie 76
The Trasgu 87
The Boggart 109
Evil Spirits 121
Benign Spirits 136
Household Deities 141
Recommended Reading 146
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INTRODUCTION
So, you’ve bought a home. You’ve hung your hopes and
dreams on a piece of land and you’re dreaming of the
many happy years you will spend in this place, alongside
your nearest and dearest. Well, you’re not alone.
Thousands upon thousands of people are in your
situation, each and every year. And they all wish to make
their homes as safe and happy as possible. In fact, people
have felt just like you, for centuries and eons of human
history. For as long as human beings have had homes,
people have longed for their homes to be happy and safe
from harm. In the interest of helping the new homeowner
to achieve this ancient and time-honored dream, we
present this manual to house spirits.
House spirits come in all shapes and sizes. From the
magical energies of the curious brownies, to the stubborn
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protectiveness of the hearth-loving domovoi, to the
mischievous tantrums of the dreaded boggart, a knowledge
of house spirits can mean the difference between a happy
home and a home plagued with misfortune and bad
spirits. Through this book, you will learn about every
known form of house spirit, how to attract the good ones
and how to keep away the bad ones. You will also learn
how to avoid other varieties of evil spirits and how to expel
them, if they’ve already entered your home. If the new
homeowner faithfully reads this manual and applies its
lessons, they can take comfort in knowing that a safe and
happy home is not only a dream. It is sure to be a
wondrous reality.
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THE BROWNIE
The brownie is one
of the most
common house
spirits. They trace
their origins back to
the British Isles, but
they are not
confined to the UK
or Europe.
Brownies can live
anywhere, so long as a cozy, well-maintained home is
available. Brownies are very strongly home bodies, in
comparison to some of the other house spirits. They will
not venture outside, even in ideal weather. They avoid
sunlight and are most active at night. They have no voices
and will always move in complete silence.
Physical characteristics: Brownies are tiny flesh-colored
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creatures, with pugnacious faces, wide-set, segmented eyes
and large, pointy ears. They are completely without hair
and tend to wear crude clothing, made up from scraps of
material they have scavenged from around the home.
They are never more than 1 foot tall (30 cm) and children
average around 3 inches (7cm). As a result of their size
and stealth, they can hide in practically any nook and
cranny and are very hard to detect. They can be either
male or female, although it is very hard for the human eye
to differentiate between the two genders as they tend to
look and dress the same.
Special abilities: It is rumored that brownies have limited
magical powers, which allow them to make themselves
invisible or shrink to a small enough size so as to squeeze
through tiny holes in the walls or floor. They cannot
disguise their smell, however, and dogs and cats are always
aware of their presence. When a dog barks at an empty
corner at night or a cat runs around at night, apparently
chasing shadows, it may be a reaction to an invisible
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brownie. The human nose is not strong enough to pick up
a brownie scent, but exceptionally sensitive noses have
likened their scent to that of young piglets. Because they
are magical, long-lived creatures, they give off a positive
aura and their mere presence adds a positive aura to your
home. They do not seek to help humans, but they are
benign and gentle creatures, which will never harm
humans or animals and indirectly bless anything in their
presence. They are said to cause houseplants to flourish as
well. It is not commonly known if brownies actually tend
to houseplants, during the night, or if they merely affect
them positively by their very presence.
How to attract: To attract a brownie, be certain to create a
cozy home, which is kept clean and well-dusted. Brownies
like cleanliness, but they will not clean houses themselves
and so they require good housekeeping to remain content
and healthy in your home. Warm colors and pleasing
odors help attract them, as well. The smell of good
cooking is said to be one of the best ways to attract them.
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Coziness is the main requirement for a brownie and so a
warm, well-insulated home is essential. A fireplace
(especially a traditional wood fireplace) will massively
increase the likelihood of attracting a brownie. There is
nothing a brownie loves more than to sit near the
remaining embers of a fireplace, after everyone else has
gone to bed and feast on some morsel you left on your
kitchen table. Christmas trees and beautiful works of art or
handicraft will also attract brownies, as they love homey
atmospheres and will spend long periods appreciating
works of art and examining curios in detail. They are very
curious and love contraptions of all kinds. Mechanical
contraptions, such as typewriters or old fashioned sewing
machines are among their favorite kind of toys and they
will often spend an entire night tinkering with them. The
more mature brownies may go so far as to disassemble
contraptions and reassemble them, out of curiosity about
how they work. This could lead to inconveniences, as
often a machine will not be properly put together again. If
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a mechanical contraption stops working, overnight, it is
sometimes the fault of a brownie. If you are a night owl,
try to keep to one room, so the brownies can travel
through the rest of the house at night. They will not come
out unless humans have gone to bed, so it is easier for
early sleepers to attract and retain a brownie. If humans
are awake and occupying the whole house, every single
night, then brownies may decide to leave. They also hate
late-night parties and loud noises. So, if you are prone to
party and blast blaring music all night, then brownies will
definitely not stick around. Lastly, in spite of your pet’s
tendency to detect and occasionally chase a brownie, the
presence of a dog or cat will actually increase the
likelihood of attracting a brownie. Any kind of pet will add
a cozy feeling to your home and this is important to a
brownie. Dogs, in particular, protect a home and make the
brownie feel safer. Cats, in turn, eliminate wild pests like
insects and mice, and so brownies appreciate their
presence. Brownies hate wild animals, but love
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domesticated ones. Brownies will often take food from
human larders and give them to domesticated pets, at
night. This is the most common way for a brownie to
befriend your pet, but it is rumored brownie magic
includes the ability to charm household pets. Once your
pet has been charmed by a brownie, it will treat it the same
as any other member of the household. Although it may
still, occasionally, chase it. Brownies do not form
attachments to humans, but can sometimes form a
relationship with your pet. They may, therefore,
sometimes encourage your pet to chase and play with
them.
Benefits: The main benefits of having a brownie in your
home has to do with good fortune and long life. Brownies
are not mere mortals. Their natural lifespan is 200 or 300
years and it is not unheard of for them to use their magical
abilities to live significantly longer. Something of their own
longevity and magical good fortune is said to rub off on a
household, as well as all the members of that household.
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So, by inviting a brownie into your home, you are lending
long life and a kind of magical bubble of sanctity and
protection around your home. Bad spirits and malevolent
beings, such as boggarts, will never enter a home with a
well-developed community of brownies in residence.
Risks: The only risk associated with brownies are the
tendency for food to vanish, for pets to keep you up at
night, chasing them, and for mechanical contraptions to
occasionally wind up non-functional. Especially interesting
curios have also been known to be over-handled and
dropped to the ground. The biggest risk by far, has to do
with removing brownies from your home. If the brownie is
ever driven out of the home, the loss of their positive,
magical aura in your home may cause a short period of ill
fortune to befall you or your household. If you intend to
drive out brownies, then it is very important to take good
care of your health and the safety of your home for a least
the next six months, following the brownie’s evacuation, to
avoid this period of possible bad luck. To remove a
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brownie from your home, you need only remove all
furniture from your home, all food from your kitchen and
turn the temperature down as low as possible. In such
conditions, brownies will vacate your home within two or
three nights. If you don’t want to go to that extent, simply
stop cleaning your home, and the filth will eventually drive
the brownies out. However, this could take as long as six
months, depending on how much the brownie likes living
with you. Most humans can’t endure six months of squalor
either, so it is better to go with the previously stated option
if you really want to remove the brownies from your
home. Unlike other house spirits, who can be politely
requested to leave the premises, there is no point in trying
to address brownies directly. They prefer not to associate
with humans. And that includes listening to them. They
will completely ignore anything you say.
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THE DOMOVOI
The domovoi is
common in Eastern
Europe, but can
technically live any
place. They require a
hearth, however. If
you do not have a
fireplace, a warm oven
or another area of
constant warmth, then
a domovoi will not come. Their main requirements are
this central area of warmth and a warm family
environment. They tend to stick to the home, but will
occasionally venture out to front porches, back decks or
any area near the home.
Physical characteristics: Domovois vary in appearance, but
generally resemble bearded old men. They usually look
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like small, hunched old men with long gray beards, but
can sometimes appear younger. Their facial characteristics
are as varied as the human face. They are always about
one third the size of a regular human being, with elongated
arms and short stubby legs. They do not wear clothes, as a
rule, but are covered head to toe in hair. This hair can
literally be any color, but the older domovoi tend to have
grizzled gray or white hair. Unlike other house spirits,
domovois always appear to be male. Whether female
domovois exist or whether the female exactly resembles
the male is unknown.
Special abilities: The domovois have many magical
abilities. Of all the house spirits, the domovois brings with
them one of the greatest amounts of magic. The only
more magical being is the hob. Domovois tend to spend
most of their time cleaning and maintaining the house or
sitting by the hearth, holding their knees and thinking
about the house. They are utterly devoted to the house
and so they are a wonderful spirit for any home owner.
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They have the power to detect threats to the home and
will find ways to warn a homeowner if danger is near.
They will also actively keep away lesser demons and evil
spirits by casting protective spells on the corners of your
dwelling. They are obsessed with home security and will
go out of their way to keep a home safe. They have been
known to extinguish fires and remove flood waters by their
mastery of elemental magic. Their magical abilities are
mostly related to protection spells and manipulation of the
elements of fire, water, wind and earth. They use this
elemental magic to create food and water and they use
wind and earth magic to levitate, make themselves invisible
and to strengthen your home’s foundation. They have
been known to do such varied things as create food for
poor families, provide water during droughts and use their
magic to paralyze intruders. Because they have the ability
to create food and water, they do not scavenge or steal
food the way other house spirits do. If anything, they will
add food to your larder, if it seems too empty to them.
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The most common food they create is a form of
sweetbread. One of their most unusual abilities is to shrink
themselves. It achieves this feat by not drinking water for
long periods. This dehydration will cause it to shrink to
the size of a house fly. A domovoi will be able to hide for
long periods in this shrunken form and often does so
when it feels the house is in so much danger that it must
protect itself. Sometimes renovations, natural disasters or
severe damage to the house will cause this shrinking
reaction in a domovoi. While shrunken, their powers are
greatly reduced and they will mostly just observe.
How to attract: To attract a domovoi, you need to have
some kind of hearth. A fireplace or a traditional wood
burning stove are ideal devices for attracting domovois.
The reason why they have tended to live in eastern
European countries is because these countries have
traditionally had massive clay wood-burning stoves in their
kitchens. This is the perfect kind of warm hearth-like
object, which a domovoi would love. It can sit on this clay
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oven or beside it and be at the very heart of hearth and
home, which is where it most wants to be. A constantly
warm oven in the kitchen will do, but a wood fireplace is
even better. Domovois don’t require perfectly clean
homes because they will simply tidy up a dirty home. But
it needs to be a comfortable place; a cozy and snug
sanctuary. More importantly than this, they need to be
certain that kind and gentle people live there, who have
warm and loving relations. They are very discriminating
when seeking a home and will only consent to live with a
family if they like the human beings who live there. Even
one nasty human can turn a domovoi away. They are
discriminating when choosing a home but very territorial
when they have finally chosen a home. If a domovoi is
already in residence and a new, nasty human moves in,
this may offend them. They may try to scare the new
human away or even use violence to remove the offensive
person. Apart from these points, you can increase your
chances of attracting a domovoi by having a beautiful
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garden, hand painted walls or anything else which shows
the domovoi that you value your home and are willing to
put time into making it more beautiful and welcoming. If a
house looks loved, a domovoi will feel welcome.
Benefits: A domovoi offers more benefit than most house
spirits and so it is worth attracting one, if you can. Not only
do they clean and maintain houses, but they also spend
every moment protecting your home from danger and
negative beings. The domovois are thought to be
completely immortal and undying. That, along with their
very magical nature can lend a lot of positive energy to
your home. People with a happy domovoi in their house
will tend to have excellent health and extremely good
luck—particularly with love, health, family and financial
security. Prosperity, harmony and creature comforts are
things which follow the domovois everywhere they go.
People with a domovoi will always thrive. And, unlike
other house spirits, they will treat the human beings in
their home with the same loving concern as they do the
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house. They want your home to be a positive, happy
place, with harmonious relationships. So, much like they
do with your home, they will sometimes cast spells to
protect the people who inhabit it, as well. They will want
to ensure everyone in the home is safe, provided for and
living in as warm and loving a home as possible. All
interpersonal relationships improve when a happy
domovoi is present, because they will use their magic to
create positive atmospheres. They may even cast a charm
spell on a human, when they are angry or argumentative,
in order to calm them down, soften their heart and restore
harmony to the home.
Risks: The domovois offer a lot to a home-owner, but they
also come with relatively large risks. If the human beings
in the home do something to offend them, they can
become angry, resentful and even violent. An angry
domovoi is a very nasty thing and so great care must be
taken when choosing to attract a domovoi to your home.
You can avoid offending a domovoi by always showing
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respect for the home. Do not damage the home or
vandalize it; do not make a mess or intentionally create
disorder. Even excessively loud music or disorderly
behavior within the house can greatly disturb a domovoi.
They are not at all compatible with noisy late night parties
and may become offended by them. Many homeowners
have found their domovoi angered by renovation projects.
They will not always realize the good intentions of
renovations and will assume you are merely destroying
their precious house. They may become indignant and
seek revenge for the perceived insult to their beloved
domicile. To avoid this kind of situation, try to address the
domovoi directly, offering it a calm and thorough
explanation of what you will be doing. Then apologize to
both the domovoi and the house for what you are about to
do, explaining that it is for the good of the house. Given
this kind of reverence and consideration to the domovoi
and the house, the domovoi should be placated and
should let you renovate without interruption. Another sure
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way to offend a domovoi is by causing undue discord with
your family. People who physically or emotionally assault
their loved ones, through a lot of yelling and violence are
sure to infuriate a domovoi. It will try its best to charm the
offender with magic, in order to soothe the bad feelings
and re-establish family harmony. But, if the abuser’s inner
demons are too powerful for the domovoi to soothe with
magic, it will develop a passionate hatred for the abuser
and will change its strategy. Angry domovois have been
known to hurl objects at offenders, scream loudly in their
ears and pull violently on their hair or beards. Domovois
have even been rumored to poison the food or drink of
domestic abusers or cast curses on them, which have been
known to bring sickness or death to the abuser. When
angered to the point of absolute frustration and fury,
domovois have been known to burn houses down to the
ground. To remove a domovoi from your house is very
hard and this is the risk you take, when seeking to attract
one. There is no guaranteed method to remove a
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domovoi and it is recommended you simply move to a
new home. As they are attracted to hearths and warmth,
you can try to remove the hearth and keep temperatures
low. But if a domovoi is already offended, this will
probably cause it to get even angrier and become even
more troublesome. If a domovoi becomes a problem,
however, it is likely your fault. Domovois are not
malicious beings and if you simply correct the behavior
which has offended them, it will eventually calm down and
forgive you for your transgression.
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THE HOBGOBLIN
The hobgoblins
originate from
Germany and Austria,
but they can live in
practically any
environment or climate.
They are even more
common than
brownies, but occupy
less homes than
brownies because they tend to live outdoors. When they
do live in homes, however, they are very quick to adapt.
Hobgoblins are probably the most adaptable house spirits,
able to quickly adjust to any conditions. They are
consummate scavengers and great survivors.
Physical Characteristics: Hobgoblins are about 1 foot tall
(30cm) in their natural form. They are exceedingly ugly,