The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

Story of the Brownies

There was a little boy and girl who lived with their father and
grandmother. By the time the father and grandmother were done with
their daily work in the field, they were too tired to keep up the
house. They asked the children, but they were too spoiled and
never did anything. Their grandmother told them the story about
the brownies that came and cleaned and helped. They asked the
grandmother who the brownies were, but she would not tell them. So
the children went to the wise old owl and asked him who the
brownies were. The wise old owl only gave them an unfinished poem
which they had to finish, and they would know the answer. "Twist
me and turn me, and show me an elf. I looked in the pond and saw
my----". Well, the children did not know what to think; they were
upset at the owl for not telling them the answer, and so they sat
there discussing the poem and trying to figure out what rhymed with
"elf." Finally, the girl looked into the pond, like the poem said.
She saw herself! "myself" rhymes with elf, so she and the little
boy figured out who the "brownies" were. They went home to their
father and grandmother and decided not to tell them that they knew
who the "brownies" were. Late that night, when everyone was
asleep, the little boy and little girl got up and cleaned the house
until everything sparkled. In the morning when the father and
grandmother woke up, they could not believe their eyes. The
"brownies" had been there!

Submitter comment: This story is learned at the first stage of girl scouts, when
a girl is a brownie. It illustrates that we are the brownies that
can be helpful, courteous and good.

Where learned: MICHIGAN ; DETROIT

Date learned: 00001980'S