Fenodyree

Sometimes used as a proper name and sometimes as the name of a class of beings, the _gv. "fenodyree" is like a brownie, hob, or sprite in folklore, particular around the Isle of Man.

Other spellings include _gv. "phynodderee", _gv. "phynnodderee", _gv. "fynnoderee" or _gv. "fenoderee" or even _gv. "yn foldyr gastey", which means 'the nimble mower'. He is small and hairy, particularly around the legs, almost like a small satyr.

_gv. "Fenodyree" is in fact the term used for 'satyr' in the 1819 Manx version of the Bible (Isaiah 35:14). [ [http://www.public-domain-content.com/books/legends_and_sagas/cfwm/cf108.shtml Chapter IV: Manx Folklore ] ]

They are also said to be ferrishyn whose appearances were changed as punishment for falling in love with a human girl and thus missing the revelries held by his own kind.

The _gv. "fenodyree", like brownies, worked very hard from dusk to dawn at agricultural tasks, such as herding, mowing, reaping and threshing. His only payment was in food and drink at the farm and would serve the farmer loyally until his employer decided to give the _gv. "fenodyree" some clothing. In one version of the tale, the clothing was not good enough and the _gv. "fenodyree" left in a huff; in another, it transpired that the brownie believed clothing unhealthy and a cause of disease so, again, left in a huff.

Fenodyree is also character in "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" (Alan Garner), a young-adult fantasy set in Alderley Edge in Cheshire.

Notes

References

* [http://www.public-domain-content.com/books/legends_and_sagas/celt/ffcc Evans-Wentz, W.Y. "The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries". 1911]
*MacKillop, James. "A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology". Oxford University Press 2004
* [http://www.public-domain-content.com/books/legends_and_sagas/cfwm Rhys, John. "Celtic Folklore: Welsh And Manx". 1901.]