Lubber Fiend
If you’re a follower of the Astonishing Legends blog at all, you know that we love house spirits here. We’ve covered a range of them, with domovoi, brownies, and kikimora. Tonight, we add another household creature to that list: the lubber fiend.
Lubber fiends are humanoid in appearance, like other fae. They are physically larger than other household spirits, like the diminutive domovoi. In some stories, they are even the size of humans. However, unlike humans they have a tail, significantly more body hair, and are an otherworldly kind of ugly. They are said to be the offspring produced by the mating of a witch and a demon, which helps explain their humanoid appearances and magical capabilities.
Also known as the Lob Lie-By-The-Fire, the Lubber Fiend is a less helpful house spirit (although just as playful and haughty as the brownie). They are believed to be part of the fae world and were known to be equal parts friendly and evil. In fact, not only did they like to cause mischief but they outright tempt and play with humans. One of the things they were known to do is to make good people do bad things, like encouraging tee-totalers to drink. In fact, unlike other household spirits known to inhabit single-family homes, lubber fiends were known to specifically haunt Abbeys that were known for making beer and wine. However, if treated well and given plenty of bowls of cream, they would work alongside the winemakers and alemakers to produce magically delicious drinks.
Although lubber fiends seem to have a particular affinity for alcohol, they can still live in single-family homes or farms and help with work there. As long as they are provided with a cozy spot by the fire, cream, and some basic respect (which may be as simple as not calling them ugly to their face).
The lubber fiend, though not as well known as his other house spirit familiars, was still graced with Samuel Butler’s pen in his poem Hubrias, written in 1664:
"–When, in one night, ere glimpse of morn,
His shadowy flail hath threshed the corn
That ten day-labourers could not end,
Then lies him down the Lubber-fiend,
And, stretched out all the chimney's length,
Basks at the fire his hairy strength."
Thanks to millie_christine for this blogstonishing suggestion!
The header image depicts The 'lubber fiend', a nocturnal household drudge of folklore, lying on a tiled floor beside a fire, satiated from the empty bowl of cream fallen by his right hand, a butterfly circling above him; after a lost painting for the Milton Gallery by Fuseli (No. XXXII); proof before letters.