Maggy Moulach

Maggy Moulach is a character from fairy folklore said to be a Highland Brownie. According to the folklore of Maggy Moulach, she had a son named Brownie-Clod, who was said to be a Dobie. A Dobie is a somewhat dull-witted, though well-intentioned, variety of brownie.

The folktale

One tale tells of a certain Fincastle Mill, where none dared to go for fear of the brownies said to protect the mill from trespassers.

One night, a girl went up to the mill as she did not have enough flour for her wedding cake. Because the miller had already left, she sneaked in to grind the flour herself. She put on a pot of water to boil as she began grinding the meal.

The Dobie who was guarding the mill, Brownie-clod, heard the commotion and found the audacious maiden hard at work. Keeping his distance, he asked what her name was, and the quick girl replied, "Oh, I'm Mise mi fein," which means, "Oh, I am me myself."

He asked her again what her name was, but again she said "Mi fein." As he began approaching her, she threw boiling water at him. He fled to his mother, Maggy Moulach, who asked who had wounded him. Fatally burned by the boiling water, he gasped out "Me fein" (Me Myself) as he had been told.

Maggy would later find out the trickery of the girl as she would regularly brag to her friends of how she had outsmarted a brownie. Maggy overheard the girl one day while walking past her window and took vengeance by killing her with a stool thrown with such force that it killed the girl dead on the spot.

Another legend of Maggy tells how she found a home near a farm. She was such a good worker that the owner of the farm fired all the farmhands in order to rely solely upon Maggy's work. This enraged her such that she went on strike and became a Boggart, an entity similar to a poltergeist. She began playing tricks on him until the farmer was obliged to hire back all the staff.

== The Moral==

The story of Maggy Moulach's vengeance for her son could be seen as a warning against excessive pride. It could also be to remind the reader that there will invariably be someone who loves each of us, no matter our appearance, and will avenge the injuries inflicted.

The tale of Maggy Moulach and the farmer could be seen as a warning not to take those who help us for granted.

References

• Faeries - ISBN 0-8109-0901-4 (H.C), Copyright 1978 Rufus Publications, Inc. Published in 1978 by Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York.
• Folktales of England, by Katherine Biggs ISBN 0226074943