Cute and Fluffy Beings of British Myth and Legend Quiz

Answer: Brownie

These little creatures are never happier than when they are doing jobs around your house and will accept nothing but a bowl of milk and some bread for their reward. It wouldn't pay to be over generous however, as an offer of more than bread and milk will simply result in these helpful little fellows vanishing in an instant.

Answer: Glaistig

This spirit was half-woman, half-goat and was very much like a fairy, having many of the attributes of those creatures. The Glaistig however, was a kindly if mischievous spirit that was particularly pleasant to the elderly and to those who were less than well endowed with intelligence! Generally benevolent spirits, the Glaistig's naughtiness extended to little more than misdirecting travellers. If you were lucky enough to capture a Glaistig she would be compelled, by her nature, to offer you a fabulous gift in exchange for her freedom.

Answer: Bwbach

Ever had one of those days where absolutely everything has gone wrong? If the answer to this is yes and you are Welsh then it is highly likely that you have done something minor to offend your Bwbach. It is easy to offend these little brownies, laziness and cruelty are certain to do this, and things will continue to go wrong for you until you make amends. Unlike other brownies that are attached to the family, the Bwbachod are attached to the property and will happily chase away anyone that they don't recognise including members of the extended family such as aunts and uncles. Also known as Booakers or Cottagers, the Bwbachod are small, round and wear red hats and loincloths... Perhaps surprisingly, no-one has ever seen a female Bwbach.

Answer: Hob

Also known as the Hobthrush, these friendly little goblins would often find the holes in which they lived surrounded by parents chanting a little rhyme in order to encourage them to cure their children's ills..."Hobhole Hob, Hobhole Hob, my bairn's got Kincough, tak't off! tak't off!" Although the Hobthrush is a welcome addition within the home due to their willingness to work very hard at keeping the home clean and tidy, they always do this in a state of complete nakedness! It is believed that the Hob of legend came to England with the Vikings as the folklore of those countries, particularly Sweden and Denmark, include tales of these amicable little goblins.

In Sweden they are known as Tomte and in Denmark they are referred to as Nisse. It must be remembered that failure to provide food such as bread and butter and a bowl of cream for the Hob will result in it leaving your home, never to return.

Answer: Leprechaun

Taking its name from the Irish 'Lu Chorpian' which means small (of) body, Leprechauns are usually less than two feet tall and are commonly portrayed as being clothed in green attire, although the earliest tales of Leprechauns describe them as being dressed exclusively in red. Leprechauns are solitary creatures and are expert shoemakers, their payment for such work being stored in a pot which they secrete at the end of a rainbow or in one of two little leather purses. Should a human catch a Leprechaun it is said that he will buy his freedom using a single gold coin which will turn to ashes the instant that he is released.

A close relative of the Leprechaun is the 'Clobhair-Ceann' or 'Clurichan' a fairy that haunts wine cellars and who spends much of his life in a drunken stupor... Truly the luckiest of all the fairies!

Answer: Gwragedd Annwn

It is said that St Patrick decided to visit Wales and say hello to St David and that during his visit to the area around Crumlyn Lake in South Wales some local people abused him. You'd could be forgiven for thinking that such a holy man and patron saint would be above such a display of retribution but so bad were their insults that it caused Saint Patrick to transform the men into fishes and the women into fairies, the Gwragedd Annwn, a name that means Wives of the Lower World. Very rarely the Gwragedd Annwn will visit our upper world and take mortal men for husbands. Legend also explains how these water nymphs gave rise to the famous black cattle of Wales.

Answer: Daoine Sidhe

Also known as Daoine Beaga, which means 'little people', the Daoine Sidhe live in hollow mounds and love to hunt, fight, play chess and engage in the sport of hurling, a type of violent field hockey. The king of the Daoine Sidhe in the province of Connaught, Finnbheara pronounced Finvarra, was a master at chess and many of the mortals who challenged him to a game for their own gain ultimately lost all their possessions to him.

These mischievous little fairies are thought responsible for the little swirling eddies of dust sometimes seen on a hot summer's day and for causing the failure of milk to form into butter in the churn.

Answer: Easg Saint or Holy Fish

The Holy Fish were restricted to living in wells in the vicinity of a church and which had a hazel tree growing beside it. The fish lived on the hazelnuts that dropped into the well and which gave them their magical powers. Trying to catch the fish or killing them for food would do nothing other than invite immediate divine retribution.

Answer: Portunes

In France they are known as Neptunes, in Germany as Kobolds but in England they are known as Portunes. Looking like little old men dressed in patchwork coats and breeches, Portunes are tiny beings barely an inch and a half in height. During the night whilst busying themselves with your unfinished household tasks, they cook little frogs in the hearth and eat them. Like many mischievous creatures of Celtic and early British mythology, the Portunes take particular delight in interfering with the travel plans of those moving from place to place alone.

After misleading travellers they would run away laughing loudly and gleefully, mocking their victims with how simply they had been able to mislead them.

Answer: Hedley Kow

... But put it down and it would shuffle away laughing as it went! This mischievous, poltergeist-like spirit would sometimes take on the form of two people, usually two pretty young girls who would entice young men and lure them into all manner of mischief. Hedley Kow was also known to become active around the home when a new baby was due to be born tormenting the horse upon which the man riding for the midwife was mounted thereby tossing him into the road; travel anywhere was clearly a risky business before the invention of the motor car!